Residents press Sumter County on dirt roads, deputies and recent equipment purchase during public comment

Several residents used the July 9 public-comment period to press Sumter County officials on infrastructure and public-safety concerns.

Wayne Geddings alleged that four council members had given County Administrator Gary Mixon names related to how the Kangaroo Road issue was being handled; Mixon said he could not disclose names because the matter involves personnel. Elizabeth Kilgore said constituents are voters and questioned how projects were included on the Capital Projects Sales Tax ballot and how council members comport themselves in meetings. Linda Hasty told council that paving roads can be more cost-effective than repeated maintenance on dirt roads and asked about notification procedures for rezoning requests (she specifically referenced Byrd Road). George Bates urged more deputies and improved equipment, citing delayed arrivals by current personnel and concerns about pothole-riddled paved roads. Myra Washington read excerpts from a memo by Purchasing Director Robert Galloway concerning a recent county bulldozer purchase and remained after the meeting to seek further explanation.

County Administrator Gary Mixon told the meeting he would follow up on where the reported $200,000 in state transportation funds would be used and would provide additional information on dirt-road issues after consulting with staff and the S.C. Attorney General’s Office. The minutes do not provide numeric verification of some claims (for example, the commenter’s assertion that dirt roads cost four times more to maintain than paving) and do not include roll-call vote counts for council actions.

The meeting adjourned at 7:43 p.m.