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Residents urge council to drop sanctions motion, create housing court docket and improve transit and neighborhood traffic
Summary
During public comment Greenville County residents criticized a pending sanctions motion, urged a housing-court pilot to reduce evictions, called for expanded bus service for supportive housing residents, and raised sanitation and cut-through traffic concerns.
Multiple residents used the public-comment period at the Greenville County Council meeting to press the council on legal, housing, transit and sanitation issues.
Diane Freeland urged the council to instruct county administration to withdraw a sanctions motion she said the county attorney filed against Audrey Passen (and her husband, Jim Sheets). Freeland told the council the sanctions motion seeks about $16,000 in attorney fees and warned that, if imposed, future citizens might be deterred from legally challenging county actions: "If Miss Passen is sanctioned, what citizen in the future will ever step up again?" She said a sanctions hearing was scheduled for Thursday, March 5 at 11:30 a.m. at the Greenville County Courthouse.
On housing, Melinda Dukes of Good Justice advocated for a dedicated housing-court docket in Greenville County to reduce repeat eviction filings, coordinate mediators and navigators, and produce earlier resolutions. Dukes cited an estimated 25% eviction filing rate as of August 2024 and told the council that "In 2023 alone, more than 15,000 filings occurred here," urging the council to host a workshop with stakeholders to design a pilot.
Transit and accessibility were raised by Joe Clary, who said Front Porch Housing relies on bus access for residents and employees, some of whom are adults with disabilities. "The reason that we bought Front Porch Housing was because it was on the bus line," Clary said, and he asked the council to consider expanded routes, greater frequency and Sunday service in upcoming budget deliberations.
Several residents also criticized Greater Greenville's sanitation commission; Ed Paxton told the council he believed political mismanagement and nepotism had led to poor service and questioned the commission’s stewardship of a $20 million pledge. Ryan Sarakowskis asked for help addressing cut-through traffic on East Perry Road, seeking speed mitigation or barriers and was told the county must follow state traffic processes when the road is under state jurisdiction.
The council did not take formal action during public comment on the sanctions matter, the housing-court proposal, transit requests or sanitation grievances; staff follow-up and committee consideration were suggested as next steps.
