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Beaufort County Council tells mediator it does not accept Pine Island settlement; vote 8–3
Summary
At a specially called Sept. 16 meeting, Beaufort County Council amended its agenda to hold an executive session on Pine Island litigation, then voted 8–3 to authorize county attorneys to inform the mediator the council does not accept the settlement proposal discussed in mediation.
Councilwoman Howard moved on Sept. 16 that Beaufort County’s attorneys be authorized to tell the mediator the county does not accept the settlement proposal discussed in mediation, and the council approved the motion by an 8–3 roll-call vote.
The action followed an executive session called under South Carolina Code §30-4-70(a)(2) to receive legal advice and discuss proposed negotiations and possible settlement related to the Pine Island litigation. Chairman Passamette read the executive-session motion aloud at the start of the meeting and said the closed session would begin immediately and would likely last "no more than an hour and a half." The council reconvened and returned to open session before Councilwoman Howard offered the post-session motion.
"I would like to make a motion to authorize the county attorneys to advise the mediator that council does not accept the settlement proposal made in the mediation," Councilwoman Howard said when presenting the motion. A council member seconded the motion and it was placed for a roll-call vote.
Council member Mark Lawson said he objected. "We all ran on responsible growth and the betterment of [the] community, and this doesn't leave any option for us, either 1 or none," Lawson said, adding that rejecting the proposal could "open up development in Saint Helena which is the total opposite of what the CPO was originally designed to do." Other council members signaled agreement with Lawson’s concerns during discussion.
The clerk called the roll. The transcript records the following votes as read aloud: Howard – Yes; Tabernick – Yes; Reitz – No; Mark Lawson – Yes; Glover – Yes; Dawson – Yes; Cunningham – No; Brown – No; Bartholomew – Yes; Vice Chair McKellen – Yes; Chairman Passamette – Yes. Chairman Passamette announced, "The motion passes," and the meeting record shows the tally as 8 yes, 3 no.
Earlier in the meeting the council amended the agenda so that the executive session item specifically referenced South Carolina Code §30-4-70(a)(2) and said the session would address legal advice, possible settlement of legal claims, and negotiations incident to proposed contractual arrangements related to the Pine Island litigation.
There were no further items after the vote; Chairman Passamette adjourned the meeting at 6:34 p.m.
Notes on sourcing: the article quotes council members and uses the council’s roll-call as read aloud in the meeting transcript. Names and role titles are taken from the meeting record.
