Abbeville City Council adopts ethics recusal rules, approves street abandonment and introduces disaster-aid ordinance

Abbeville City Council on Monday approved a package of measures aimed at clarifying municipal operations and official conduct. The council adopted Resolution No. 9-2026 addressing public statements about municipal operations and approved second readings of two ordinances: one to abandon portions of Jones Street and Lyons Street adjacent to 410 Branch Street and another to add recusal requirements for elected officials.

The actions came during the council's regular meeting on May 18, where Mayor Pro Tem A. Faye Thomas presided. Councilmember Benji Greeson moved to adopt Resolution No. 9-2026; Councilmember Christopher R. Crawford seconded, and the resolution passed with no objections. The council then approved second reading of Ordinance No. 11-2026, which authorizes abandonment and conveyance of specified portions of Jones and Lyons streets for development, on a motion by Councilmember James Jackson, seconded by Councilmember Matthew H. Gambrell.

Council also approved second reading of Ordinance No. 12-2026, an amendment to section 2-256 of the City Code that adds subsection (C) to establish recusal requirements for elected officials consistent with the South Carolina Ethics, Government Accountability, and Campaign Reform Act. Councilmember John Sutherland moved the measure and Councilmember Gambrell seconded; the ordinance passed unanimously.

During the meeting the council gave first reading to Ordinance No. 13-2026, a proposal to waive debris and trash pick-up fees for individuals impacted by declared disasters. Councilmember Gambrell moved and Councilmember Jackson seconded approval for first reading. Citizen James Sirman questioned whether the matter was administrative rather than legislative; City Manager R. Blake Stone explained staff presented it as a legislative item under existing Solid Waste code provisions.

Why it matters: The ethics amendment ties local recusal rules explicitly to state ethics law, clarifying when elected officials must abstain from participation. The street-abandonment ordinance clears a right-of-way to enable development on a parcel identified as 109-10-04-004. The disaster-aid ordinance, at first reading, would give the city a local mechanism to waive certain fees for disaster-impacted residents if adopted.

What happens next: Ordinance No. 13-2026 will return for a second reading before final adoption. The other measures adopted at second reading take effect according to the city's ordinance-adoption process and any codified effective dates.