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Union County Council praises storm response, forgives three days for nonessential employees
Summary
After Tropical Storm Helene, the Union County Council unanimously forgave three inclement-weather days for nonessential county employees, approved $3,000 in hospitality funds for fair safety, and reviewed storm damage estimates and a debris‑removal timeline. Officials emphasized volunteer aid and next steps for cleanup and planning.
The Union County Council on Oct. 8 unanimously forgave three days of inclement‑weather leave for nonessential county employees after Tropical Storm Helene and approved $3,000 in hospitality funds to pay overtime for sheriff’s deputies and EMS at the upcoming county fair.
Chairman Phillip G. Russell II told the council county offices were closed Sept. 27, Sept. 30 and Oct. 1 because of storm damage and outages. Councilman John Glenn moved to forgive the three days so nonessential employees would not have to use vacation or sick leave; Vice Chairman David Sinclair seconded and the motion carried unanimously. The council did not provide a dollar estimate for the decision; the cost was described as not specified in the minutes.
The council heard a report on emergency operations and recovery. Chairman Russell said winds reached about 80 mph, causing county‑wide power outages, blocked roadways and communications failures that required welfare checks and priority clearing of main routes. He reported preliminary damage estimates of approximately $162,670 for county‑only losses and about $1.3 million including municipalities as of Friday at 5 p.m. The county announced a SC DOT contract for storm debris removal and asked residents to place eligible vegetative debris at the edge of the pavement in 6–7‑foot sections, away from mailboxes and fire hydrants. Officials said crews expect to reach every road in the county over a roughly 6–8 week cleanup period.
Chairman Russell and council members stressed the role of essential employees and volunteers during the response. Sheriff Bailey thanked county staff and outside agencies for assistance and described volunteer help from JROTC and the Sheriff’s Office Explorers; the Sheriff’s Office prepared 100 food boxes from Greg’s Grocery and sent supplies to western North Carolina. The Sheriff also announced a Shop with a Cop fundraiser to support holiday gifts for children.
Separately, the council approved using $3,000 in hospitality funds to provide security and an EMS presence during the county fair; Councilman John Flood moved the measure and Councilman Danny Bright seconded, with a unanimous vote.
The council said it will develop a hazardous‑weather policy for future events and conduct a critical‑incident debrief once county operations stabilize. The meeting adjourned at 6:01 p.m.
