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Town staff give wide-ranging overview of departments; wastewater, staffing and equipment needs highlighted
Summary
Town staff walked the council through departmental responsibilities — planning, public works, utilities, wastewater, IT, finance and court — and flagged staff vacancies, equipment constraints, monitoring upgrades and the wastewater plant’s permitted capacity of 2.5 million gallons per day.
Town staff provided a granular overview of municipal operations during the Feb. 23 Batesburg-Leesville work session, briefing council members — many newly seated — on functions, staffing and pressing capital or equipment needs.
Town manager/project lead Jay Hendris and department heads described roles across town hall: Amanda Wyatt (HR/payroll); Becky (zoning administrator) and Amanda Ethrrich (permit clerk) handling planning, permitting and business licensing; Scott Perry enforcing property-maintenance codes; David Padet (public works) and Jeremy (fleet) managing parks, streets, waste and vehicle/equipment maintenance; Wanda Hartley overseeing utility billing; Lisa (finance director and town clerk) managing budgets and debt; court staff and municipal judges processing fines and bond hearings; Michael (IT) maintaining systems and SCADA connectivity for utilities; and Angie Atkins and Archie Wash supervising wastewater and utility maintenance operations.
Presenters highlighted several operational facts and near-term needs: the wastewater plant is permitted for 2.5 million gallons per day and operates with four certified operators and 12 lift stations; certain lift stations and collection infrastructure are being instrumented with remote monitoring but not all are yet connected; the utility maintenance crew is short-staffed (two current vacancies were noted); fleet and excavation equipment size limit scope of work; and public works and utilities face recurring demands tied to events and storm response. Staff also described billing cycles, cutoff procedures and a set-off debt process used to recover unpaid utility balances.
Council members praised crews for emergency responses and discussed creating a capital improvements plan separating water, wastewater and utility maintenance items for prioritized investment. Staff said a system-level capital plan is in development, though a full 10‑year wastewater-specific capital improvement plan is not yet complete.
Staff invited councilmembers to tour facilities (wastewater plant and utility operations) for firsthand understanding of systems and vulnerabilities. No formal action was taken; staff will return with capital planning materials and requests tied to the upcoming budget.
