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Kingstree council reappoints board members, sets Jan. meeting date and names Stan Williamson mayor pro tem
Summary
Council reappointed members to the BZA, ARB and Planning Commission, asked for new Beautification Board candidates, moved the January meeting to Jan. 26 and unanimously named Councilman Stan Williamson mayor pro tem. Town Manager reported on a sinkhole remediation plan and street sign orders.
The Kingstree Town Council reappointed members to several boards, asked staff to recruit Beautification Board candidates, moved the January meeting date and unanimously named Councilman Stan Williamson as Mayor Pro Tempore.
During the meeting Finance Director Merianne Cowley and Mr. James Elmore presented board membership items. Councilwoman Michelle Butterworth moved to reappoint Monica Blunt to the Board of Zoning and Appeals; Councilman Frankie D. White seconded the motion and it passed unanimously. The council also reappointed Dexter Graham and Josh Kellahan to the Architectural Review Board and reappointed Virginia Taylor, Esther Harrell and Travis Davis to the Planning Commission.
Mr. Elmore told council that three Beautification Board members missed meetings over the past year and had effectively not fulfilled their duties; council asked him to present three replacement candidates by the January council meeting so training can be scheduled.
Councilman C.M. (Bubba) Hammet moved to shift the January 2026 meeting to Monday, Jan. 26 because the third Monday falls on Martin Luther King Jr. Day; that motion passed unanimously. Separately, Hammet nominated Councilman Stan Williamson for Mayor Pro Tempore; Councilwoman Michelle Butterworth seconded and the nomination carried unanimously.
Town Manager Kippton W. Coker congratulated Council-Elect Edward Anderson and announced the swearing-in ceremony will take place at 6:00 p.m. on Jan. 6, 2026, immediately before the regular council meeting. Coker reported that as of Dec. 5, 2025 the town had ordered approximately 20 replacement street signs, roughly half the number needed, and that another order will be placed in about six months due to cost.
On a separate infrastructure matter, Attorney W.E. Jenkinson, III and Coker reported that engineers had designed a sinkhole remediation solution on Madison Avenue that routes water underground via pipe; the transcript notes the grant that funded repairs will cover the engineered pipe but not erosion costs. Jenkinson said easements from property owners are being collected (minutes record 17 owners) and that letters are being sent with a deadline to return signatures by Jan. 15, 2026. Council asked that the non-municipal Food Lion shopping-center parking lot lights be repaired by the property owner; the town is responsible only for streetlights.
Council members offered brief remarks of appreciation to outgoing Councilman Chris Williams for his decade of service and welcomed Edward Anderson to the council. The meeting adjourned by unanimous vote.
