Council approves amendment to special-source bond ordinance after 5–4 vote amid debt-limit concerns

Florence County Council on Sept. 19 approved an amendment to Ordinance No. 21 — a proposal to authorize special‑source revenue bonds for the Savannah Grove Infrastructure Project — increasing the maximum issuance from $40,000,000 to $50,000,000 and adding language authorizing conveyance or lease of real property related to the project.

The amendment to the ordinance passed by a show‑of‑hands vote, 5–4. During discussion, Councilman Springs warned of statutory limits on borrowing and potential downstream effects on local school district debt capacity, saying, “state statute does limit a public entity’s ability to borrow money beyond their bonded indebtedness,” and expressed concern that School District No. 1 may be at its limit and that approving larger obligations could have future financial consequences. A council member moved the amendment and it received a second before the close vote.

The clerk had earlier read the ordinance title and full description into the record. The chair and other council members noted the measure had been discussed earlier in the meeting and that the public hearing on the ordinance remains part of the record. The motion as amended carried; council did not provide a detailed roll‑call listing of individual yea/nay names in the transcript beyond the 5–4 tally.

Next steps: the ordinance amendment was adopted on second reading; the council did not place additional conditions on the amendment at the meeting and left further administrative steps to staff and clerks as required by county procedures.