By Betsy Finklea
Dillon County Clerk of Court Gwen T. Hyatt and Judge James E. Lockemy appeared at the Dillon County Council meeting to discuss the historic courthouse.
Hyatt said the windows are rotting away and since Hurricane Matthew, it had gotten much worse. She said it includes windows all over the courthouse and brought photos to show the damage. She asked that the council make some kind of appropriations to do so many per year. Hyatt said that she had not gotten any estimates on the work.
Lockemy said they had invested a great deal of money in renovating the courthouse and asked them to consider what Hyatt had proposed.
Lockemy also reported on the plans to put back the cornerstone. The goal is to do it in December tentatively around December 9th. He said they may make it a Christmas-themed event and have a lighting of the magnolias. There was discussion on one of the magnolias that needs to be replaced.
He said that they plan to involve young people and make it a 50-year capsule so that these same children will be here when it is opened and can talk about Dillon when they put it in. He has spoken to the Masons and the U.S.C. President Dr. Harry Pastides about participating, and a charter re-enactment is planned.
He also spoke about a fund that was collected from the sale of prints and coins in 1999 and asked if these funds could be used for the time capsule event.
In other action, the council:
-approved the lease for the Fork convenience site.
-received information on the possibility of creating a leave bank so employees can give their leave time to employees with a serious illness so those employees can be paid.
-voted to renew the Smart Alert monitoring with Encore for one year in the amount of $8,280.
-approved the requirement by DHEC for the post-closure cost for the landfill in the amount of $15,000.
-approved the second reading of An Ordinance Authorizing The Execution And Delivery Of A Fee In Lieu Of Tax Agreement By And Between Dillon County, South Carolina And A Company Or Companies Known To The County At This Time As Project Honey Hill With Respect To Certain Economic Development Property In The County, Whereby Such Property Will Be Subject To Certain Payments In Lieu Of Taxes, Including The Provision Of Certain Special Source Credits; And Other Matters Related Thereto.
-approved the first reading Authorizing The Issuance And Sale Of A Dillon County, South Carolina, Special Source Revenue Bond (Harbor Freight Tools Project), Series 2017, In The Principal Amount Of $1,000,000; The Application Of Proceeds Of Said Bond To Pay A Portion Of The Cost Of Certain Road Improvements In Dillon County Serving Economic Development Projects; And Other Matters Relating Thereto.
-approved the first reading of An Ordinance To Provide Supplemental Budget Appropriations For County Purposes In The County Of Dillon For The Fiscal Year Beginning July 1, 2017 And Ending June 30, 2018 And Adopt And Implement Rates And Fees, And For Other Tax Purposes And County Appropriation Purposes And To Establish The Tax Millage To Provide For The Budget.