During their meeting Tuesday, West Pelzer Town Council approved a new planning commission member and heard several reports and updates.
Town Clerk Paula Payton reported a special election for a vacant council seat will be held March 28. Only one person, Tomas Scarfo, signed up. In the general election November 7, the mayor’s seat and two seats on council will be on the ballot. Filing for the general election will open August 9 and closes August 23.
Payton reported there were eight work orders completed in January and the new ReWa rate increase is effective with the February billing. She also reminded citizens that they can connect with the town through the TextMyGov app which allows citizens to receive report issues, find information and receive alerts for general information, emergency and events.
Payton said a claim had been filed with the insurance of a driver who caused more than $15,000 in damages in an accident on Main Street last Easter.
Responding to a question by Mayor Blake Sanders about revenues of $110,000 for January, Payton said the monthly figures reflected in increase in revenue primarily due to property taxes and franchise fees on new houses in West Pelzer.
West Pelzer Police Chief Scott Stoller reported there were ten reports with two arrests for petit larceny and recovery of stolen property. There were 47 tickets written with 13 warnings and one motor vehicle collision.
Chief Stoller reminded drivers to use extreme caution on Main Street, especially between Gray Mortuary and Hwy. 20. He said aggressive driving and speeding will be strictly enforced and there will be tickets instead of warnings.
He also reported that Palmetto Pride cameras will be used to assist in curbing litters on several streets including Margueritte and Burkett. He also said that court has been going great with Judge Turner. “He is very professional and doing a great job.”
In a related matter, the town clerk added that a second crosswalk sign has been ordered for Main Street and will be coming in April.
Under new business, Council approved a new planning commission member. Patti Scarfo agreed to serve and was officially appointed. The planning commission can have between five and thirteen members and currently has six with the addition of Scarfo.
During Council comments, Councilman Jim Riddle said he had been contacted by a resident concerned about the condition of the American Flag flying in front of Town Hall. Riddle, a Veteran, said his first response was shame and embarrassment. He also stated he had brought up the issue more than once in the past and hoped that proper protocol and care will be taken in the future.
The worn flag was recently replaced with a new one.
Mayor Sanders announced that Food Lion will have a grand re-opening Wednesday, there will be a budget workshop on March 3 at 1 p.m. and the special election for a seat on council will be held March 28.
Sanders also said that over a nine month period, he and the town clerk had put in a lot of work to confirm information for Greenville Water System about the town’s water system including inspection of valves, hydrants, water pressure and other areas and to make sure the system was in “one hundred percent DHEC compliance.”
Sanders said his attendance of the Mayor Riley Design Fellowship in 2018 had shown results for the town including a thirty percent increase in revenue vs. expenditures and new businesses. He said the town had no businesses in 2017. He said it was “the leadership of staff and council to make things happen.”
He also said that the person who signed up to run for the open council seat “might not have come here” if not for the improvements in the town. “It is substantially better than we found it,” he said.
