By Charlene Spelts
The Piedmont Public Service District of Anderson and Greenville Counties May meeting was held Monday in the Piedmont Fire Department Training Room. All five Commissioners and the Administrators were in attendance.
The Minutes of the April 28th meeting were approved and noted to be filed.
Committee reports were given consisting of:
Commissioner Terry Yates, District Public Lights, no report of damages or street light outages.
Commissioner Rudy Rhodes, Building and Grounds, stated the repairs to the roof of the Historic Community Building were completed 5/16/25, and during the recent weekend rains there have been no leaks. Administrator/Fire Chief Tracy Wallace added the repairs to the kitchen area ceiling should begin soon.
Commissioner Beth Dickson, reported the income from the Community Building was $1275, and income from the ballpark was $750, for April.
Chairman Al McAbee gave the April fuel usage and incidents reports, noting for April there had been a total of 94 incident responses, bringing the year to date total to 446. The year to date fuel purchase was 1743 gallons.
Commissioner C. E. Poore, Jr., presented an April budget review indicating the District was operating within the approved budget and guidelines. He noted the growth of the budget from twenty years ago.
The proposal by Carlton N. Owen, Chairman of the Greenville County Historic and Natural Resources Trust. (gchnrt.org), presented in March and April was reviewed. The proposal involves the securing of a perpetual conservation easement on 2.3 acres of riverfront land below the dam. A separate long-term renewable lease would allow the District to use the land. Greenville County would also donate 3.7 acres adjacent to the property. There is the possibility of Greenville County acquiring an additional 6 acres upstream along the river which would be donated to the District. The Commission voted unanimously to approve the proposal to move forward. If acquired by the district the 6 acres below the dam could provide a small park with benches. The additional 6 acres upstream could provide a walking trail and parking for the riverfront area. The District would be responsible for security and maintenance of the properties. Funding for land improvements and maintenance would be applied for through various grants.
Deputy Administrator Craig Lawless conducted the Second Reading of the Proposed Annual Budget for Fiscal Year Ending June 30, 2026. The total projected expenses are $2,660,505.00. As there were no amendments proposed there was not an additional line by line reading. The vote to accept the Second Reading was four to one, with Commissioner Beth Dickson voting against the proposed budget.
The next meeting is scheduled for 7 PM, June 16, and will include the third of three readings of the Proposed Year Ending June 30, 2026 Budget. The meeting will be a public hearing on the budget with public comments of a maximum of three minutes allowed per speaker. Anyone wishing to speak should sign in before the meeting begins.
