4 recent government storylines to know

Robert's Rules of Order are here to stay in Sumter

At a July 23 Sumter County Council meeting, a new ordinance that would remove Robert's Rules of Order as the primary document that dictates meeting conduct at county council meetings passed first reading. In Robert's Rules of Order's place, the body was going to develop a new rule change document that was suggested by the South Carolina Association of Counties.

The document, a draft when it was being voted on, initially held controversial sections that would see public comment limited to 30 minutes in total when the council currently has no restrictions on how long public comment lasts as long as each resident only uses the allotted three minutes to speak. Councilman Gene Baten, Carlton Washington and, later, Councilwoman Vivian McGhaney all spoke out against this section of the document, and it was removed by the time second reading was set to take place.

However, the document never made it to second reading; instead council unanimously agreed to defer it, go through it and edit sections in as many workshops as it took until everyone was in agreement on its contents.

At the council's first official workshop for the document on Sept. 5, they decided to not go forward with the new rule document and instead keep Robert's Rules of Order. In total, it took more than six weeks of deliberation and debate before the final decision was reached.

Sumter County Council takes first steps toward repairing private roads, needs more road data

Sumter County Council took some of its first steps toward fixing issues with private roads at a public works meeting Tuesday, Sept. 10, ultimately unanimously deciding to send the issue to the county administrator for further road data after discussing how fixing private roads may look.

For now, council wants to know which private roads are most used and in need of repairs, data that members are hoping to receive from the county administrator. Currently, council is unsure of what money will be used for the repairs.

Councilman Carlton Washington, an outspoken advocate for repairing private roads, said the process will be slow.

A concern that residents have brought up in county council's public comment portion is an inability for emergency vehicles to enter their driveways because of areas of road that have deteriorated, leaving large gaps and allowing vehicles to become stuck. This is a situation that was brought up at the meeting, and it will be considered in relation to what roads will be repaired first.

What the council does know is that at least five individual households must live on a private road for it to be eligible for repair, and every owner on a road being considered for repair must agree to the repairs.

Sumter Planning Commission discusses new hotel and apartment building

Sumter Planning Commission approved two new large constructions at a planning commission meeting Wednesday, Aug. 28.

Another Hilton has been approved to come to Sumter at 2581/2587 Broad St. The development would be multi-building, as the property contains two lots. The two individual hotel buildings would contain a maximum of 159 rooms combined.

A 37-unit apartment building has been approved to be built at 265 N. Bultman St. The L-shaped apartment building with a stormwater retention pond was approved by everyone except commission member Kim Harvin, who was concerned about trees being cut down in the area. There are 22 trees that qualify as significant - meaning that they are about 10-16 inches in diameter - that will be cut down and replaced with new trees that will be a minimum of 2 inches upon planting.

County Council Chairman McCain publicly apologizes after verbal confrontation

Sumter County Council Chairman Jim McCain publicly apologized to Alexandra Baten, the daughter of McCain's fellow council member, Eugene Baten, after backlash from the senior Baten at the beginning of a council meeting Sept. 10.

"At the July 23, 2024, meeting of Sumter County Council during public comments, Dr. Alexandra Baten made some unkind and inaccurate remarks about me, which I thought crossed the line of decorum and professionalism. As such, I sought to speak with her after the meeting which is not an uncommon practice for council members and staff," McCain wrote. "To the extent to which my manner may have been taken as contentious, I am regretful and I have apologized to Dr. Baten. Anyone that knows me knows that it is not my nature to be confrontational. I look forward to moving past this so we can all work toward improving Sumter County for all her citizens," McCain wrote in an official statement Aug. 28 regarding the situation, and he later publicly read the statement at a Sept. 10 county council meeting.

The confrontation was regarding the new rule document ordinance that was first mentioned July 23. During the public comment portion of the meeting, Alexandra Baten said that the current rules that the council follows - Robert's Rules of Order - had been in place since her father, Eugene Baten, had been chairman and ended by saying that "…all these people [council members] were here before you, and it just seems like all this chaos came when you came along."

After the meeting, McCain went up to Alexandra Baten to refute her opinion, an action that led to his apology.