NORTH -- North Town Council Monday night approved second reading of an ordinance which would assist in managing abandoned properties.
The ordinance is an adoption of Orangeburg County's ordinance related to abandoned property and would be a replacement for the town ordinance.
As a result, the county will declare property abandoned and notify the owner. The owner will have 14 days to reply and bring the property up to standards or the county will clean the property and bill the owner on their tax notice, Mayor Earl Jeffcoat said. If the owner does not pay the added expense, the county will claim the property, he said.
A public hearing on North's proposed 2007-2008 fiscal year budget was held prior to the council meeting, generating little discussion. No changes were made following the public hearing, and the council approved second reading of the proposed $818,793.71 balanced budget.
Also during the meeting, Jeffcoat gave an update on the condition of town employee Freddie Martino. Martino, who also works part-time at Piggly Wiggly, was involved in an accident that occurred when the gas cooker in front of the store flared, causing first- and second-degree burns to his hands, arms and face. Martino was released from the Augusta Burn Center on Monday and is considered to be in good condition, the mayor reported. Although he will return to Augusta a few more times, Martino will soon be able to return to his town duties, Jeffcoat said. He asked everyone to keep Martino in their thoughts and prayers.
In other business, Jeffcoat reported that new roofs were put on two of the smaller buildings at the sewer plant in recent months. However, the main chemical building's roof is now leaking, the mayor said. The town is accepting bids for replacing the flat roof line with a sloping roof, he said. Jeffcoat noted that the top layer of bricks would need repair as well.
Apparently, a windstorm about 10 years ago almost lifted the roof off the building and resulted in a crack line along the top layer of blocks, he said, adding that this will need repairing before a sloping roof can be added.
Jeffcoat also reported that the sewer irrigation system needs repairs.
"Some of the wires are almost bare, and some of the pipes are leaking. Repairing the system (because of its age and the fact that parts are out-of-date) will cost approximately $38,000," the mayor said. "A new system can be installed at a cost of $29,000. We are checking to see if some of the 1 percent monies designated for sewer lines can be used for this purpose, and we are working on a grant with the help of the Lower Savannah Council of Governments."
Jeffcoat said the engineering firm, ERC, is going to run a TV scope that will enable them to look inside the pipes.
"There is a possibility that we can run a sleeve inside our existing pipes," the mayor said. "We'll provide more information on this next month."
Also Monday:
* Police Chief Mark Fallaw reported that there were 22 Group A offenses during May. "Most notable among the Group A offenses are the traffic offenses. There were 10 of these," he said. Fallaw said there was only one Group B offense (trespassing) and 143 Group C (including 111 assisting other agencies). Additionally, he said there were 133 traffic violations that included 54 citations written during a radar saturation safety checkpoint operation. Seventeen arrests were made during May, the police chief said. Fallaw also reported that the burglary at the U.S. 321 Fast Stop had been solved and a suspect arrested.
* Jeffcoat reported that he is in the process of reviewing information provided by the S.C. Department of Transportation concerning the streetscape project. Additional information will be provided at the July meeting, he said.
* Town Clerk Carrie Windham reported that the equipment needed to set up the Western Union/TDS pay station had arrived, noting that once training is completed, town hall will be able to accept payments.
* Council approved second reading of an ordinance changing the council and mayoral terms from every two years to staggered, four-year terms. As a result, during the 2007 elections, those two council members receiving the lowest number of votes will serve two-year terms and the other two, along with the mayor, will serve four-year terms.
* The town's financial statement showed total revenues of $56,156.48 and total expenditures of $47,311.17, leaving a net income of $8,845.31.
T&D Correspondent Sherryl Peters can be reached by e-mail at Boykinbaby@surrealestate.com or by phone at 803-263-4058. Discuss this and other stories online at TheTandD.com.