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Another meeting tonight: Clinton council takes no action after last week’s four-hour executive session

Clinton, South Carolina – After a four-hour executive session which ended a few minutes before 11 p.m. Monday night, Feb. 1, Clinton City Council reopened in open session and took no action, had no comments and adjourned in two minutes.

Among the many items listed for executive session was a personnel matter in the Office of City Manager, and now a workshop set for this Monday, Feb. 8, has the same matter listed in yet another executive session. Due to COVID, the meetings continue to be on Facebook Live from the city’s Facebook page at 6 p.m.

Prior to last week’s executive session, Mayor Bob McLean had presented six items that council planned to discuss in executive session, which included four contractual matters regarding the Laurens County Fire Contract, a project manager, Piedmont Municipal Power Association (PMPA) and the sale and purchase of city- owned property. Two personnel matters were related to Boards and Commissions and the Office of the City Manager.

Council had spent much of its first hour in open session hearing presentations by two regional companies which were making a pitch for the possible job as Project Manager for the city’s Recreation Complex. The presentations were made by Montgomery Construction out of Lexington and Dunham Blythe out of Greenville.

Groundbreaking ceremonies were held on the project in September 2020, but rain has delayed some of the work this winter, and council began dis- cussing the possibility of hiring a project manager at the city’s regular December 2020 meeting.

Council approved the second reading of a subdivision ordinance, which was introduced in January as a needed update to the ordinance currently on the books.

Council unanimously approved an emergency ordinance to temporarily suspend normal operating procedures of City Council meetings in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, and it also approved proclamations designating February as Black History Month and American Heart Association Month.

Council gave approval for the city manager to hire a Clinton landscaping company, Design South, which submitted the low bid for the landscaping renova- tions at the M.S. Bailey Municipal Center.

According to Assistant City Manager Thomas Higgs, the first phase of the landscaping will cover the front, side and back of the building. It includes burying electric lines, repairing irrigation and placing plantings for a bid of  $48,000. Tables and benches will also be added for an additional $12,400, Higgs explained. Phase 2 will include the islands in the back parking lot at a later date.

In other news, a city resident sent a letter to council asking for help with the city’s feral cat problem. McLean said it’s been an issue for years and asked staff to look into solutions.

The agenda for tonight’s Monday, Feb. 8 meeting calls for the executive session item, a workshop involving project discussion and financial funding for a bond, and council will consider appointing Utilities Director Joey Meadors as the alternate member of  the PMPA board. Currently McLean has been the voting member for the City of Clinton and City Manager Bill Ed Cannon has been Clinton’s alternate member.

 

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