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At Fairfax’s September 18 town council meeting, the council discussed the rehabilitation of homes within the community, staffing issues and the town’s chronically over budget community center. Additionally, the council discussed multiple items in executive session without adequate justification.
Home rehabilitation and staffing
The council spoke about potential rehabilitation solutions to dilapidated homes in Fairfax, which are a common occurrence. In order to do this, the town would need funds from the county. According to council member Phyllis Smart, the county has received such funds.
“The money comes down from the county,” Smart said. “[We’re] going to see if we can get some of those properties clean so it wouldn’t cost the town for beautification.”
Council member Ken Ready said that as a result of short staffing, water bills were not sent out to Fairfax on time. As a result, there will be no penalties on water bills this month. Short staffing and retention is a widespread issue for local governments, and Fairfax is currently advertising for two full time town hall employees: a utility clerk and a custodian.
Community center
The topic of the night at the Fairfax Town Council’s September 18 meeting was the yet-to-be completed community center, which has been under construction since 2018 and has been plagued with budget overages, delays and resulting in community frustration.
On July 28, The People-Sentinel submitted a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request for all receipts and communication between council members regarding the community center. This request was fulfilled nearly two months later on September 18, just hours before the Fairfax meeting.
At the meeting, council member Ken Ready requested a report on the money that has gone into the project. However, after frustration came from the crowd that attended the meeting, the item was tabled.
Executive session
The council spent a significant amount of time in executive session. The reasons stated were: a legal briefing on town hall roof issues, a contractual proposal from Steven Fooshe and Associates on funding for town projects, delinquent water bills, an update to the Town of Fairfax’s website, and the dialysis center’s property bid.
However, the council did not sufficiently state the reasons for going into executive session, which is required under S.C. Code Section 30-4-70(a)(1)-(6). The People-Sentinel reminded the council of this law, as well as the South Carolina Supreme Court Case Donohue v. City of North Augusta, which strengthened the FOIA act and required increased specificity for council meetings.
Mayor Dorothy Riley agreed to consult the council’s legal counsel in order to make future explanations for executive sessions more specific and in line with FOIA law.
