Serving Barnwell County and it's neighbors since 1852
At its March 18 meeting, the Town of Fairfax voted to restructure some of its debt, which has accumulated late fees.
At its March 18 meeting, the Town of Fairfax voted to restructure its debt, which has accumulated late fees as a result of lack of repayment. Additionally, the council updated the community on a new payment system for residents’ bills.
Digital Payment System
The town is in the process of increasing its digital presence through the software company QS1. This includes adding a digital payment option for water bills and taxes; Currently, residents of Fairfax have to do this in person.
The upgrades, said council member Phyllis Smart, are currently underway. However, this first requires updating the Town Hall’s digital systems. The town’s efforts to strengthen its digital presence includes creating digital copies of town records, as previously reported by The People-Sentinel.
“Everyone has been waiting for us to get QRS and water bills online, but we [need] to upgrade the town system,” Smart said. “We’re trying to make it more convenient for you all so you don’t have to come to Town Hall to pay your bills.”
Restructuring Town Debt
The council passed a motion to use $82,000 of its certificates of deposit (CDs) to pay off the town’s debt. These were of the town’s smaller CDs, Sauls said, and the town has $200,000 in CDs it hasn’t used.
This debt, Sauls said, was built up over previous years and hasn’t been paid off as a result of a failure to repay on time. As a result, late fees have been accumulated and “You’ve got to be smart about how you spend your money,” Sauls said. “We’ve had to pay portions [of debt] to be able to get to the point where we can get our bills paid.”
This issue, Sauls said, is made more complex by the disorganization of documents and records in the Fairfax Town Hall. As previously reported by The People-Sentinel, prior mismanagement of town documents has held back progress in the Town Hall.
Freedom of Information Act
The Town Council went into executive session for an hour and a half and listed eight items on its agenda. Under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), councils are required to list the reason they are going into executive session as well as the exception they are citing under FOIA for each executive session agenda item.
The agenda did reference parts A, 1, 2 and 5 of section 30-4-70 of FOIA law, however, each agenda item must specifically cite the exemption under FOIA that allows the council to go into executive session.
At the meeting, The People-Sentinel raised these issues with the council.
“I will do a better job in doing that,” Sauls said. “What we’re discussing do[es] fall under these guidelines, but you want us to be more specific about which regulation falls under which one, and we can do that.”
After the meeting, The People-Sentinel spoke with Jay Bender, the South Carolina Press Association’s attorney, who said much of what is in the agenda does not comply with FOIA; The verbal and written descriptions do not explain why the items must be discussed in executive session.
Other issues discussed
• The town also voted to give the Fairfax Police Department $35,000, half of the town’s municipal fund, to help with “operating expenses”.
• The town accepted a bid from South Carolina roofing contractor Quality Roofing for the town hall’s roof, which has been leaking.
Elijah de Castro is a Report for America corps member who writes about rural communities like Allendale and Barnwell counties for The People-Sentinel. Your donation to match our RFA grant helps keep Elijah writing stories like this one; please consider making a tax-deductible gift of any amount today.
