BLYTHEWOOD – While most action items on the Blythewood Town Council agenda Monday night were deferred to the next meeting, Council did vote 4-1 for a referendum on a proposed ordinance to change the form of government in Blythewood from mayor-council to a council-manager form of government.
For the most part, the meeting got off to a rocky start and continued as such to the end.
Meeting minutes from the last six council meetings were included in the agenda packet for approval, but had to be deferred to the May meeting after council members realized the minutes were not in order – pages were out of sequence and others were missing, including the entire Feb. 24 meeting minutes.
The first item of business – the FY2024-25 monthly budget report – was also flawed and had to be deferred to the May meeting for approval.
Mayor Sloan Griffin asked if members of council had any questions about the monthly budget report.
Looking over the document, Mayor Pro Tem Donald Brock asked, “On page 2, for total income and gross profit, is our projected income $13.3 million? If so, we’re woefully behind. Could we get that corrected before the next meeting?
“I assume our total expenses on page 6 of 6 are also not $11.8 million,” Brock added.
“To that, I would respond, I hope not,” Interim Administrator Ed Driggers said.
Of the four action items on the mayor’s agenda under new business, council members voted to defer three of them because four council members said they hadn’t been provided the documents associated with these three agenda items until about three hours before the meeting, and weren’t prepared to discuss them.
Those agenda items included:
A. Discussion and Approval of Mutual Aid Agreement between Richland County Sheriff’s Department and the Town of Blythewood.
C. Discussion and Approval of an Ordinance Establishing a Curfew for Minors in the Town of Blythewood.
D. Discussion and Approval of a Resolution in Support of the University of South Carolina Law to Allow Scout Motors to Sell Vehicles Directly to Customers.
Attorney Pete Balthazar then suggested deferring until the May meeting the second vote on Ord. 2025-001 – An Ordinance Adopting Text and Map Amendments to The Land Developers Ordinance (LDO) For All Parcels and Property Located Within the Town of Blythewood Corporate Limits.
“This LDO, as everybody knows, is a huge piece of legislation that will completely replace the Town’s current zoning ordinance,” Balthazar said. “I’m just requesting that we have some more time, staff-wise and legal-wise, to make sure that everything is buttoned up on it and that the map is correct and that everything is ready to go and we can figure out an effective date for this ordinance when second reading is given,” Balthazar said.
Council voted 5-0 to defer the vote until the May meeting.
After a half-hour of pro and con comments from six members of the public regarding an ordinance calling for a referendum on the question of a change in the form of government, council voted 4-1 to approve it. Brock and Councilmembers Rich McKenrick, Andrea Fripp, and Erica Page voted for the ordinance. Griffin voted against.
The ordinance will require two readings (votes) by council. The second reading is planned for Monday, May 26. A public hearing will be held at that meeting. If the ordinance passes, a 90-day process will follow. There will be a 30-day pause and another 60 days to execute with the referendum falling sometime in August.
A budget workshop was set for 5:45 p.m., Wednesday April 30, to review the mayor’s proposed budget for fiscal year 2025-26. Also on the April 30 agenda were all the items deferred from the April 28 meeting plus discussion and possible action to cancel the following events: Movies in the Park, Juneteenth, and July 4th fireworks.
Griffin also placed an executive session on the April 30 agenda to “receive legal advice or other matters covered by the attorney-client privilege regarding a lawsuit the Town of Blythewood filed against Mayor Griffin,” earlier this year and that case was decided in the Town’s favor.