County passes resolution urging face mask usage
By Samantha Lyles
slyles@newsandpress.net
At their July 20 regular meeting, Darlington County Council unanimously approved a resolution urging citizens to wear face coverings to prevent the spread of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes the disease COIVD-19.
In passing Resolution No. 714, County Council followed suit with governing bodies of Hartsville and Lamar in formally encouraging people to don masks “any time they are in contact with other persons who are not household members while in public areas, commercial/retail/business establishments, and county-owned facilities where social distancing is not possible.”
The resolution lays out a case for such measures, noting that “as of July 1, 2020, the total number of confirmed cases in South Carolina is approximately 37,809 and the number of confirmed deaths is 759. The number of confirmed cases in Darlington County as of July 15, 2020, is 610; the number of cases is growing rapidly and if COVID-19 continues to spread in the County, the number of persons relying on medical, pharmaceutical, and general cleaning supplies will increase, the private and public sector workforce will be negatively impacted by absenteeism, and the demand for medical facilities may exceed locally available resources.”
It also reminds citizens of our responsibility to each other, stating that “it is vitally important that we all work together to decrease the widespread proliferation of COVID-19 among us all now rather than suffer the unfortunate and devastating consequences later.”
By unanimous consent, council approved second reading for Ordinance No. 20-04, authorizing a special source revenue credit agreement between the county and Sonoco Products Company. The 10-year agreement would defray Sonoco’s county tax burden for non-specified site improvements by instead collecting payments calculated at a 6 percent assessment and a fixed millage rate equal to 302.3 mills. Council vice chair Lewis Brown abstained from voting on this measure.
Council voted to delay action on a proposed mobile home audit.
This survey, if conducted, would deliver updated data on the number of mobile homes in Darlington County, including locations, images, decal numbers, house numbers, missing/burnt/derelict mobile homes, as well as off-parcel (not documented correctly within the county GIS data) and undocumented mobile homes.
The proposal from Palmetto Posting Inc. states that “all data collected is housed in our online dashboard that is accessible by any County employee via username and password. All data is searchable by last name, tax map number, address, etc.”
Council member Le Flowers moved to place this proposal on the pending list, and council voted in favor of his motion.
Darlington County Council’s next scheduled meeting will be Monday, Aug. 10, at 6 p.m. in the Courthouse Annex/EMS Building located at 1625 Harry Byrd Highway.
The meeting is closed to the public, but will be live streamed via Facebook @DarlingtonCountyCouncilLive.
Anyone wishing to make comments can send them via email to the Clerk to Council at jbishop@darcosc.net or via mail to the County Administrator’s Office, 1 Public Square, Room 210, Darlington, SC 29532. Written comments must be received by noon on Monday, July 20, 2020.
Citizens’ comments will also be accepted at the meeting via telephone at 843-398-4469 beginning at 5:50 p.m. to be placed on the Citizens’ Comments roster. Citizens’ comments will be heard during the Citizens’ Comments segment of the agenda and will be governed by Section 2-85 of Darlington County Code of Ordinances.