WINNSBORO – Fairfield County Council is one vote away from enacting a tax increase – two months after approving the county’s annual budget. In a 5-2 vote, council members voted to approve an eight-mill increase, increasing the tax rate from 182.3 to 190.3 mills. Council members Shirley Greene and Tim Roseborough voted in opposition. The […]
Filing period for 2 council seats, mayor now open
August 31, 2023 By
BLYTHEWOOD – Anyone wishing to run for a council seat or the mayor’s seat in the Nov. 7 general election to be held in the Town of Blythewood must file before 12 noon on Tuesday, Sept. 5, 2023. Candidate filing opened on Aug. 25 and will close at 12 noon on Tuesday, September 5, 2023. […]
Black gives partial legal update
August 31, 2023 By
Judge Allows MPA to Depose Burnett and Franklin BLYTHEWOOD – During Monday night’s town council meeting, the Town’s outside attorney David Black, with Maynard Nexsen law firm, came before council to give an update on a motions hearing that occurred on Aug 9, concerning the 2-1/2 year legal wrangling between the Town and MPA Strategies. […]
News Analysis: Is County imposing employee/media censorship via PIO?
August 24, 2023 By
County Posts for Full-Time $60-$65K Public Information Officer (PIO) WINNSBORO – It was in February, 2022, that former County Administrator Malik Whitaker first imposed restrictions on Fairfield County employees’ First Amendment rights, forbidding them to talk to the media without approval from county administration. In an email, Whitaker instructed employees, “If you are contacted by […]
Ridgeway to celebrate Tin Man’s 100th anniversary
August 24, 2023 By
RIDGEWAY – The Town of Ridgeway will celebrate the 100th anniversary of its iconic Tin Man water tower at 10 a.m. on Sept. 2. The celebration will kick off with a ceremony on the edge of the Cotton Yard, in the shadow of the newly refurbished water tower. Led by current Ridgeway mayor, Heath Cookendorfer, […]
Winnsboro improvement projects progressing
August 24, 2023 By
WINNSBORO – With the help of federal grants and state funding, three projects to improve downtown Winnsboro are progressing, says Town Administrator Jason Taylor. “We’re trying to do everything we can to plan and use this money to get essentially the best result we can – the most we can for our money,” Taylor said, […]
Material weaknesses mar Ridgeway audit
August 17, 2023 By
RIDGEWAY – Ridgeway’s auditing firm identified several “material weaknesses” in how the town conducts its finances, according to the town’s annual audit. “We identified certain deficiencies in internal control that we consider to be material weaknesses and significant deficiencies,” Love Bailey & Associates wrote in a letter to the town. Specifically, the Laurens-based firm identified […]
Council votes 7-0 for $25/hr nonprofit rental fee
August 17, 2023 By
Bender: Discussing Rental Fee in Executive Session Likely Unlawful WINNSBORO – Fairfield County Council likely violated South Carolina open meeting laws when it discussed a rental fee for the farmers’ market building behind closed doors, according to a media law expert. Following an executive session during Monday night’s meeting, council voted unanimously to charge nonprofit […]
Judge rules on 5 MPA/Town of Blythewood motions
August 17, 2023 By
BLYTHEWOOD – There was movement last week in the more than two-year-old legal battle between the Town of Blythewood and MPA Strategies, a marketing company the Town contracted with in April, 2021, and terminated less than three months later. At issue are a Freedom of Information lawsuit filed by MPA against Mayor Bryan Franklin and […]
