BLYTHEWOOD – Speaking before town council last Thursday morning prior to a 9 a.m. budget workshop, Nexsen Pruet attorney David Black blamed thousands of dollars of the Town’s legal expenses on FOIA (Freedom of Information Act) requests filed by The Voice in connection with two lawsuits the Town is involved in with MPA Strategies marketing […]
Update on Richland County mass rezoning
April 28, 2022 By
COLUMBIA – The regular monthly meeting of the Richland County Planning Commission will not be held as planned on Monday, May 2, according to county officials. Instead, the Commission will hold a work session on the proposed new zoning map on Monday, May 9, at 10 a.m. at the council chambers at 2020 Hampton Street. […]
FOI required to view Ridgeway audit
April 21, 2022 By
RIDGEWAY – The Town of Ridgeway audit for the year ending June 30, 2021 has been completed, and the bound audit document handed out to the town’s council members by Mayor Heath Cookendorfer at the April 14 town council meeting. But that audit was not reviewed publicly at the meeting and is not being made […]
Public concerns pause mass rezoning
April 14, 2022 By
RICHLAND COUNTY – The overhaul of Richland County’s zoning code has hit a pause after members of the public raised concerns and the Richland County Council voted to do more analysis of the proposal before moving forward. The text of a new zoning code, which replaces all existing county zoning classifications with new ones in […]
County rejects, then asks for meeting with town
April 14, 2022 By
WINNSBORO – A week after the Town of Winnsboro’s lawsuit contesting Fairfield County’s solid waste fee became public knowledge, the county wants a meeting. On Monday night, County Councilman Mikel Trapp read a prepared statement that called upon Winnsboro to join Fairfield in forming a joint commission to “study services and areas of cooperation.” Trapp’s […]
Moving On Up
April 14, 2022 By
WINNSBORO – Furniture and office equipment will be moved into the new County Administration Building beginning Thursday, April 14. Developer Rory Dowling, principal with 1st and Main, and William Louder, who has overseen the project for the last several months and is assisting the county in the transition, gave The Voice a tour of the […]
Their Honors
April 14, 2022 By
RIDGEWAY – Fairfield County magistrate Katina Capers-Washington swore in two Ridgeway town councilmen and the mayor Monday evening at the Century House in Ridgeway. From left are Judge Washington, Mayor Heath Cookenorfer and his wife Patti; Town Councilmen Rick Johnson and his wife Tina and Dan Martin and his wife Robbie. The three will join […]
Town of Winnsboro files lawsuit against County over solid waste fee
April 7, 2022 By
WINNSBORO – Winnsboro is taking Fairfield County to court. On March 30, the Town of Winnsboro formally filed suit against the county, claiming in court papers that the county’s solid waste fee shouldn’t apply to Winnsboro town residents. The suit seeks a declaratory judgment that the $63 per ton fee is “invalid and illegal”, according […]
Richland County PC defers controversial mass rezoning
April 7, 2022 By
COLUMBIA – Richland County Council chambers were packed Monday afternoon with residents from throughout the county. They were there to express their concerns, fears and objections to Richland County’s proposal to rezone all 375,000 acres of unincorporated land in the county. Unincorporated land is all land that is not within the town limits of a […]
Ridgeway elects mayor and two council members
April 6, 2022 By
RIDGEWAY – Ridgeway voters had their say during the town’s mayoral/council election on Tuesday. Incumbent Heath Cookendorfer was re-elected to a second term with a 10-vote margin. Cookendorfer received 53 votes over former Ridgeway councilman and mayor Rufus Jones who garnered 43 votes. Jones has served the last four years on council. His term expired […]
