City Council Meeting

Have not been to many city council meetings since I stopped being a reporter many years ago. City business can be tedious but it remains important business especially here here where we have a city that services about 22,000 people with a base of citizens of about 7,000 people.

Big news on May 12 --

Council passed the ordinance selling a three acre plot on what is called in the VISTA in downtown Hartsville to a group getting ready to put up a modern Hampton Inn to join the Fairfield Inn serving visitors to Hartsville. This is big news because lots of visitors to our small city are forced to stay in Florence and that means both accommodation and hospitality taxes generally go out of the city.

A police Corporal became a police Sergeant in a pinning ceremony in front of Council and what I believe was Sergeant Peavy's (hope I have his name right) squad. The new Sergeant's father, a former police chief, and Lt. Ruddick did the honors of pinning on the Sergeant chevrons.

Lots of budget type ordinances up for first reading and in these times of economic hardships, budgets are not very much fun to read or discuss. Budgeting in tough times is a real skill -- finding ways to continue making the organization better while having fewer resources to make things happen. I think part of that skill is having a vision for better -- did not hear any discussion of that type of vision.

This meeting was held at the Lawton Park Pavilion and it was a nice setting with the sun going down over the lake. Lawton Park was also nice as there were people walking for exercise, reading and talking for pleasure, playing tennis, fishing and children on the playground -- a great small city tableau as the meeting was winding down.