June 2017 Council Highlights

  • The next fiscal year budget has been approved with the City’s annual budget balanced at just over $67.2 million dollars. Some of the most significant expenditures are:

 

  • One third or $20.3 million goes toward public safety services, including Police, Fire, EMS, municipal court, inspections and enforcement;

 

  • One third or $22.5 million goes to water, sewer and stormwater services; and

 

  • The other third is split across the following programs and services:

 

  • Sanitation services,
  • Construction and maintenance,
  • 24 parks and gardens,
  • Economic & community development efforts, such as HOPE Centers, Downtown Program,
  • Culture and recreation, such as the tennis center and Opera House,
  • Victim’s assistance,
  • Business license,
  • Planning,
  • Facilities, and
  • Administration.

 

  • City will be replacing a section of our sewer lines along South Sumter Street, from Fulton Street down to the South Sumter Park.

 

NEWS & ANNOUNCEMENTS:

 

  • We want to remind everyone that the City of Sumter administrative offices will be closed in observance of Independence Day, Tuesday, July 4. Public safety services and sanitation routes will continue on schedule, throughout the holiday.

 

  • The City joined with the County to partner with Shaw for the upcoming Salute from the Shore. This is an annual event along the coast of South Carolina, celebrating our collective freedom in the United States. The 2017 Salute will host F-16s and pilots from Shaw Air Force Base. The event is free to attend and will be held on Tuesday, July 4th from 1:30-2:30 PM along the South Carolina shoreline. More information can be found on www.salutefromtheshore.com.

 

  • The City’s Water Meter replacement project is moving forward. We have completed two routes within the City  in Ward 2 and are currently working on completing Mayesville and Route 62 within the City, which includes a section of the City and County along South Manning Road and Highway 521 South.

 

  • The City of Sumter will be making repairs to the water system on Saratoga Street and Mood Avenue. This project should begin construction on June 21, 2017 and be completed by June 22, 2017.  Work will be conducted at the corners of Marshall Street and Saratoga Street, Saratoga Street and Mood Avenue, and Mood Avenue and Hasel Street. There will be service interruptions to customers as well as the potential for red water in the immediate areas during construction. All work will be conducted from 8 AM to 4 PM. Questions or concerns please call the City of Sumter Public Services Department at 803-436-2558.

 

  • On August 21, 2017 Sumter will experience a Total Solar Eclipse. Sumter is in what they call the path of totality, meaning that the sun will completely disappear behind the moon in the middle of the afternoon, on August 21st about 2:43 PM, for about a minute and a half.  The SC department of tourism has released the estimate of over one million attendees visiting South Carolina for this momentous occasion and Sumter itself has been named on MSNBC news and several other eclipse news sources as one of a few cities in SC where this “totality” can be experienced. South Carolina is also the only state on the East Coast that will experience the 2017 total eclipse – so again that puts Sumter right in the center of the action! Read more event info below. To date, our tourism office has had inquiries from as far as Cape May, NJ and Alexandria, VA.

 

  • South Carolina Department of Transportation has released a priority list of 45 road improvement projects to receive safety upgrades during the first phase of its Off-Interstate Rural Road Safety Program. Improvements include: rumble strips, raised pavement markers, reflective signs, guardrails and pavement treatment, wider shoulders, paved shoulders, wider clear zones and ditch relocation, and various other needs which vary per project.
    • Three roads in Sumter County included on the list.
      • 18 miles of U.S. 76 in Richland and Sumter counties. In Sumter County, the upgrades would be from the Wateree River to the intersection with S.C. 441;
      • 14 miles of U.S. 521 in Sumter and Kershaw counties are listed as a priority, from just south of S.C. 441 to Boykin Road in Kershaw County; and
      • 8 miles of U.S. 15 in Sumter, north of Sumter from Jefferson Road to the Lee County line.

 

  • Housing and Job Fair at the South Sumter Resource Center, Saturday, June 24 from 11 AM to 2 PM. You can also find out if you qualify for a home. Refreshments, door prizes and fun for the kids. Event is free to attend. For more information please call 803-436-2276.