October 2016 Council Highlights

  • City Council recognized Dr. Tim Hardee and for his tremendous efforts at Central Carolina Technical College. Dr. Hardee has recently been named the next President and Executive Director of South Carolina Technical College system. Comprised of 16 colleges, including CCTC, located across the state and two internationally-renowned statewide programs: readySC and Apprenticeship Carolina; the SC Technical College System is dedicated to furthering economic and workforce development in South Carolina.

 

  • City Council approved a planned development ordinance permitting a mini-warehouse storage unit to be built on Constitution Drive.

 

  • Due to the change in industry building standards for cell towers, City Council approved an ordinance to change cell tower setback requirements in non-residential areas to more closely match the tower’s designated fall zone.

 

  • Over the past few weeks, starting back in September, the City has hosted a series of five public meetings so residents could express their opinions on how the City should use 2017-18 federal Community Development Block Grant funding. Last night we held our last public hearing to gain more insight from our residents. The purpose of these funds is to improve our neighborhoods and make life more livable, especially for our low to moderate income citizens. Some of the issues raised by city residents were blighted and vacant properties with overgrown lots, infrastructure needs, such as additional street lighting and road improvements, creating educational programs on reduction of litter, drainage issues, affordable housing and rehabilitation programs, with specific program requests from
    • Wateree Aids Task Force,
    • H.Y.P.E Program,
    • Sumter United Ministries, and
    • Y.W.C.A.

City Council takes all suggestions seriously and continually looks at ways to fit these recommendations into all existing funding programs, including the CDBG as possible.

 

NEWS & ANNOUNCEMENTS:

  • The City’s Abandoned and Dilapidated Housing Demolition Program has been awarded the 2016 Outstanding Planning Project of the year from the South Carolina Chapter of the American Planning Association (SCAPA). Since August of 2014, the City has successfully removed 142 blighted structures and that number will continue to rise using a grant funded by the SC State Housing Authority. This combined with our Sumter Pride program, which has assisted 383 residents in the past 10 years, are helping to safeguard our community and stabilize property values.

 

  • We continue to clean-up after Hurricane Matthew. Yard debris clean-up is running but in some areas it may have been interrupted or slower than usual due to the volume of debris that the storm created. Residents with additional yard debris can access more details on the City’s website (www.SumterSC.gov), but as a general rule, yard trimmings and prunings should be cut in lengths of no more than five feet long and no greater than eight inches in diameter. Leaves, pine straw and grass must be bagged and separated from the other debris.

 

  • The City will be using a contractor to collect larger debris in those areas where larger volumes of trees and yard debris occurred from Hurricane Matthew. Details will be released on this collection. Please check our website and social media for more information.

 

  • Sumter South Carolina residents affected by Hurricane Matthew can now apply for FEMA disaster assistance at disasterassistance.gov or by calling FEMA helpline at 800-621-3362.

 

  • Residents still have time to review the new floodplain mapping that has been proposed for Sumter County and City of Sumter. These maps are intended to be more accurate and will impact a lot of residential areas. Our Planning Department has notified those residents who will have significant impact, but comparison maps are available for anyone to review at the Sumter City-County Planning Department, 12 W. Liberty St, from 8:30AM – 5:00PM, Monday through Friday.