December 2022 Council Highlights

  • Congratulations to the 2022 Mayor’s Christmas Card Contest Winners, Miss Olivia Smith, an 8th-grader at Hillcrest Middle School and Miss Jalena Tillman, a 4th-grader at Manchester Elementary School. These top two winners have their artwork featured on the 2022 City of Sumter Christmas Card, which is mailed all across the city and state of South Carolina and to some federal agencies across the United States.
    • In addition to the card, starting this year, both of the top two winners' drawings for our Christmas Card have been constructed in Christmas lights and will become permanent characters during our annual Fantasy of Lights display. Visitors to Swan Lake Iris Gardens can view these two displays right now, which are located between the Visitors Center and Iris Market. Congratulations again to Olivia and Jalena, we hope you return every year to enjoy your contribution to the Fantasy of Lights!
    • Other honorable mention entries for the contest this year are:
      • James Alston, Kindergarten at Cherryvale Elementary
      • Ta’vayha Brown, 1st grade at Cherryvale Elementary School
      • Alina Liu, 2nd grade at Manchester Elementary School
      • Jaida Jones, 3rd grade at Kingsbury Elementary School
      • Gabby Bland, 5th grade at Kingsbury Elementary School
      • Eliyah Prescott, 6th grade at Hillcrest Middle School
      • Khalani-Canty Manning, 7th grade at Alice Drive Middle School
  • In 2020 the state of SC went to a statewide business licensing system that uses the NAICS code to categorize businesses. To simplify, we are updating the zoning ordinance using the same NAICS code. It doesn’t change anything that is currently allowed in a zoning district, it just updates the classification standard. For more info, contact the Sumter City-County Planning Department, 803-774-1660.
  • The 35th Annual Fantasy of Lights continues through December 31st at Swan Lake Iris Gardens. The lights are on from that point every night, Sunday through Thursday until 9 PM and Fridays and Saturdays they are on until 10 PM.
    • Additionally, lights have been added to two other locations around the City at the Fire Department Headquarters on Lafayette and the Fire Training Grounds, located off McCrays Mill Road.
    • More events are listed on our website calendar at sumtersc.gov.
  • A reminder that City administrative offices are closed for the holidays on:
    • Friday, December 23,
    • Monday, December 26,
    • Tuesday, December 27, and
    • Monday, January 2
    • All services will continue to operate throughout the holidays, including regular weekly trash pickup schedules.
  • Thank you to those that joined us for the December Love Where You Live Community Clean-up Day. At our December event, 145 volunteers cleaned up 181 bags of litter and 10 tires, equaling 4,275 pounds of trash removed from our roads and rights-of-way. Our 2023 Community Clean Up Days schedule has been set and poster winners will be announced at our January 17th The 2023 dates include:
    • February 18
    • April 22
    • June 17
    • August 19
    • October 21
    • December 16
    • For more info contact our Litter Officer at sumtersc.gov/litter.
  • Sumter County and the City of Sumter are giving residents an opportunity to recycle their Christmas trees at the annual "Grinding of the Greens". Donated Christmas trees will be made into mulch. It gives residents a chance to be 'green' with their discarded trees. Before donating your tree to the “Grinding of the Greens”, please note the following: Only live Christmas trees will be accepted-no wreaths, garland, greenery or tree stands. Please remove all tinsel, lights and decorations. You can donate your tree at the following locations:
    • City residents may place their tree curbside. The city will collect the trees from January 2nd – 12th.
    • Drop off at the entrance to Dillon Park (off Frontage Road),
    • Drop off to any of the following County Recycling Centers:
      • Rainaire Boulevard,
      • Stamey Livestock Road,
      • Cane Savannah Road,
      • Pinewood Road,
      • Queen Chapel Road,
      • Bethel Church Road,
      • Alligator Branch Road,
      • Pleasant Grove Road, and
      • Spencer Road.

Then, on Saturday, January 14, 2023, from 7 to 9 AM, at Dillon Park, FREE MULCH made from these Christmas trees will be distributed to residents on a first-come, first-served basis. If you would like to have some mulch, bring containers or bags, tools to pick it up, and a way to haul it. Even those who do not donate a tree can receive mulch. For more information on Grinding of the Greens call the City of Sumter Public Services office at 803-436-2558.  

  • City Council meetings are held on the first Tuesday and third Tuesday of each month in the Sumter Opera House (enter through the back entrance off the parking lot). Public comments may also be submitted online anytime through our website at sumtersc.gov/council/meetings, or city citizens can contact the Mayor or their Council Representative any time prior to any meeting to discuss a concern or idea you may have for the City. For our regularly scheduled meetings, agendas are announced the Friday before each meeting on our website and include links to detailed agenda items as well as location and more. Our next regularly scheduled meetings are on January 3rd at 1 PM and January 17th at 5:30 PM.