The Bennettsville City Council approved the use of the city’s nuisance ordinance during Tuesday’s monthly meeting to deal with an unsightly home in the Lakeside area of town.
The council voted unanimously to allow Holly Swann, the city’s manager of planning and zoning, to begin the process aimed at forcing the property owner to complete work on the house located at 408 Pinewood Street.
Previously, in regards to this house, the council had discussed the possibility of writing its own building codes.  The building was moved to this location several years ago but never fully restored.
Swann said that the International Building Code, to which contractors in the city must abide, is very vague on the timeline for finishing construction projects.
“The only requirement is that ‘substantial progress’ must be made every six months,” Swann explained to council.  “Every six months or so, the property owner does some work on the house, such that it meets the requirement.”
Dr. Angela McCord, who owns property near the house in question, appeared before the council to request their assistance with the matter.
“It is an eyesore,” said McCord.
After declaring a property a nuisance, the city must notify the owner of the issues and required remedies.  If the owner fails to act, the city can remedy the issues and add the costs to the owner’s property taxes.
Several council members said that there were other properties within the city that could be deemed as eyesores and should be treated in the same manner.
Mayor Carolyn Prince asked that each council member develop a list of properties that they feel are nuisances and get that list to Swann.

Sidewalk ordinance
The council gave second reading approval to changes to the sidewalk obstruction ordinances.
This modification will allow businesses to display merchandise and place decorative items on the sidewalks in front of their locations, as long as such allows five feet of pedestrian clearance.
To use the sidewalks, businesses will be required to obtain an encroachment permit, costing $50 at the time of renewing or obtaining a business license.  To qualify, the business must prove a minimum of $600,000 property damage insurance and $1 million of bodily injury insurance.

Budget approved
The council gave first reading approval to the 2021-22 city budget.
The overall budget is $24,299,042 which is $67,542 less than the current year’s budget.  Reductions in revenue associated with the COVID-19 pandemic required the city to reduce the budget accordingly.
At a work session on March 2, the council had requested that City Administrator Max Alderman modify the draft budget to include cost of living, longevity and merit pay increases for employees.
Alderman confirmed that the changes requested had been made.
A public hearing and second reading will be held at the April council meeting.  The new budget will go into effect on May 1.

Other business
– The council did not pass a request to reinstate a mobile home test area in west Bennettsville.  This test area would have allowed property owners to move mobile homes into the area, under certain guidelines.  In a vote, this was defeated 4-3.  Mayor Prince, Allen Taylor, Sandy Donaldson and Jean Quick voted against with Tyron Abraham, Tyrone Davis and Gregory Scott voting in favor.
– Mayor Prince briefly reported on meetings of the Public Service Committee of the council.  This committee had reviewed minutes from meetings with downtown merchants.  They also had discussed parking issues and locations of surveillance cameras in the city.
– During the non-agenda portion of the meeting, council member Taylor brought up concerns over an agreement that the city had with Carolina Bank.  Several years ago, the council had voted to give Carolina Bank the property where the old police station was located on Main Street, plus $50,000.  In exchange, the bank would build a new building on the property, tear down their old building and construct a ‘green space.’
However, last week it became apparent that Carolina Bank has no intention of turning their old site into a park or giving possession to the city.  This was determined when the Marlboro County Council voted to purchase the old bank building to become the home of the tax collection department.
“I would have never voted in favor of giving Carolina Bank the land and $50,000 if I had thought the city wasn’t going to get something from the agreement,” said Taylor.
Several other council members agreed that they wanted to know more about the situation from city attorney Mason King.
Because this is a legal and contractual issue, King requested that an executive session be called.
Following the executive session, the council reconvened only to adjourn the meeting with no further discussion.

Employee anniversaries
City employees who are celebrating work anniversaries during the month of March are Freddy Stubbs, 23; Teddy Brigman, 23; Holly Swann, 20; James Altman, 11; Katrina Brigman, 8; Steven Wilkes, 8; De’Aron Smith, 6; David Hamilton,5; Griffin Norris, 5; John Walters, 4; John Cartwright, 2; and Jordan Smith, 1.