January 2016 Council Highlights

Council approved a property transfer agreement authorizing an additional ¾ acres on North Main Street to assist with right-of-ways for new Downtown Hotel

Council approved an annexation request for a parcel of land along US Hwy 15 South for the development of a new retail store.

Other News & Announcements:

Council received an update for the Planning office on the new Property Maintenance Registry. This is an initiative by the City Council to help protect neighborhoods from declining property values. Starting January 1, 2016, this code requires all owners of vacant property to register a local contact. In short, this code does not apply to new construction which has not received a certificate of occupancy, it does not regulate realtors, in fact, they may serve as the local contact for the property, the local contact has not responsibilities under the ordinance except to receive notices and it only applies to city properties within the City.

Council also received an update from the Sumter Police Department. Where crime numbers are down once again for the past year.
- The department also discussed several successful programs, including winning state awards for their Random Acts of Kindness (RAK) and Project CheckMate programs.
  - Project CheckMate dedicates an officer to make regular home visits and perform minor chores for the city’s growing elderly population.
  - Random Acts of Kindness (RAK) was created to bridge the department’s relationship with the city’s homeless/transient community. Officers are provided with care packages that they can give to those in need. The packages include hygiene and nutrition items as well as contact information for local social service agencies and shelters.
- The department reported flood response and recovery numbers including: Responded to 2328 calls for service, assisted with 158 stranded motorists, participated in over 40 home rescues, and evacuated six apartment complexes, among others.

The City of Sumter is hiring! We currently have several professional needs, including a webmaster, project manager, Attorney/Legal Advisor, Police Officers, Carpenter, Tree Service, Maintenance, Heavy Equipment Operator and many more. More information is available under the Human Resource tab on the City’s website at www.sumtersc.gov.

City Council was presented a check by the Duke Energy Foundation in the amount of $80,000, to be put towards establishing a safe nature trail and cultivating educational opportunities on undeveloped land near Shaw Air Force Base. The grant will provide assistance with constructing a safe loop around a pond on city-owned property, creating signage for the trail to identify flora and fauna in order to foster learning experiences while walking the trail, as well as developing teaching materials necessary to facilitate quality educational tours for school groups. The City plans to utilize area groups and develop partnerships in order to create educational programs that will be of the most benefit to school groups. As an end result, a safe nature trail for walking will be established, which maintains the natural beauty of the land and opportunities are developed to explore around the pond in order to learn about the native plants and trees.

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