WHISKEY ROAD ANNEXATION – The city recently received the Judge’s signed Court Order for the law suit initiated by the City with the South Carolina Department of Transportation. We are happy to say that the City was successful in this law suit with the Judge declaring that the annexation from Pine Log Road to Talatha Church Road was done properly and legally. Our Legal Department had confirmed that SCDOT cannot challenge the Whiskey Road Annexation Ordinance since no appeal has been filed within the 30 day period.
This has significance from two perspectives. First and most important it gives the City control of Whiskey Road which will allow us to be more aggressive in implementing more stringent traffic measures. We can now consider medians, turn restrictions, light synchronization and other measures to improve the traffic flow on Whiskey Road. Second, it permits annexation of properties along Whiskey Road. Where we have discretionary authority, I will generally oppose annexation unless it is in the clear interests of the City of Aiken. There are some properties which will be annexed as a result of previous agreements to furnish water service.
ENHANCED TRAFFIC ENFORCEMENT UNIT GRANT AWARD – Governor Mark Sanford has notified us that we will soon be receiving $93,754 for our Enhanced Traffic Enforcement Unit. These monies are used for our Highway Enforcement of Aggressive Traffic (HEAT) Public Safety Officers who operate the black Dodge Chargers. Our HEAT Officers, CPL Chris Carter and PSO Jason Griffin are providing a valuable public safety service to our city.
CROSLAND PARK INITIATIVE – One of the major goals of the Council is the stabilization of Crosland Park. On October 2, 2008, city representatives met with six churches and several non-profit agencies to discuss strategy concerning the rebirth of Crosland Park. We are asking all the parties who sign the Memorandum of Understanding to join together to create a coalition which will help change the community. We believe by the purchase of homes and providing services to meet the needs of these citizens, we will be able to meet the greater needs of the Crosland Park neighborhood. Council will consider further actions to include sidewalks, street lighting, landscaping, and additional recreational opportunities. City Council will soon be asked to formally make a commitment to the programs needed in Crosland Park.
CITY PAVING SCHEDULE – Paving has been delayed two weeks. I was just notified about this delay on Monday, Oct 13.
PUBLIC SAFETY MONTHLY ACTIVITIES REPORT – I continue to be surprised by the large number of 911 calls that Public Safety deals with each month. Last month, for example, they received 2, 459 911 calls. Public Safety issued 950 traffic related tickets, completed 141 traffic accident reports, and arrested 300 people. Based on numbers alone, our Public Safety Department is providing outstanding service to our citizens. I would like to see more education to help prevent abuse of the 911 emergency call network. Public Safety is considering establishing a system to better communicate to the public the number and types of incidents it deals with. If you want some details, please look in the Annual Report I mentioned in my last email. It is also available at the city web site (http://www.aiken.net/).
NEW SPCA FACILITY AND DOG PARK – At our meeting on Monday, we will have the second and final reading on the new SPCA facility which will be co-located with the Dog Park.
JUNK CARS AND OVERGROWN LOTS – We will have a work session which will begin at 6:30 to discuss junk cars and overgrown lots. One of the City Council’s goals over the last few years has been to improve neighborhoods within our city. One of the frequently asked questions at neighborhood meetings is what can be done with overgrown lots and abandoned cars. At our work session, we will discuss our current codes concerning overgrown lots versus how other cities in South Carolina have been able to deal with these problems. Based on this discussion, City Council can decide whether to stay with our current procedures or modify them based on this information. Our current system for dealing with overgrown lots is a three step process which can take as long as 45 days. This system consumes too much staff time and creates a frustrating delay for neighbors. We will look at systems used by Spartanburg, Columbia, and Anderson. I expect we will reduce our maximum 45 day system for dealing with overgrown lots to a more reasonable 10-15 day time frame and make it easier to deal with repeat offenders.
With regard to inoperable vehicles, the process of identifying, contacting, and arranging for towing is a long one. It can take up to 35 days before an attempt is made to issue an Ordinance Summons for Livability Court and then several more weeks for the court date, decision, and implementation. It is in the interest of the neighborhood to remove vehicles that do not run and it is in the interest of the vehicle owner to have a fair process. Some jurisdictions provide a monetary incentive to car owners who participate in a voluntary removal program. The program is self-financing. The owner of an inoperable vehicle sells the title to the City for $75.00. The Public Works Department then tows the vehicle to a vehicle recycling facility and receives between $342 and $600 for the title. The City of Anderson has a program like this which we will discuss.
Please note that during a work session, City Council and the public can discuss an issue and provide staff with enough information to determine a suitable course of action. We do not vote or take any action whatsoever during a work session other than give general guidance to staff. City staff can then determine whether to place the items discussed at a future City Council meeting for action. I expect that we will deal with these two issues soon. We do have the authority, however, to add an item to the agenda providing it is approved by a majority of the Council. I am not sure this will happen to these two items, but it could.
CITY COUNCIL AGENDA – Keep in mind that City Council agendas are available on line. The agenda includes supporting documents that we review to determine a course of action. The link for Monday’s City Council agenda is http://www.aiken.net/weblink7/docview.aspx?id=82450.
The name of the "Judge" is Jack Early, as in "Judge Early."
ReplyDeleteSecond, the City of Aiken has a legal requirement, as binding as the decision of Judge Early on the annexation of Whiskey Road, to provide water service all the way down that annexed road. Opposing annexation of the City limits is ignorant. Or maybe you folks would like to see some trailer parks or mega-bingo halls set up with wells and septic tanks?