The Santee Town Council intends to vote on final approval of the municipal budget for fiscal year 2023-2024 during a special called meeting at 6 p.m. Wednesday, June 14, in council chambers, 192 Municipal Way.

For the 12th year in a row, Santee won’t raise its property tax rate, Mayor Donnie Hilliard said during a public hearing on June 7.

For many years, growth has generated increased revenues sufficiently to offset rising costs, Hilliard said. But if the growth stops, a tax increase is likelier next year, he added.

In recent months, a developer submitted multiple proposals for rezoning to build residential and/or commercial structures on acreage near the intersection of Old Number Six Highway and State Park Road. The council rejected all of the proposals, most recently by a 2-2 vote in March.

The balanced budget anticipates 2023-2024 income, with an equal amount of expenses, as follows:

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• General Fund: $2,316,240.

• Water Fund: $1,114,770.

• Wastewater Fund: $1,818,270.

• Water Capital Improvement Fund: $100,300.

• Special Revenue (Hospitality and Accommodations Tax income): $2,550,000.

• Enterprise Fund (Conference Center): $348,900.

During the budget public hearing, a man in the audience asked if Premium Peanut’s shelling facility, when it’s completed and becomes operational, would generate enough new income for the town to avoid tax rate hikes in the future.

The mayor thanked him for asking a “good question” and explained that Premium Peanut is outside the town limits, so the company won’t pay town taxes.

But the town-owned wastewater system’s service area extends beyond the town limits, and the peanut plant will be one of its customers, Hilliard added.

The pumping station that will serve the Premium Peanut property is 42 years old and could not accommodate the new industry’s needs, he said.

So, on June 7, the council voted to accept the bid of $236,172 by Spicer-On-Call Services LLC to replace the pumping station. A state grant will reimburse the town for half of the cost.

In another wastewater-related matter, Hilliard said the people in charge of the wastewater system decades ago “didn’t document” where they installed all of the pipes, and that omission has present-day ramifications.

For example, town officials initially told Dollar General that they’d have to pay $50,000 to bore a sewer line under a road to serve their new store site. Then a usable pipe was discovered, already installed under the road. Hilliard said.

That’s not what we meant

Litter barrels with encouraging slogans were placed throughout Santee as part of Mayor Donnie Hilliard’s year-long campaign to make the town more pleasant. But a few people have begun disposing of their household garbage in the litter barrels instead of hiring a private company or using a county convenience site, the mayor said, adding that bags of trash will be checked for identifying names and addresses, and citations will be issued to the offenders.

Another example of unintended consequences involves the mayor’s year-long campaign to make Santee more pleasant by placing litter barrels throughout the town.

Hilliard said a few individuals have been using the litter barrels to dispose of their household garbage. He said bags of garbage will be checked for identifying names and addresses, and citations will be issued to the offenders.

The Town of Santee does not offer garbage pickup service. “I’d rather see the private sector do it,” Hilliard said.

He said five companies are on record with the town as willing to pick up household garbage in Santee: Capital Waste Service of Columbia, Disposal Solutions of Eutawville, SC Waste of Orangeburg, Republic Services of North Charleston, and Waste Management of Orangeburg. Another option is to use a free county convenience site.

The mayor also announced that applications are being accepted for the newly created position of town administrator in addition to a wastewater system operator and an accounting clerk.

Full house

The Santee Police Department is fully staffed for the first time in years. Shown are, from left, Chief Joseph Serrano, Lt. Kevin Borghi, Sgt. Christopher Williams, Cpl. David Martin, Ptl. Devon Dotter, Ptl. Michael Stutts, and Ptl. Tyquonez Shaw. They attended the Town Council meeting on June 7, where Mayor Donnie Hilliard thanked them for their service. Hilliard also noted the shortage of law enforcement and corrections officers generally across South Carolina and much of the nation. Serrano, who has been with the department for 17 years, said Santee is a great place to pursue a law enforcement career.

Police Chief Joseph Serrano announced that the Santee Police Department is fully staffed for the first time in years.

He introduced Lt. Kevin Borghi, Sgt. Christopher Williams, Cpl. David Martin, Ptl. Devon Dotter, Ptl. Michael Stutts, and Ptl. Tyquonez Shaw.

Hilliard thanked them for their service. Hilliard also noted the shortage of law enforcement and corrections officers generally across South Carolina and much of the nation.

Serrano, who has been with the department for 17 years, said Santee is a great place to pursue a law enforcement career.

In other business, the council:

• Tabled, for further discussion, a proposed set of policies and regulations for mobile vendors and concession operators, such as food trucks. At present the town has no such policies.

• Appointed Melvin Seabrooks to the town Architectural Review Board.

• Appointed Hilliard and Herman Keller as the town’s voting delegates at the S.C. Rural Water Association’s annual conference.

• Discussed in executive session a contractual matter involving the wastewater upgrade and a personnel matter involving the administration department. Hilliard said no votes on those matters would be taken that evening.

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