PROSPERITY — Prosperity Town Council has approved transferring its municipal election oversight from the town to the Newberry County Voter Registration and Election Commission.

Councilman Mike Hawkins made the motion at Tuesday’s council meeting and Councilman Robert Martin seconded.

“At one time the House and the Senate were batting around the idea that all municipalities were on the same election cycle,” said Councilman Chad Hawkins.

Town Administrator Karen Livingston said the next step is to write an ordinance that will include what the town will be voting for and when the town wants to set the election. Livingston said that if Council wanted to proceed with the ordinance then she and Town Attorney Lisa Senn will begin the process.

“There are two documents that you have to have. You have to have an agreement between the county and the town saying ‘If you pass this ordinance, we will accept you in the commission’ and then you have the ordinance as well,” said Senn.

After looking over information, Senn pointed out that with this transfer the Town of Prosperity has a clear understanding and will abolish whatever election commission currently in town.

“The commission for the county has seven commissioners and they are appointed by the legislative delegation. They have been slow to appoint sometimes, so it’s rare for Newberry County to have a full Election Commission and there is no requirement that each municipality through the elections handled by that commission be represented on the commission,” said Senn. “You are possibly losing the voice on the commission if there is nobody currently from the Prosperity area on that commission.”

Other business

• Councilman Chad Hawkins reported that he would like to give reports on what the fire department is currently doing. He said he is speaking with Prosperity Rescue Chief Glenn Hamm to gather reports. Hawkins reported there were no new updates with streets and that recycling will be picked up Monday.

• Police Chief David Beddingfield reported that YTD the police department has had 546 tickets, 10 search warrants and 22 arrest warrants. Beddingfield reported that the department has also dealt with two cases of assault, one case of filing a false police report, one public intoxication, one disorderly conduct case, three petty larcenies, one case of check fraud, two auto break-ins, one murder and one incorrigible child complaint.

Beddingfield reported that complaints of traffic control has also been brought to the department’s attention, which he said is one of the most common complaints the department receives.

“We’ve had a school bus complaint at McNeary and Church Street with regards to vehicles passing a stopped school bus. We’ve had no injuries, nothing reported from the school bus driver and on May 1 and 16 we went out specifically to that location to monitor it and we saw zero violations,” said Beddingfield.

• Ed West presented plans from the engineer for work that will be completed in town. West said he would need to go through the plan and decide if any changes need to be made to it.

• Livingston reported that the Boys and Girls Club has rented the Civic Center from May 30 until Aug. 4 for its summer camp. Livingston also said she and West will be putting together a debris removal policy regarding what debris will and will not be accepted.

Underwood
https://www.newberryobserver.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/web1_Underwood.jpgUnderwood

By Kelly Duncan

kduncan@civitasmedia.com

Reach Kelly Duncan at 803-768-3123 ext. 1868 or on Twitter @TheNBOnews.