Palmetto Railways, library director brief council; residents ask about finances, streetlights and transparency

At the April 6 meeting Palmetto Railways President and CEO Patrick McCrory told Colleton County Council that operations on the Salkehatchie Rail Line will begin soon and described planned safety precautions at railroad crossings that currently have only stop or yield signs. Colleton County Library Director Carl Coffin presented the library’s "Library of Things" initiative to expand lending beyond books.

During the public comment period, Carol Black raised concerns about the county’s financial health and asked how proposed bond debt would be serviced; Felicia Johnson asked for more streetlights near her home; Marsha Johnson said agenda packets did not contain enough information for the public to understand items or to engage effectively; and Jeff Jones thanked council for its work on the new Veterans Park and urged continued efforts to honor veterans.

Administrator Higgs updated council on a recent joint meeting with the City of Walterboro to develop shared goals, described implementation of new financial software to increase transparency on the county website, outlined progress in the budget season and capital projects, and said the county is preparing a professional services agreement with Vance Consulting to review county ordinances and land-use language.

The public comment period was limited to three minutes per speaker and the total public comment time was capped at 20 minutes.