[0:09] All right, let's start out with a public hearing. The lease agreement was greater, darned to the

[0:17] Chamber of Commerce, or office space in the Massingo building. Does anyone wish to speak

[0:23] to the lease agreement, 1A,

[0:31] no this is just for the lease agreement.

[0:33] Yeah, she wanted to sign up for that two minutes.

[0:36] Yes,

[0:56] all right.

[0:56] No one wishes to speak to the lease agreement, 1A, how to clear it closed, 1B,

[1:05] lease agreement with the Rubicon Family Counseling Center for Office Space in the

[1:09] Mozingo building.

[1:11] Anyone wish to speak on the lease agreement with the Rubicon for the

[1:15] a single building.

[1:19] If not, I declare at least agreement won't be closed.

[1:25] We'll call

[1:26] to order. Invocation, Mr. Douglas, believe what you do, please.

[1:37] Our Father, which are in heaven, most holy and everlasting Father. Father God, we all

[1:43] want to thank you, O Lord, for last night's rest and the fang of church, to wake and

[1:48] of love this morning. And Father God, we just want to thank you, O Lord,

[1:54] for

[1:54] Father God, we're asking you today.

[1:56] Commit yourself, Dylan.

[1:57] Bless each and every one who has a tenure today, O Lord,

[2:01] and we ask the brothers for the one that could attend

[2:04] and will not attend.

[2:05] And Father God, we're asking you today, O Lord,

[2:07] to go with our foreign countries,

[2:10] touch our boys, girls, men, and women.

[2:13] Give them some strength or foresight.

[2:15] See them coming home one day, O Lord.

[2:17] And Father God, we're asking you today, O Lord,

[2:19] there was the hospice, the home, wherever the sick is, O Lord.

[2:23] Father, we know that you, the one.

[2:24] You have more medicine to him and your garment than any drugstore whatsoever and Father God we asking you to touch him

[2:30] Father God we asking you to deal with Lord the leaders of God is to just meet in your name, say

[2:34] Amy

[2:35] I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic which it stands one legation on the New York

[2:45] and the individual liberty and justice for all

[2:53] All right, citizen comments, Mr. Harold Rolts.

[2:58] It's

[3:12] not been like research,

[3:16] discussion, and consideration

[3:17] of what was best for our family, the land, and generations who come after us.

[3:23] My husband did not choose to retire from farming.

[3:25] He was forced to choose to a series of serious health problems

[3:28] and the financial burdens that came with farming during a bad farming year.

[3:34] Farming was not just our livelihood, it was our way of life.

[3:37] We have watched farmers lose the land that has been in their families for generations.

[3:43] For our family, the raw solar project represents something very simple.

[3:48] The opportunity to preserve our farm and pass it on to our children and grandchildren.

[3:54] Without this solar project, that future becomes less certain.

[3:59] When electricity was introduced, people argued it was dangerous.

[4:03] that claimed it would destroy communities, that homes would burn, and that it would threaten health.

[4:10] When automobiles were invented, opponents claimed they would frighten livestock and ruin roads.

[4:17] When cell phones were introduced, the public was alarmed that it would damage health and reduce property health.

[4:25] Today, all of us enjoy those benefits.

[4:29] That does not mean that the community should not ask legitimate questions.

[4:36] Responsible development requires good planning and oversight, which this County Council has done.

[4:43] History has taught us that fear of change alone does not sound basis for rejecting progress.

[4:51] Many claims have been made by opponents of solar energy that lack evidence.

[4:59] So we'll disagree with the decision we made that this is probably our family has more

[5:11] to care for and paid taxes for more than two centuries.

[5:15] We have the right and the responsibility to make decisions that will preserve this

[5:21] farm for future generations. All right. Thank you. Just Johnny Rolf's.

[6:12] They stopped their appeal over their roles, couple of things, and the other thing, James

[6:23] Prudy, and they all concentrated on the first roles.

[6:30] And all I heard in that meeting was right upstairs and brought her there, but I knew I was on

[6:37] a lot of things, but that thing really made me mad.

[6:41] And I just thought, I said, you know the other word, you know who we are and how long we've been here.

[6:49] We are a, we're not just farmers, we,

[6:59] we are patrons.

[7:02] This isn't a well, not probably one, in World War II.

[7:06] It was a gun and a B17.

[7:08] He got shot down a couple of times, mom told us, don't you know I have to show

[7:16] a day or nothing about the war because he can get up there.

[7:22] Okay, let's do one.

[7:26] My son, I'm

[7:33] going to make a ride on a hospital.

[7:35] It's been 23 years in the night.

[7:39] Oh, this is a huge retirement win and it's just, you know,

[7:48] a book probably, I guess I don't

[7:49] know what you call it in a minute, but anyway, he retired, he's losing it, and as a

[7:58] boat to stay in, most of all, people will be going, we have all in the clean, anyway, we're

[8:13] proud of everything, but they weren't the only ones. Like to say, we're a family of

[8:25] My wife, Carol Hergay, served in Cree, her brother served in Somalia, her brother

[8:36] brother, he's an international guard. I got a cousin, and my dad's sisters, son, was in

[8:45] Vietnam. I knew you real bad. We are a family of patriots. We know it's one thing we

[8:54] You know, I'm not a politician, I've never had me.

[8:57] Oh, where I got your shirt would,

[9:03] John called me up one day and said,

[9:05] Dad, if you can get you to Hawaii,

[9:08] you could ride this ship back.

[9:09] He was on the constellation at the time.

[9:11] There was a decommission in the ship.

[9:14] And I got out there, and I was seven days, I was in the day.

[9:20] Oh, and I really enjoyed that.

[9:22] But anyway, I'm saying, what I'm trying to say is, you know, we know how to fight and I was really hoping I wouldn't have to come up here and say in it is.

[9:37] And so we know how to fight and I'm telling you that this thing doesn't come down to, we'll show you how to fight.

[9:51] All right, so I appreciate it.

[9:53] Thank you.

[9:55] Mr. Carolyn, Sabrex.

[10:05] The port for solar power projects.

[10:08] Solar power is cleaner and safer than other ways of generating electricity.

[10:13] I would not mind if there was a solar power project near me.

[10:18] Stewardship of the land is about more than farming it.

[10:21] It is also about protecting the environment,

[10:26] which solar power would help to do.

[10:31] Thank you.

[10:32] There's staying in servants.

[10:40] That's OK.

[10:41] The idea

[10:45] that the losses would be somehow prevented

[10:50] from doing what they would do in their land,

[10:53] but concerned me.

[10:56] And when it comes to doing something with the land,

[11:00] it seems to be that you're having a solar power

[11:03] There's a lot wider land, a lot of this, a crop, and it was a native center, or a giant

[11:11] farm, you know, a landfill, where it falls, you know, the land's still there, 30 years

[11:20] from it, somebody who's used to live with it, pretty easy to move, so the power of the

[11:24] city.

[11:26] And I just, the favor people being able to do what they can do with their property, if

[11:32] they're not finding anybody else and so our power is to be a free, safe technology

[11:39] and it's something the rest of the world is going to be as hard and fast as they can.

[11:46] Okay, thanks sir.

[11:49] And good luck.

[11:51] I

[11:59] just like to say I'm solar, solar farms, I have experience with it, headed on my property

[12:09] prior.

[12:11] I am new to Darlington County.

[12:14] Can you talk a little bit louder?

[12:16] I'm sorry.

[12:17] I'm new to Darlington County.

[12:18] Okay.

[12:19] And my husband and I purchased our property.

[12:22] We were aware of the solar farm being in our backyard.

[12:26] I have no property to that.

[12:29] and we love the house, we love our property.

[12:32] I'll be looking at that every day

[12:35] for I will be the only residential home

[12:39] within the boundaries, not open land,

[12:44] just the residential home, but I am in favor of it.

[12:48] I'm the believer of it.

[12:49] I know that the benefits from it greatly

[12:57] So I am in support of Mr. Goodlake.

[13:08] We were made aware of the solar project before we purchased the house.

[13:13] And in favor of it, we had solar payments in our barnyard in Connecticut.

[13:24] Very controlled.

[13:25] The last meeting of the company put an escrow pounding in to clean up

[13:30] when the solar payments expired at the end of their lifespan.

[13:33] And so I see no negative, so I think.

[13:38] Thank you.

[13:42] Mr. George.

[13:43] Chris.

[13:44] V

[13:51] .V.

[13:51] Ladies and gentlemen, this is Council.

[13:52] Appreciate you having me today.

[13:54] I'm a landlord here in Golden County.

[13:57] And you think about those terms to land over.

[14:01] We're really blessed with this country that you can have private land.

[14:04] There's a lot of companies in this world.

[14:05] But you can't only see a lot of affordable.

[14:08] The government doesn't have it.

[14:10] So we're very, very blessed to have that right here in this state, this country.

[14:16] I always believe that if you want to control what happens on a piece of property by that piece of property.

[14:21] Farming that, I don't try to impose my will upon any of my neighbors.

[14:26] As a matter of reference, I'm not a litigant in the policy you're going to be considering later to take a leave and advise us all to run for agenda.

[14:33] So I'm not playing them, but I'm not independent.

[14:37] But apparently some that are involved in that are trying to steer what neighbors can do with their property, specifically solar farms.

[14:43] And drawing this bus got great many things. It's got great people.

[14:47] It's got great farmers that produce basic crops. It's got some 500. It's got sunshine.

[14:53] That's important because later on, when you hear that legal advice about wallsuit opposing solar plants,

[15:01] You need to recognize, I think, that there are no legitimate safety or health concerns to solve a production. In addition, you've adopted buffer and screening, that anybody that would be opposed to the aesthetics of it, they're not even going to see it. There's one that says that they're allowed with buffers between their neighbors and screening them, that key people can have a look at it. They're troubled by it. Alternative energy production is going to be necessary to keep bills affordable for quality county residents. It's also going to be necessary to inspire production.

[15:30] of economics here in Dalton County.

[15:33] The counties that provide electricity to potential businesses

[15:38] that want to look right there

[15:39] are the ones that give them succeed down the road.

[15:41] We got a growing population.

[15:43] The people that are posing this,

[15:44] I don't know what the reasons may be.

[15:47] But it seems to be the responsibility

[15:48] councils to look out for the needs of all,

[15:51] in a way, for electric bills,

[15:53] rather than the wants of the view.

[15:55] So I hope that's what you'd direct your energy

[15:56] as you consider the city later on.

[15:58] All right.

[15:58] Thank you, sir.

[16:08] But I'm trying to find the origins of these corporations that are putting up the solar

[16:13] projects.

[16:14] It's very difficult.

[16:15] But what I did find is that a lot of Chinese companies are using U.S.-based companies

[16:20] very quickly, hard fast, actually, and it's, to me, it's very, very troubling.

[16:26] And looking at just IP and pit stop solar and I have all this and anybody I'd love to show it to people and I've got websites.

[16:35] IP solar is closely tied to China for its reliance on Chinese manufacturing for solar panels and components as China dominates over 80% of the global solar photovoltaic supply chain.

[16:47] The same thing with Pitstop Solar, it is a partner, as I'm doing more research, it is

[16:53] a partner of China Solar, collaborating on solar projects and initiatives.

[16:58] And just looking for China Solar, it has been added to the U.S. Department of Defense

[17:05] List Chinese military companies due to its perceived links to China's military civil fusion

[17:12] strategy.

[17:13] Actually, I have it open right here, the federal register.

[17:18] China is a CCP company, which manufactures 80% of solar panels, or most 80% of the solar panels

[17:26] are manufactured by Chinese companies, and two major projects that we have here in

[17:30] Durham and King County will be supplied by them.

[17:33] This is very concerning.

[17:34] In that, you can do this research as they have found kill switch in these solar panels, and

[17:41] actually the FBI did a report on finding kill switch and senators Rick Scott

[17:46] of Florida and Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee call for investigation into

[17:51] communist China's potential solar power kill switch. I think that's very

[17:56] dangerous and when I voted for Mr. Askins here I trusted him to look out for our

[18:02] interest and this is very important things to consider. So I think this is

[18:07] Thank you, Mr.

[18:16] Chairman, so everyone knows what we're doing.

[18:20] I move to amend the agenda to put the executive session as item 13 in a request for comments.

[18:30] Members, a council as item 14.

[18:33] Any

[18:35] discussion?

[18:39] All in favor say aye.

[18:40] Aye.

[18:40] Opposed?

[18:43] We're on to consent agenda.

[18:47] 6A.

[18:49] Need a motion.

[18:51] For our 6A to 6J.

[18:56] We're going to motion to be a set of consent agenda for 6A to 6J.

[19:03] Second.

[19:04] Any discussion?

[19:06] All in favor say aye.

[19:07] Aye.

[19:09] Uh...

[19:10] Opposves?

[19:11] Uh...

[19:11] Let's have it.

[19:14] Minutes of public here in the regular meeting hail on June 1st, 2026.

[19:20] Need a motion?

[19:21] Food to approve.

[19:22] Second?

[19:23] Any discussion?

[19:26] Oh, one in favor say aye.

[19:28] Aye.

[19:29] Opposves?

[19:29] Illab us, aye.

[19:30] Opposves?

[19:30] I have it.

[19:32] Ornits.

[19:32] Eighth a, ornits number 25-24.

[19:36] And Ornits authorizing pursuits to chapter one of Title IV, South Carolina.

[19:40] on a code of laws 1976 as amended.

[19:44] They purchased a real property located within

[19:46] the southern portion of Dorothy County,

[19:49] South Carolina for a purpose of economic development.

[19:53] Second reading, need a motion.

[19:59] Move for approval of the ordinance number 25-24.

[20:03] Next second.

[20:06] Any discussion?

[20:08] All in favor say aye.

[20:10] Aye.

[20:11] All opposed.

[20:12] Mr. Chairman, before we do the resolution, do we have someone from Fair Housing?

[20:20] Yeah, I got to get that one, excuse me.

[20:23] I want to favor say I, all of those eyes have it.

[20:27] I skipped seven, eight minutes of public hearing and regular meeting.

[20:31] Got that.

[20:32] Resolution, okay.

[20:34] Ninety.

[20:35] Resolution number, eight, eighteen.

[20:37] for claiming April as per housing month, and no one is here to it.

[20:43] Mr. Chair, may I move for approval resolution number 818?

[20:47] Any discussion, gentlemen?

[20:51] All in favor say aye.

[20:54] Whose eyes have it?

[20:57] Committee reports, none, appointments, two boards, commissions, and committee.

[21:08] I want to appoint Mr. Scott Spivey to the construction board of Adjustment and Appeals.

[21:14] Second.

[21:16] Discussion?

[21:19] All in favour say aye.

[21:20] Aye.

[21:22] I got one point.

[21:24] Jimmy Dickson to vote for Assessment and Appeal.

[21:27] Second.

[21:28] Three point.

[21:29] Who is his name?

[21:30] Jimmy Dickson.

[21:31] Three point.

[21:32] Okay.

[21:34] All in favour?

[21:35] Aye.

[21:39] I have had it.

[21:40] and I've got one Niki Wampers to the Tokyo committee.

[21:50] All in. Labor say aye.

[21:54] Oppose, I just have it.

[21:56] Mr. Chairman, I have one for Parks and Recreation Commission.

[22:01] And it is a sad one in the weird replacing a long time advocate

[22:09] get for Darryl in the county, Mr. Ed, but I nominate Templin Hardy in a discussion.

[22:25] That one's over with. It's appointed to ad hoc every year, correct?

[22:30] Yeah.

[22:31] Yeah.

[22:31] Yeah, so he's not going to serve on that on the

[22:42] profits.

[22:48] Yeah.

[22:49] That's

[22:55] all in favour, say aye.

[22:56] Wait.

[22:57] All opposed.

[22:58] I have it.

[23:01] Okay.

[23:03] Bill Moneb feito.

[23:09] You had to do...

[23:10] We have to be...

[23:11] E Henri Schultzji.

[23:11] We have to leave them.

[23:17] Actually.

[23:19] Um...

[23:21] Fond accuser come cap.

[23:23] B.

[23:24] De we.

[23:25] Bartir Chamiro comments for office space in the!!!!!

[23:28] Meglio Ngo.

[23:30] The chairman now moved to approve that lease agreement.

[23:34] The cabinet is adjourned.

[23:38] So in here in that lease amount,

[23:40] a month, that includes television.

[23:45] Great.

[23:45] No.

[23:58] Spood on it.

[23:59] Need a motion.

[24:00] Oh, I already made it.

[24:01] Who seconded?

[24:02] I seconded.

[24:03] And you seconded.

[24:04] All right. All right. All in favor?

[24:05] Aye.

[24:06] Opposed.

[24:09] All right.

[24:09] 11C.

[24:10] The police agreement with Rubicon, Family Counseling Center for Office of Space in the

[24:15] Mazinga building.

[24:16] Mr. Chair, my move to approve the police agreement with Rubicon, Family Counseling Center.

[24:22] All in favor, say aye.

[24:24] Aye.

[24:25] Oppose.

[24:27] All right.

[24:28] South Carolina Rule Infrastructure Authority Grant awarded for the town of LeMora wastewater

[24:33] water treatment plant improved project 1,500,000 need a motion make a motion there we

[24:43] set the fire coming on the ground water circle all in favor say aye all opposed

[24:52] eyes have it 11 e circular open your wood relief line reporting new project

[25:01] request, go on the county school report and request you are at the point six need a motion.

[25:16] I'll set the proper relief fund,

[25:21] please say it, go on the county, second, hold on favour say aye.

[26:25] All the bloods are used, they stay.

[26:32] And, of course, in

[26:39] docs, technologists, I know it's a testing machine, it's just like

[26:43] the doctors on paper on the list, it's just a machine to detect both the chemicals, the

[26:49] and systems, and they felt like it was necessary for early

[26:54] identification and what they were doing with this

[26:56] of all kinds of damage, and of course,

[27:00] we've listened to that for a couple of times

[27:02] and a lot of questions of what they thought

[27:05] would be working on in the couple of years.

[27:08] It is essentially a diagnostic equipment

[27:11] that was assembled to find out what they got and what they

[27:14] got, and then they don't mix with something else.

[27:17] They don't even know what they need to do.

[28:02] I'm not going to let the government change the situation.

[28:12] I'm going to let the government change the situation.

[28:18] I mean, this is going to be a long time.

[28:20] I don't share a spot.

[28:21] I can just invite the birds to go around and how they can think

[28:25] better prepared to assist somebody.

[28:28] They're arrested.

[28:30] They're in the prison.

[28:31] They're in the custody.

[28:32] It's not the same thing.

[29:49] When I went to Chiswick County, we had a silver waist.

[29:54] They got the grand, the whale lights just got the grand,

[29:56] the silver States, and the silver counties that have it.

[30:00] If what it is, they go out and they train. It's a good point, then, it gives us more resources. So this happened online, right? We did resources, a little bit more. I use for instance,

[30:19] say we lock up somebody, and I'm going to just as an example, say we lock up somebody.

[30:25] We can go out to the side with the resources to get off of them all the way out, because that makes it.

[30:32] So it's a little more dead, not like the firm and training as to, okay, I recognize this person has only what I need to take the causes of, so I know this gives us another resource to help additional people.

[30:56] Mr. Chairman, I think due to nature of the question, we should probably vote again.

[31:04] We moved in the affirmative, so yeah, all in favor say hi, I pose, I have a administrative

[31:15] update.

[31:15] Mr.

[31:21] Chairman, at this time, I move that we have a vote for executive session, discussion

[31:27] of matters relating to the proposed location, expansion of provision of services, encouraging

[31:31] location or expansion of industries or other businesses in Lamar area, the receipt of

[31:36] legal advice from where the legal advice relates to a matter covered by the attorney client privileged

[31:40] on accounting development standards ordinance and fee and lieu of tax agreements, and receipt

[31:46] of Legal Advice regarding case number 26CP160286, Plainist Marjorie Dudley, Evelyn Hobbs,

[31:54] and James Unite, Amy O'Neill, Debra Martin, Jerry S. Martin, Defendants, Darned County,

[32:00] Darned County Council of Darned County Planning Commission, Darned County Administrator,

[32:05] and B. N. R. G. Renewals, and Aveda Seller, Pit Stop Seller.

[32:11] I need a second.

[32:15] All in favor say aye.

[32:16] Aye.

[32:17] Opposed?

[32:19] Aye.

[32:20] Mr. Chairman.

[32:21] I move at this time to go into executive session for the, for items 15A, 15B, 15C that I

[32:29] just read out after a five minute recess.

[32:32] Yes. Need a motion?

[32:34] A second.

[32:36] On the favor say aye.

[32:38] Opposed? I was happy.

[32:41] I'm sorry.

[32:43] That was the members of council, our county attorney, our county administrator.

[32:51] And that's it. I believe in it.

[32:53] Yep.

[32:56] On the favor say aye.

[32:58] Opposed? I was happy.

[33:01] All right.

[33:16] I just want to say that I appreciate the 57 or 8 people that sent me emails about this

[33:26] soldier issue. I want them to know that I take their their concerns into

[33:36] advisement for sure. I also want to tell the people that came and spoke

[33:39] tonight for it. I totally get that as well. It's a tough situation. I'm a

[33:46] conservative representative.

[33:50] Therefore, you know, I'm more of a shoreland kind of

[33:55] thing with the restrictions we've put in in the past. I'm pretty comfortable with. I don't

[34:01] know what we're going to do going for. We're still haven't decided, but just understand that I

[34:07] personally have heard all these all these opinions and thoughts and I don't take it lightly.

[34:17] Just thank each and every one of y'all for coming and speaking. Be safe. Thank you.

[34:24] I just like to thank members of Council for the, in such a contentious issue that we've

[34:32] had, the respect and the professionalism and the decorum that we've maintained, I really

[34:41] appreciate it and I think it bowed 12 for Durham to come.

[34:48] This council over the last months has

[34:58] made some changes in dealing with these solar

[35:02] systems that are more transparent, tell you the word else sooner, and I know it hasn't

[35:07] always been the case.

[35:10] We've done things in the field of agreements that went above and beyond what the ordinance

[35:17] required with increased setbacks and vegetation after-mitted, updating the

[35:24] order and will agree that when it needs to be updated, we spent a good while back

[35:31] there, a very spirited, vigorous conversation about what our options are and

[35:39] what we've got great little advice from our county attorney and what we could do

[35:42] and what protects the county and keeps us from doing what other counties have

[35:48] done and gotten themselves in trouble. So would we discuss more to audience? We've discussed all sorts of things. And those discussions are

[35:58] our own billing and we're still working on options at this level.

[37:05] I

[37:12] appreciate the way everybody told Curtis to everyone, I just cancel does a good job

[37:22] Um, it's, uh, it's hard some time in some districts, it's some, some town stuff, but we all get along. Trust me on that, but, uh, at this time, we're going to, uh, close out the, uh, meeting, and I asked for a vote.

[37:40] Need a motion? Mr. Chairman, I moved to adjourn.

[37:43] All the favour say yes.

Jul 06, 2026 County Council

Transcript