Part I: Meetings Structure and Process
by Don Moniak
June 5, 2023 (updated June 6, 2023).
Aiken County Council holds public meetings on the first and/or third Tuesdays every month—depending upon the state of the next fiscal year’s budget. The proceedings are in the spacious Council Chambers on the third floor of the nearly decade-old County Administrative Building that many locals refer to as the Taj Mahal.
Tomorrow, June 6, the meeting starts with a 6 p.m worksession and the regular meeting begins at 7 p.m. Information on agenda and agenda packet is in the calendar section at https://www.aikencountysc.gov
If you have never attended a County Council meeting, it is worth a visit. The meetings are highly disciplined proceedings,
During all meetings, Council members sit across and above the audience. There is no cell phone use, off-the-record whispering between adjacent Council members, and members only speak when recognized. Any violations are closer to anomalies than patterns.
Another subtle practice is that Council members take turns introducing ordinances, resolutions, or other agenda items. Not only does it show your elected officials are literate, it requires them to pay attention to the matter at hand.
In this arrangement, citizens know who their elected officials are. And they also know who represents the administration side of the Council-Administration form of government.
Off to the right hand side of Council sits County Administrator Clay Killian, Assistant Administrator Brian Sanders, and County Attorney Brad Farrar. Also in the audience are other key staffers like Finance Director Lynn Strom.
Staff only speaks when recognized, primarily to answer questions and comments from Council. An entire meeting can pass without a peep from in-house County Attorney Farrar, but when he does speak it is clear and reasonable.
Council rarely enters closed door Executive Session during meetings to seek legal advice. It is more likely provided in full view.
Larger legal issues not related to impending contracts and negotiations are generally discussed openly, more often in committees than the Regular Meeting. The most notable example was the February 2022 review of state firearms law by Mr. Farrar, who laid out the issues in an educational manner.
Meetings strictly adhere to Robert’s Rules of Order. If the rules were a Jeopardy category, Chairman Bunker would likely sweep it, as he can be seen relishing a difficult and confusing set of motions and amendments.
The meetings end with the Meeting of the Whole, the time for public comments. Each speaker is given only three minutes. However, citizens with specific County level safety, property, or administrative concerns, to name a few, often remain at the podium while Council addresses their issues and concerns. Some of these back and forth sessions with citizens can last longer than the meeting’s announced agenda.
The end result is not always satisfactory, but questions are always deferred to staff who are expected to answer and act upon legitimate problems, and staff is expected to answer or report back with answers. The Council member from the involved district is also assigned to track the issue. There are no exhortations to ‘give me a call.”
This hardly means the process is perfect. Decisions can be made based on incomplete information, and ordinances highlight benefits of a project while glossing over impacts. Recently Council approved a major fee in lieu of taxes deal without divulging the name of the company.
Meetings are not subject to live stream video recordings, although quality audio recordings are available upon request.
The Freedom of Information Act requirements for meeting minutes and release of agendas and agenda packets achieve minimal compliance. Citizens have minimal time to examine an issue.
But, in short, Aiken County Council meetings are disciplined affairs where Council and Staff communicate openly in a manner that can be contentious but is usually productive, and there is a consistent procedure for at addressing citizen concerns.
It is worth a visit if only to watch, but preferably to bring to Council’s attention any concerns about roads, growth, county facilities, illegal dumping, property management, employee retention, crime, nuisances, or just to complement staff on the condition of the building.