City of North Augusta

SOUTH CAROLINA

 

 

 

September 20, 1999

 

 

Date

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lark W. Jones

 

 

Mayor

 

 

 

 

 

Members of City Council

 

Carolyn C. Baggott

 

Phillip T. Mottel

 

 

 

Pat C. Carpenter

 

Donald C. Smith

 

 

 

Kenneth J. McDowell

 

I. Kent Sullivan

                                                                                                      

ORDER OF BUSINESS

 

The regular meeting of September 20, 1999,  having been duly publicized, was called to order at 7:00 P. M. by Mayor Jones.

 

Reverend Bobby Hankerson of Hammond Grove Baptist Church rendered the invocation and Mayor Jones led in the Pledge of Allegiance.

 

Members present were Mayor Jones and Councilmembers Baggott, Carpenter, McDowell, Smith, and Sullivan.  Councilmember Mottel was absent because of his job. Also in attendance were Charles B. Martin, City Administrator; Bob Brooks, Director of Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Services; George M. Grkovic, Director of Economic and Community Development; John P. Potter, Jr., Director of Finance; T. Lee Wetherington, Director of Public Safety; Thomas C. Zeaser, Director of Engineering/Public Works; and Donna B. Young, City Clerk.

 

The minutes of the regular meeting of August 16, 1999, were approved as presented by general consent.

 

ITEM 1.           FINANCE:  TELECOMMUNICATIONS - BUSINESS LICENSE AND AGREEMENT WITH MASC - ORDINANCE, 3rd and Final Reading

 

On motion by Councilmember Baggott, second by Councilmember Sullivan, Council unanimously adopted on 3rd and final reading an ordinance establishing the business license rates for telecommunications companies and authorizing an agreement between the City and the Municipal Association of South Carolina (MASC) wherein the association will collect the business licenses on behalf of the City. 

 

 

The change in business license rates results from 1999 state legislation limiting such fees.

 

                        Please see the minutes of August 16, 1999, for the ordinance text.

 

ITEM 2.           COMMUNITY PROMOTION:  CONSTITUTION WEEK - SEPTEMBER 17 - 23, 1999 - PROCLAMATION

                                         

                                Mayor Jones proclaimed the week of September 17 - 23, 1999 as Constitution Week in the City of North Augusta. Diane Roy from the Martintown Road Chapter of the D.A.R. accepted the proclamation.

 

PROCLAMATION

 

WHEREAS, our Founding Fathers, in order to secure the blessings of liberty for themselves and their posterity, did ordain and establish a Constitution for the United States of America; and

 

WHEREAS, September 17, 1999, marks the two hundred and twelfth anniversary of the drafting of the Constitution of the United States by the Constitutional Convention; and

 

WHEREAS, the anniversary of the signing of the Constitution provides an historic opportunity for all Americans to learn about and recall the achievements of our Founders, and to reflect on the rights and privileges of citizenship as well as its attendant responsibilities; and

 

WHEREAS, the independence guaranteed to the American people by the Constitution should be celebrated by appropriate ceremonies and activities during Constitution Week, September 17 through 23, 1999, as designated by proclamation of the President of the United States of America in accordance with Public Law 915.

 

NOW THEREFORE, I, Lark W. Jones, Mayor of the City of North Augusta, South Carolina, do hereby proclaim September 17-23, 1999, as

 

 CONSTITUTION WEEK

 

in the City of North Augusta, South Carolina, and urge all our citizens to reflect during that week on the many benefits of our Federal Constitution and the privileges and responsibilities of American citizenship.

 

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the seal of the City of North Augusta, South Carolina, to be affixed this 20th day of September, 1999.

 

ITEM 3.           FINANCE:  AUDITORS - SELECTION BY COUNCIL - RESOLUTION

 

Based upon the recommendation of the Auditor Selection Committee and on motion by Mayor Jones, second by Councilmember Smith, Council unanimously adopted the Resolution selecting the firm of Serotta, Maddocks, Evans & Company to audit the City’s financial statement for the fiscal year ending December 31, 1999 with the option of being retained each of the following three fiscal years, 2000, 2001, and 2002.

 

The resolution text is as follows:

 

RESOLUTION NO. 99-22

SELECTING SEROTTA, MADDOCKS & EVANS

AS AUDITORS FOR THE

CITY OF NORTH AUGUSTA

 

 

WHEREAS, The Auditor Selection Committee, appointed by Mayor Lark W. Jones, solicited "Requests for Proposals for Professional Auditing Services," with four firms submitting proposals; and

 

WHEREAS, based upon reviewing the written proposals of the firms, the Auditor Selection Committee unanimously determined that Serotta, Maddocks & Evans was best qualified to serve as the City’s auditors and recommends to City Council that said firm be retained.

 

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Mayor and City Council in meeting duly assembled and by the authority thereof, that the firm of Serotta, Maddocks & Evans shall be retained to audit the City’s financial statements for the fiscal year ending December 31, 1999, with the option of auditing its financial statements for each of the three subsequent fiscal years, 2000, 2001, and 2002.

 

DONE, RATIFIED AND ADOPTED BY THE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NORTH AUGUSTA, SOUTH CAROLINA, ON THIS ______ DAY OF ____________, 1999.

 

ITEM 4.           FINANCE:  BUSINESS LICENSE - INSURANCE COMPANIES - REVISED AGREEMENT WITH MASC - RESOLUTION

 

On motion by Councilmember Sullivan, second by Councilmember Carpenter, Council unanimously adopted the Resolution authorizing the City of North Augusta to contract with MASC for the collection of all of the business licenses from all of the life, health, property and casualty companies doing business within the City.

 

On July 19, 1993 City Council adopted ordinance no. 93-15 wherein the City was authorized to contract with the Municipal Association of South Carolina (MASC) for the collection of business licenses from life, health, property, and casualty insurance companies doing business within the City of North Augusta.

 

On November 1, 1993, City Council through adoption of resolution no. 93-29, amended its original agreement by removing life and health business from collection by the MASC.  The reason for this was that through negotiations with the insurance industry, the MASC had agreed that all the cities for which it collected would have uniform rates, and that the rates would be .75%.  The City had already a long-standing higher rate of 2% and would have lost revenue under the Association’s agreement.  Under the amended agreement the MASC collected from property and casualty companies on behalf of the City, while the City collected directly from life and health companies.  MASC still assisted the City by providing information on the firms and their gross receipts.

 

This arrangement worked fine since 1993.  The arrangement for uniform rates between MASC and the insurance industry has now expired.   MASC can now collect on behalf of the cities without each City having uniform rates.

 

The resolution text is as follows:

 

RESOLUTION 99-23

AUTHORIZING REVISED AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE CITY OF NORTH AUGUSTA AND THE MUNICIPAL ASSOCIATION OF SOUTH CAROLINA

FOR COLLECTION OF BUSINESS LICENSES FOR PROPERTY AND CASUALTY  AND LIFE AND HEALTH INSURANCE COMPANIES

 

 

WHEREAS, On July 19, 1993, through adoption of Resolution No. 93-29, Mayor and City Council authorized the City to contract with the Municipal Association of South Carolina whereby the Association would bill and collect business license fees from property and casualty insurance companies licensed in the State of South Carolina and doing business in the City while the City continued to bill and collect from life and health insurance companies; and

 

WHEREAS, it has now been determined to be in the best interest of the City that the Municipal Association of South Carolina should bill and collect from life and health insurance companies, as well as from property and casualty insurance companies in accordance with a revised agreement between the City and the Municipal Association attached hereto; and

 

NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the revised agreement referenced above authorizing the City to contract with the Municipal Association for the billing and collection of business license fees from life, health, property and casualty insurance companies is hereby approved.

 

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the City Administrator is hereby authorized to sign the agreement on behalf of the City and to execute all other documents associated therewith.

 

                       DONE, RATIFIED AND ADOPTED BY THE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NORTH AUGUSTA, SOUTH CAROLINA, ON THIS ______ DAY OF ________________, 1999.

 

ITEM 5.           PUBLIC SAFETY:  HURRICANE FLOYD

 

                        Mayor Jones praised the efforts of the North Augusta Department of Public Safety and the Citizens of North Augusta for their efforts in dealing with evacuees from Hurricane Floyd.

 

ITEM 6.           PARKS, RECREATION, & LEISURE SERVICES:  GREENEWAY

 

                        Councilmember Kent Sullivan expressed concern that we make efforts to promote safety on the Greeneway.

 

ITEM 7.           PARKS, RECREATION, & LEISURE SERVICES:  1999 REST FEST

 

                        Councilmember Kent Sullivan praised the Department of Parks, Recreation, & Leisure Services for their efforts in a successful 1999 Rest Fest.

 

 

There being no further business, Council adjourned.

 

APPROVED THIS ______ DAY OF                                          Respectfully submitted,

 

______________________, 1999.

 

                                                                                          Donna B. Young

                                                                                          City Clerk

 

_______________________________                           

Mayor Lark W. Jones