Proposed travel policy changes ignite Florence council meeting

FLORENCE — Florence City Councilman Bill Bradham’s intention was to distribute a copy of proposed changes he thought needed to be made to the city’s travel policy Monday for council to review and comment on at a future meeting.

But he unleashed a firestorm of opposition from two council members that resulted in a motion being made to divide the $30,000 allocated for travel in 2009-2010 equally among all council members. The motion to equalize was made during Monday afternoon's regular meeting by Councilwoman Octavia Williams-Blake, who like Bradham and Councilman Steve Powers, holds an at-large seat on the council.

Amendments were immediately forthcoming that stipulated a lobbyist the city employs in Washington, D.C., be required to submit a report to council with exceptions to be made for special trips to Washington by council members.

Bradham suggested, among other things, that council members receive reimbursement for ordinary travel expenses incurred while attending up to two in-state Municipal Association of South Carolina-sponsored conferences per fiscal year. The total cost for the two trips would not exceed $2,500 per specific member/council seat per fiscal year, plus any members’ unused funds would not be available to or transferred to any other member of council nor be subject to carry-over to the next fiscal year.

He also proposed that members become eligible to receive reimbursement for ordinary travel expenses while attending one National League of Cities-sponsored conference per fiscal year with the cost not to exceed $2,500.

“Members of city council elected or appointed to a National League of Cities-sponsored and recognized board or committee, excluding ex-officio positions, may request the approval of city council for one additional trip per fiscal year,” Bradham said. “The request for this additional trip shall be submitted in writing with budgeted expenses to a formal meeting of city council prior to any registration for the council member by city of Florence personnel and approval shall be decided by the majority vote of city council.”

And Bradham added, “For several years, in addition to lobbying trips by members of city council, we have been paying a lobbyist in Washington, D.C., $84,000 per year to seek funding for the city of Florence. What have they given us in return?”

A resolution adopted by Council in 1997 notes “a member of city council will be eligible to receive reimbursement for ordinary travel expenses incurred while attending governmental conferences or other city business outside the state of South Carolina, not to exceed $2,000 per member of city council per fiscal year and subject to all other existing requirements of the city of Florence travel policy.”

The motion to adopt the resolution was made by Councilman Ed Robinson, who represents District 2, seconded and passed unanimously. But both he and Councilman Billy D. Williams, who represents District 1, have come under fire this year for accumulating combined travel expenses of $62,584.93 in the past two years, compared with a total of $13,046.83 for all other council members during the same period.

“This is not fair to us,” Williams said of Bradham’s proposed changes. “We’ve got a presence in Washington now mainly because of the work of Councilman Ed Robinson and myself. We try to save the city money.

“The money’s up there in Washington. Let’s don’t police ourselves to death. If we don’t get it, somebody else will.”

“All the growth in Florence has taken place in District 3 (represented by Councilman Buddy Brand),” Robinson said. “All the growth has taken place on one side of the city and none in the other. The system is wrong. We haven’t had fair and equitable representation. Now that we’ve found means to make the field more equitable, you want to cut it down.”

The current travel policy remains in effect after Monday's meeting.

In other action, Williams replied to a complaint about his residence not being in the city.

In an affidavit, he said he serves on council and owns property and pays taxes on property at 101 E. Roughfork St. He said he is temporarily living at 2705 Hoffmeyer Road on property his wife bought two years ago and is making payments on.

“I consider 101 E. Roughfork St. to be our permanent residence,” Williams said in the affidavit. “I will be returning to 101 E. Roughfork Road as our domicile as soon a litigation involving previous damage to this property is resolved and repairs are completed.”

Second reading of an ordinance to establish a daytime curfew for juveniles 6 through 16 between 8:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. on any school day was postponed until council’s September meeting.