Representatives of Lexington County’s 14 municipalities gathered for an unusual meeting on April 19 to address the on-going conflicts with Lexington County Council on road maintenance issues.

Responses from elected officials interviewed by the Chronicle about the meeting were positive.

“It was a good meeting,” West Columbia Mayor Tem Miles said. “Our concerns were heard.”

Miles said there were no specific actions adopted, but the positive discussion held during the meeting is likely to address the problems.

Irmo Mayor Bill Danielson also found the 90-minute discussions to be positive. He foresees the possibility of Lexington County returning to the original agreement on road maintenance for municipalities, until individual agreements with each municipality can be on the table.

Cayce City Councilman Phil Carter also sensed a positive outcome of the 90-minute meeting.          

“I would give it an A-plus,” he said.

Elected officials said Lexington County Council Chairwoman Beth Carrigg appeared to be receptive to finding a solution. Carrigg was accompanied at the meeting by Lexington County Administrator Lynn Sturkie.

Bringing together representatives from all of the county’s municipalities was an unusual event that has a lot of merit, according to elected officials. It provided an opportunity for all of those municipalities to have individual voices.

Towns represented at the meeting included Lexington, West Columbia, Cayce, Batesburg-Leesville, Irmo, Springdale and Swansea. The following towns were not in the meeting: Gaston, Gilbert, Pelion, Pine Ridge and South Congaree.

The meeting was called in response to an outcry of opposition from several town and city leaders in Lexington County over the council’s cancellation of a 40-year-old agreement to provide road maintenance services to municipalities.

The county sought to end the agreement because of the increasing maintenance costs resulting from the frequent annexations in the growing towns throughout Lexington. The new annexations do not impose the various growth restrictions required by the county’s ordinances.

After cancelling the agreement, the county did provide towns and cities an opportunity to sign off on a new agreement on road services, but it would require that any new residential developments annexed into a town or city must meet Lexington County’s development standards.

Most municipalities did not sign on to the agreement.

Many of them have sent out resolutions to the county expressing their concerns that the county has a responsibility to maintain roads in accordance with local needs.

The calls for solving the problems have been ongoing for the past few months, and included a meeting of the Lexington County Legislative Delegation on April 19. Members called on county officials “to work it out.”

Lexington County Council approved a plan at the March 26 council meeting to establish a committee made up of representatives from the municipalities to serve on a panel that would provide an opportunity for input on road maintenance issues.

The calls for change haven’t stopped.

Correction: A story in the April 25 Chronicle titled, “Lexington County municipalities unite for road maintenance change,” incorrectly said the meeting was held May 19. The meeting was held April 19. Lexington town officials said there are only 14 municipalities in the county, not 18, as stated in the article. The following
towns were not in the meeting: Gaston, Gilbert, Pelion, Pine Ridge and South Congaree.