A grant for victim assistance and the proposed district and ward line changes were discussed at Cayce City Council’s Feb. 19 meeting.

The City of Cayce is working on an application for a grant offered through the South Carolina Attorney General’s Office that would help assist victims of crime with their recovery and help ensure that their rights are protected. This grant will be offered through the Cayce Police Department.

Grant Manager Steven Gaither requested that the council enter into an 80-20 match with the state. This means that the state will supply $59,487.20 of the grant’s funds while the City of Cayce will supply the other $14,871.80 for a total of $74,359 of funds.

The resolution passed unanimously without debate.

Council also debated on whether or not to give the new ward line proposal that they had previously postponed at the last meeting approval for first reading.

District and ward lines impact local elections and emergency services, according to earlier reporting from the Chronicle. The results of the 2020 Census warrant a redrawing of lines to ensure that each district has approximately equal populations. This is mandated by the U.S. Constitution and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

The debate centered around still-unanswered questions about changes to population and areas impacted. Council also discussed the potential of notifying impacted residents again if changes were made to the district and ward lines during the second reading.

In January of this year, letters were mailed to approximately 900 Cayce citizens who would be affected by this change to inform them of their potential new districts, according to earlier reporting.

“We need to get this done,” District 4 Councilman Phil Carter said. “We have an election coming up in November so I’m perfectly fine going with the first reading and hopefully staff can address these questions in a timely manner.”

Council ultimately voted 4 to 1 to have the ordinance pass first reading. Mayor Elise Partin voted no “only because of citizens who have asked me to continue to look into [ward line changes].”

Letters will be going out to citizens that will be affected by these changes within the next two weeks before the proposed changes have a second reading.

Council also heard and discussed a new resolution that would allow the City of Cayce to lease space at the Bank of America building since the current Cayce Municipal Complex is at capacity, according to the memorandum that the council released.

The building has four offices, a meeting room and lobby. Deputy City Manager Mike Conley proposed that the utilities administration staff relocate to the new space.

Bank of America agreed to re-carpet and re-paint the building but the City of Cayce would have to supply the office furniture.

The resolution was passed unanimously.

Council also approved a resolution allowing City Manager James Crosland to enter into a lease with PNC Bank for a new town fire truck.

The purchase will not go over $530,940 and will be financed over the course of seven years at an interest rate of 5.45%, according to the memorandum.

Council unanimously approved the purchase.

The next Cayce City Council meeting will be March 4 starting at 6 p.m. and located at Cayce City Hall.