At the January 12, 2026, Lancaster County Council meeting, Council members moved forward on significant administrative and financial initiatives while hearing strong concerns from residents regarding local development and infrastructure. The Council received a clean audit report for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025, highlighting a healthy general fund balance. Additionally, Council directed staff to proceed with the South Carolina Ambulance Supplemental Payment Program, a federal reimbursement initiative projected to bring in approximately $245,000 in annual net funding for EMS services. Following an executive session, Council authorized the negotiation of a contract with a search firm to find a new County Administrator and appointed an ad hoc committee to oversee the process.
Citizens Comments
Several citizens addressed Council regarding development pressures and community projects:
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Development Moratorium Requests: Libby Sweat Lambert requested that Council extend the moratorium on housing developments on the eastern side of Highway 521 until infrastructure catches up, noting inconsistency in how the current moratorium is applied.
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Barberville/Fort Mill Highway Concerns: Janine Clifton expressed frustration regarding a development at Barberville and Fort Mill Highway, alleging that building permits were issued despite previous assurances to the contrary and citing violations of the Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) regarding lot frontage.
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Traffic and Rezoning: Gene Doyle spoke against a potential rezoning request between Aldi and Culver’s, citing severe traffic congestion on Highway 521 where a 10-mile trip recently took him one hour and twenty minutes.
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Greenway Art Columns: Jane Alford, representing the Lancaster County Arts Council, presented a vision for “Greenway Art Columns” along the Lindsay Pettus Greenway to honor the county’s textile heritage, requesting county support to replace lost federal funding.
Special Presentations
Audit Presentation Grant Davis of Mauldin and Jenkins presented the Annual Comprehensive Financial Report for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2025. Key highlights included:
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Clean Opinion: The county received an “unmodified” or clean opinion on its financial statements, the highest level of assurance available.
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Financial Health: The General Fund has a fund balance of $90 million, an increase of $14 million from the previous year.
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Reserves: The unassigned fund balance sits at $72 million, representing approximately 10 months of operating reserves, which Davis noted is an extremely healthy position.
Ambulance Supplemental Payment Program EMS Director Clay Catoe and representatives from the Public Consulting Group (PCG) presented an overview of a Medicaid supplemental payment program.
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Program Structure: The program allows the county to draw down additional federal funds by making intergovernmental transfers to the state.
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Financial Impact: It is estimated to bring in roughly $245,000 in net new federal funding annually for the county.
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Council Action: Council members expressed strong support, with Councilman Mosteller calling it a “no-brainer,” and directed the Administrator to proceed with the application process.
Legislative and Voting Action Items
Consent Agenda Council unanimously approved the consent agenda, which included minutes from December 2025 meetings, the third reading of an ordinance rescinding telecommuting policies, and the second reading of an amendment to the “The Exchange” development agreement.
Resolutions (Multi-County Parks)
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Cyclic Materials & Duke Energy: Council approved two resolutions authorizing amendments to the multi-county park agreement with Chesterfield County to include Cyclic Materials, Inc. and Duke Energy Progress. Lancaster County receives 1% of the revenue from these Chesterfield-located properties.
Ordinances
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Lease to “Finding Serenity” (Ordinance 2025-2007): Council approved the third reading of an ordinance to lease property at 1228 Colonial Commons Court to the non-profit “Finding Serenity”. Councilman Neal made a motion, which passed, to amend the lease to waive rent and utilities for the first year to support the organization’s startup phase.
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DSS Fund Realignment (Ordinance 2025-2004): Council approved the second reading of an ordinance to establish a special revenue fund for Department of Social Services (DSS) revenues to ensure transparency and compliance with federal contracts. The total amount involved is approximately $275,000.
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EMS Vehicle Budget Amendment (Ordinance 2025-2010): Council approved the second reading of a budget amendment appropriating $180,000 from the unassigned fund balance to cover unforeseen costs related to a specialized emergency vehicle project that was recently completed.
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Zoning Map Correction (Ordinance 2026-2014): Council approved the first reading of an ordinance correcting a scrivener’s error on a previous zoning map amendment, changing the designation from RN to RR to reflect the correct intent.
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Water/Sewer Easement (Ordinance 2026-2015): Council approved the first reading of an ordinance granting a temporary construction and permanent easement to the Lancaster County Water and Sewer District to facilitate a new 12-inch water line serving the detention center complex.
Boards and Commissions
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Reappointment: George Sellers was reappointed to the Community Outreach and Engagement Advisory Board for District 5.
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Deferrals: Appointments for the Library Board (District 2) and Community Outreach Board (District 4) were postponed to allow for further candidate review.
Executive Session and Administrator Search
Council entered executive session to discuss contractual matters regarding a P-Card audit, easements, the County Administrator search, and pending development in Indian Land. Upon returning to open session, Council voted unanimously to authorize the Interim County Administrator to proceed with executing documents to contract a search firm for the County Administrator position.
Chairman Carnes appointed an ad hoc committee to oversee the search process, consisting of himself (Carnes), Councilman Graham, Councilman Luis, Councilwoman McGriff, and Councilman Neal.
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