Council Shoots Down Gun Ordinance

     Anderson County Council shot down an ordinance Tuesday night which would have prohibited shooting a firearm within 300 yards of a dwelling or business in unincorporated areas of the county.

     By a vote of 5-2, council members rejected the ordinance proposed by County Councilmen Tom Allen after complains from several of his constituents. Allen and Councilmember Gracie Floyd voted for the ordinance.

     County Councilman Bob Waldrep applauded Allen, saying proposing an ordinance that takes on the National Rifle Association and a gun-toting public took courage, but said he would like to explore other avenues to address the issue.

     There were 982 "shots fired" calls to county law enforcement in the past 12 months, according to Anderson County Sheriff John Skipper, who displayed a map of where each of those calls was made. Of those, no action was taken in 276 and there was no way to investigate 432 others. Skipper, who said he is a concealed weapons instructor, suggested that studying the density of some areas of the county might be one step in the right direction. Skipper added that adjacent counties, such as the more metropolitan Greenville County has no such ordinance.

     County Councilman Ron Wilson maintained the ordinance was an affront to the Second Amendment.

     "The Second Amendment t is not about shooting or hunting, it is about freedom," Wilson said. "A well armed society is a polite society. A well armed society is always free."

     Allen said that while the amendment did not pass, he will continue to explore a way to protect the safety of his constituents who are concerned about guns being fired in their neighborhoods.

Update on Tuesday, September 15, 2009 at 11:02PM by Editor

Council Tables Plan to Fold Public Safety, Environmental Enforcement into Sheriff's Dept.

     After more than a half hour of discussion, Anderson County Council tabled a vote on transferring budget and authority for Anderson County's Public Safety and Environmental Enforcement departments to the Anderson County Sheriff's department.

     While several council members expressed general support for the idea, confusion over submitted proposals to privatize some of the services, which County Council Chairman Eddie more suggested it could save the county "hundreds of thousands of dollars," led to the tabling of the vote.

     Councilman Ron Wilson expressed concerns that the county would shift $1.5 million dollars to the Sheriff's Department, even though the council would still control how the money would be spent.

Update on Tuesday, September 15, 2009 at 11:14PM by Editor

Councilwoman Floyd Criticizes Burns on New Hire

In a meeting that lasted nearly three hours, Anderson County Council Member Gracie Floyd used the closing mintues to criticize Interim Anderson County Administrator Rusty Burns for his hiring of Glenn Brill as the director of the new Parks, Recreation and Tourism Division. Brill accepted the position, which will have an annual salary of $82,000. The new division will encompass the Anderson Sports and Entertainment Center and Civic Center, Special Populations, Senior Citizens, Museum, Parks & Recreation and the Farmers Market.

Burns said that Brill's skills made him the clear choice for the position and the county will benefit from Brill's efforts. Councilmen Ron Wilson and Council Chairman Eddie Moore agreed with Burns' hiring of Brill.

Update on Tuesday, September 15, 2009 at 11:23PM by Editor

Council Members Support Balloon Festival, Other Projects

The following appropriations were approved unanimously at Tuesday night's Anderson County Council Meeting:

$5,000 for paving of New Street in Iva

$3,000 for the Balloons Over Anderson

$2,000 for Westside Athletic Association

$1,000 for Belton Senior Citizens

$700 United Way of Anderson County Gang Task Force