Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter.

Orangeburg County Council is planning to reduce rates for the county’s broadband customers.

Customers of the county-owned service will receive 10 megabyte download/10 megabyte upload at a rate of $31.95 a month, which will replace the $49.95 current rate for 6M/1M.

Customers with 100M/100M service will see their rate reduced from $139.95 a month to $59.95 a month.

Customers with 500M/500M will see their rate decline from $169.95 to $99.95 a month. Customers with 1G/1G service will see their rates decrease to $159.95 a month from the current $199.95 a month.

“As we have been growing the system, we have more broadband users and this is giving us the opportunity to decrease the rates,” Orangeburg County Administrator Harold Young said.

Orangeburg County Council gave unanimous first reading approval to an ordinance amending the rates.

The ordinance will also eliminate three of the seven broadband service plans currently in place.

Plans eliminated will include: the $39.95 plan for 3M/768KB; the $64.95 plan for 25M/5M; and the $89.95 plan for 50M/5M.

The current broadband service rates were passed in 2019.

“That is a good thing for the users,” Orangeburg County Council Chairman Johnnie Wright said.

Council gave first reading to an ordinance allowing the development, in conjunction with Calhoun County, of the 380-acre Tri-County Global Industrial Site located near the U.S. Highway 601 and Interstate 26 interchange.

The ordinance stipulates that a written agreement will be in place that will require Orangeburg County to help fund infrastructure improvements. Orangeburg County and Calhoun County will also share the distribution of revenues from any manufacturer that locates in the park.

Groundbreaking at the park was held in May 2019.

The certified site has received all the necessary environmental assessments.

A 45-acre pad site has been finished which can accommodate up to 2 million square feet of industry.

The park has mainline Norfolk Southern rail access and is located along Interstate 26.

The Orangeburg Department of Public Utilities will provide water, gas and sewer to the property. The site's electric service is provided directly by Tri-County Electric Cooperative.

Council unanimously approved an amendment to the Orangeburg County Fire District's budget, moving $165,417 from the district's fund balance to the district's grant match and capital fire truck account. About $85,417 will go the grant match account and $80,000 to the capital fire truck account.

The budget amendment will enable the district to purchase a 100-foot ladder truck from the City of Orangeburg.

The amendment will also enable the district to provide matching funds for about five Federal Emergency Management Agency Assistance to Firefighter grants.

Five fire departments have been awarded AFG grants for firefighting equipment. The district typically provides a 5 percent to 10 percent match for grants.

• Council unanimously approved contracting with Family Engagement and Support Services to clean the Orangeburg County Library and Conference Center. The contract will be for $82,500 for a year, or $6,875 for a month.

The company was the only one to respond to the county's request for proposal.

• Council unanimously approved a resolution allowing a joint county industrial park agreement with Dorchester County for Rw Franchise Street Industrial Owner, LLC.

The company is planning to invest about $35 million in a speculative building in Dorchester County. No new jobs will be added as part of the project, though a speculative building is designed to attract future industry.

The joint county industrial park agreement is a tax incentive mechanism and not a physical park. Under the agreement, Orangeburg County will receive 1% of the revenues generated by the company, which is located in Dorchester County.

• Council gave unanimous third and final reading to amendments to the county's animal control ordinance as part of its plan to implement a trap, neuter and return program.

In a trap, neuter and return program, community cats are humanely trapped (with box traps), brought to a veterinarian to be spayed or neutered, vaccinated, ear tipped (the universal sign that a community cat has been neutered and vaccinated) and then returned to their outdoor home.

The county will implement its trapping program based on complaints and experience of where large stray cat populations are located.

• Council gave unanimous second reading approval to the rezoning of property at 3160 North Road (the former Medicap Pharmacy building) from residential single family to commercial general for the purpose of establishing a commercial business.

Medicap Pharmacy closed earlier this year.

The current property owner desires to sell the property for commercial use.

Four citizens previously expressed concerns about the type of business that would locate in the building.

The Orangeburg County Planning Commission voted 4-0 to approve the rezoning request.

• Council unanimously ratified the appointment of five individuals to the new MUSC Health Orangeburg and Calhoun hospital board of trustees to ensure the appointments are done according to legal requirements.

• Orangeburg County's new assistant library director, Randy Dantrell Heath, was introduced.

Heath is a graduate of the University of South Carolina where he received his bachelor’s degree in business administration and his masters of library and information science.

He has served as the branch manager of the Richland County Edgewood library branch for nearly the past nine years.

• Councilwoman Deloris Frazier congratulated South Carolina State University President Alexander Conyers for being inaugurated as the 13th president of the university. Frazier also congratulate his wife, Agatha, for her supportive role.

She said S.C. State will hold its annual Youth/ROTC/Military Appreciation Day this coming Saturday. The day's festivities will be held from 7 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

• Council Vice Chairman Janie Cooper-Smith encouraged everyone to wear pink during the month of October in honor of breast cancer awareness month. She said a resolution will be read recognizing the designation at the Oct. 17 meeting.

• Council unanimously appointed Will Reynolds of Major Graphics LLC to the Lower Savannah Workforce Development Board.

Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter.

Gene Zaleski is a reporter/staff writer with The Times and Democrat. To get local news all the time, become a member at https://thetandd.com/members/join/

Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items.

The South Carolina Department of Revenue reminds taxpayers that the deadline for Individual Income Tax extension filings is Oct. 17.

An outlet store is locating in the former Reid's grocery store at the Chestnut Village shopping center at 1450 Chestnut Street.

Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device.