 Could you call the roll, please? Certainly. Good afternoon, Mr. Brown here, Ms. Harvard, here, Dr. Bustle, here, Mr. Brennan, Mr. McDowell, Mr. Duvall, from New York. President, could we stand for the Pledge of Allegiance, please? I pledge allegiance to the title of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Yeah, Reverend McDowell. Just for a moment, let us by our heads, gracious creator, for all that you've done for us, for this day that we've never, ever seen, but your grace has given us the opportunity to move around. We ask your continued favor upon the city of ours, his leadership, our mayor, and each council members that we be touched with hands of sensitivity, and that we sense and feel your presence. Lord, we would not endeavor to do a prayer without asking your blessings upon the John L. Scott family during the death of Senator Scott. We ask your continued blessings upon them as they go through these days and wrestle with the whole reality of death. With Bishop Bailey, the Bishop of the Church, the House of Prayer International, who recently passed this last Thursday. Bless members of that church. Bless members of this nation who endeavor to do the will of the Creator. We ask it. We claim it in your name. Amen. Mayor, I'd like to make a motion to adopt the agenda, but before I do that, I'd like to take a moment of personal privilege if that's okay. Yes, ma'am. So today is the mighty mayor's 35th birthday. He's still older than me, but he's getting up there. And so I wanted to take a moment while we have a full house here at City Hall to thank him for all his hard work, and we look forward to spending another year with him. He's always making us laugh and always keeping our spirits high when things get tough. So if you'll join me in a rendition of Happy Birthday, I'd really appreciate it. One, two, three. Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday, dear mayor. Happy birthday to you. And now I make a motion to approve the agenda. How old are you? I'm old enough that I'm celebrating the anniversary of my 29th birthday. Mr. Mayor, I'd like to amend Dr. Bussell's resolution, a motion to add a resolution number 43 on the agenda. Thank you. Supporting the efforts to host the 2024 NUSA conference in Columbia. And I move for passage. I'll second that amendment. So we have a motion and a second. Any other further comment? Hearing none, seeing none, Madam Clerk, could you read the roll? We have another item to add to the agenda, and that would be the ordinance regarding the drug clarifying. I think that's going to be a separate motion. It takes a vote. Okay. I thought we were voting to adopt the agenda with the amendments, and so we need to vote to amend the agenda and then vote on the item. Whatever you want to do, Madam Clerk, if you want to put them together, we can do that. That would be most efficient. Okay. Then I would make an amended motion to adopt the resolution for support of NUSA as 43 and number 44 add the drug paraphernalia ordinance. Thank you. So we have an amended a motion. There's our second. Motion and a second. Madam Clerk, could you read the roll? Thank you. Mr. Brown. Hi. Ms. Herbert. Hi. Dr. Bussells. Hi. Mr. Brennan. Yes. Mr. McDowell. Yes. Mr. Duvall. Hi. Bear Rickman. Hi. Thank you. Thank you. Next up, we have public input related to agenda items. Actually have to approve. Never mind. Go ahead. At this time, we have Miss Sylvia Jenkins here to speak on item 38. Ms. Jenkins, we'll have three minutes to present your comments to the city council. Thank you. You're welcome. Good afternoon. The Burton Heights, Standish Acres community opposes agenda item number 38 to grant temporary use of the livestock of clearing land within the city's limits. There have been many expressions of concern with the recent and brief habitation of livestock within the community. No to the goats. And I just want to briefly give you a few points. In the article of Green Goat Land Management, when interviewed by the state mentioned that he had been allowed to do goatscaping in the city for years despite the city ordinance, he continues to utilize the electric netting, which again is against the city ordinance. As animal control, he is allowed to take his goats to a specific location, specific period of time, and to let them know how many goats are on site. And there will be no violence. This is in question. Does animal control do this for everyone or is it just for certain? Let us understand residential areas in Columbia, which are not incorporated in HOAs are the ones who have some of these problems. Many black communities are communities of color. Enough problems already without another issue about goats. By your revisiting the ordinance, the home 201 to 29292, many of them are in jeopardy of their neighbors bringing livestock. Would you want to wake up with a stench or livestock in your neighborhood or next door to you? I'm sure the answer would be no. They may be on novelty and they are cute in the community. If by chance you waver change the ordinance for goats, what are you going to do? Mules and swine and sheep and other livestock. More livestock means more complaints and more of your time that's consumed. It should state what it is. Thank you in advance for considering citizens, communities who reside in the city of Columbia. Thank you. Thank you for being here. Mr. Mayor, may I see just a word? Yes, sir. Thank you. You're welcome. Thank you, ma'am, for that. Thank you for that. Please know that this is not something that we're going to be voting on today. This is something that is going to be referred to committee, the health and environmental committee. And of course, that recommendation will come back from committee to council. And of course, we're certain to keep this community updated. We're there particular geographic areas, specific areas. We're talking about, are you talking about the city of Columbia and perhaps the feeding of the goats? Thank you. Originally, I was speaking of the Burton Heights, Standish Acres community. However, after the article came out in the state newspaper, it opened up more things expressing the city of Columbia and the allow to continue against city ordinance and to allow been doing it for many years. And all you have to do is call animal control. Let them know how many goats I have, where they're going to be placed, city of Columbia, not only Burton Heights, Standish Acres. Okay. Thank you very much. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Adam Clark. Yes, sir. Next, we have Mr. Jacob Porter. Thank you all for the opportunity to speak with you all today, Mayor and Councilman. I am the owner of Green Goat Land Management. So, I'm 100% disabled veteran. I retired from Army in 2019. I started my business with eight goats. I've grew it to 125 goats. I operate in three states. I'm a state vendor. I do residential commercial. I've also worked for the city of Belmont. I forwarded some of y'all that email. I did 55 acres of kudzu for them and saved that city $600,000. That was, I was the lower bidder. I was commenting on the stench thing. We don't operate male goats for that very reason. Our goats are weathered or females. We offer a carbon neutral footprint. The goats don't run off diesel fuel. They run off what they, the goats are fence trained. You have to put a fence up. If you don't keep them where they are, they'll be running at large. The fence that's being spoke of is a temporary netting. It's a low voltage, low impedance. It's not the days we had the hot wires that our granddaddy had. The energizers I use are built in Germany. They pulse. They don't even stay hot. It's like a nine-volt battery. They can run off solar. They can run off a battery. We like to use the goats to fight overgrown properties where landscapers are entirely too expensive. There's places in Columbia where I believe that they charge a premium because of that neighborhood. We charge $10 per goat per day flat. The goats work 22 hours a day. And every day they eat 10% of body weight and biomass. Specifically invasive species, kudzu. Columbia has been swallowed by kudzu. I mean, if you've ever tried to go in there with a weed eater or machete or whatever and cut your way out of that, goats live for that. Uneven terrain, terrain that you can't walk on or can't drive a tractor on, goats bounce up and down it. I have here that I'm going to give to your, I don't know your name, sir, the man. I'm going to give him a letter that somebody wrote that we did a job for in Columbia. Here are all the comments from people that have signed a petition. And here's over 270 signatures from people that signed a petition wanting the goats in Columbia. Again, no chemicals support this change. I would like to open the floor to any questions you all have. I don't mind the... This is a very quick... I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I would just say, so we'll have an opportunity for the Health, Social and Environmental Affairs Committee meeting. And if possible, if you or a representative can attend, I think we're very interested in learning a little bit more and balancing some of the needs of our city as well as some of the concerns that have been raised. But really, you know, this was helpful and I'll certainly have some more questions for you at that meeting. Yes, ma'am. And I will also give this gentleman my cards. For all of you all to have my contact info. That's the man. He's the man. Well, I think it would be... I think it would be needful to just say, and I think Dr. Bussells and our committee will look at that. But one of the things I think members who are hearing this would probably want to know that this is a requested service from community. Absolutely. Okay. I don't code call just if I can have 30 more seconds, five more seconds. I don't code call anybody. I'll never knock on the door with a business card. People go on my website, request a quote. I show up at the house. I give them a quote. They'd like it. They don't. And this is not to be rude. We got enough business. We don't have to knock on doors looking for it. They request it and we either do it or they don't. We will never code call anybody in the city of Columbia. Don't need to. The goats are eating their way through the whole southeast. What other questions y'all got? Yes, sir. Thank you. Thank you. The remaining individuals have signed up to speak at the end of the meeting. Next up on the agenda is the approval of minutes. Item one council is asked to approve the August 1, 2023 council meeting minutes. Second. Second. Any changes, comments? Read the roll. Mr. Brown. Mr. Herbert. Mr. Mcdowell. Yes. Mr. Duvall. Mayor, recommend. Aye. Thank you. Next we move into presentations. Item number two is small business administration day proclamation. The honorable Don. Excuse me. Daniel J. Recommend. Mayor. Well, thank you. Folks from the SPF, I want to come on up to the podium. That would be wonderful. I see you left grad at home. Right after. Just right up here, sir. That way you have an opportunity to say a few words as well. But I wanted to take a minute to talk about the importance of the SBA and how important it's been in our community. On this day, 70 years ago, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed into law the act of Congress establishing the Small Business Administration with the purpose of promoting, supporting the growth and success of small businesses across the United States. Since its founding, the SBA has stood as a pillar of support for Americans, entrepreneurs, fostering growth, volatility of small businesses, the backbone of our economy. And in Columbia, if you know, small businesses make up over 90% of our businesses. So we are known to support small businesses in our community and have for a long time. Today we recognize the SBA's invaluable contributions and dedication to empowering entrepreneurs, fostering economic opportunity, innovation, and building a vibrant, inclusive, resilient economy for all Americans. Over the last seven decades, SBA has implemented groundbreaking programs, innovative lending initiatives that have helped entrepreneurs transform the economic landscape of our nation by recognizing these achievements. We honor the SBA's commitment to fostering economic opportunity and supporting the spirit of our small businesses. American is a nation of progress in small businesses, vital to spurring the competition and innovation that drives our economy and moves our country forward. Good ideas are everywhere, opportunities are not. The SBA plays a vital role in fostering those entrepreneurships, ensuring access to capital, assisting with contracts, providing counseling services to small businesses and entrepreneurs so that they can have the opportunity to turn good ideas into great businesses. The SBA played an incredible role, a crucial role in the disaster recovery, providing low-interest disaster lines to businesses and homeowners impacted by national disasters, but also helped us through the pandemic. They played the pivotal role in keeping our economy afloat with administration of critical relief programs, the paycheck protection program, the COVID economic injury disaster loan program, and the restaurant revitalization fund, and the shuttered venue operators grant to help small businesses keep the lights on. They safeguarded millions of jobs, preserved livelihoods, and ensured the survival of the American enterprise as we face one of the greatest global challenges of our time. So with that, I, Daniel J, recommend the mayor of Columbia, South Carolina, along with the fellow council, members of Columbia City Council, do hereby proclaim this city honors and recognizes in July 30th, 2023 is the day that celebrated the 70th anniversary of the U.S. Small Business Administration, and we call upon the people of Columbia, South Carolina, not only to acknowledge the SBA for its seven decades of service, guidance, and support, but continue to support those small businesses in our community. Michael, did you want to say a few words? Just thank you, Mayor, and you've rattled out there, and I just want to point everyone to our website at www.sba.gov. Put a slash SC for South Carolina there, and we're doing classes all the time, day in, day out, whether you're here to start a business, looking at loans, whether it's a business loan or disaster loans, as the mayor said, or if you're interested in federal contracting, we can help you get started. So again, SBA.gov, thank you. Thank you, Michael. Our next item up for presentations is item number three, Ms. Jada Samuel Day proclamation, the honorable Edward H. McDowell, Jr. Thank you very much, Mr. Palin. What a special day it is in South Carolina, and particularly in Columbia, South Carolina, to recognize one of our daughters of Columbia. I am happy, and of course, please, that Jada Samuel's Ms. South Carolina is in our midst today. Stand up, Jada. Good night to both Jada and her parents who are with us today. Thank you so much for continuing to encourage this talented, creative woman. I met Jada some years ago while working here, while she was working here in Columbia, and of course, it was almost like a magnetic attraction. She possessed a kind of creativity and a kind of work ethic that has got her to this point in time in her life. Now, I must admit, I'm not a pageant watcher, but when I heard that Jada Samuel was running as a contestant for Ms. South Carolina, I had to watch. And I watched all five times, I think. I don't know about that, Minnie, but you watched a few. I watched it enough, and particularly the last pageant, when Jada was crowned Ms. South Carolina. My wife was asleep, and when she woke up, she said, did Jada win? I said, she won, she won. Jada, we are proud of you. Thank you. The capital city, we are proud of you. We know that you are going to move forward in a way that is symptomatic of someone who has the gifts. You moved around South Carolina, but you hadn't been to Columbia, and that's why I wanted you here today, not only to visit with us and to this council and to this mayor, but also to have your presence. And I want to read this if you'd allow me. Whereas Jada M. Samuels of Greenville, South Carolina is a creative communicator, change agent, and champion for girls. Whereas Jada received her BA in broadcast journalism from the University of South Carolina in 2018, after graduating, she began her career as a lifestyle producer and reporter before transitioning into the world of politics as a digital creator, strategist. This former anchor is of such that she hosted the South Carolina Educational Lottery. I did not get my favorite numbers, Jada. So sorry, I really tried. Whereas Jada Samuels was crowned Miss South Carolina 2023, she has earned over $85,000 in scholarships through the Miss South Carolina Scholarship Organization. For her placement in the competition, her community in Greenville, my hometown, a fabulous hometown. Well, I knew I'd get some of that from the gallery. I knew that. Whereas she has spent a lot of her time implementing her community service initiative. Remember, for 86 years, Jada became the fourth African-American to claim this title. And I think that's something for Columbia and all of us to be proud of. She is an active member of Kappa Alpha sorority and serves in the gamma new omega chapter in Columbia. Now therefore be it resolved. Today is Jada Samuels Day, Miss South Carolina. Please welcome her. Thank you. I want you to say a word. I know I was getting a day. This is very exciting. I am thrilled to be here in the city of Columbia. This was my home for over eight years of my young adult life. So I am proud to be here. I'm proud to have represented Columbia as Miss Capital City in 2018 and Miss Columbia in 2022. So thank you all so much. I'm here again. We're excited. Anybody would have their picture made with our Miss South Carolina, she will be downstairs. Miss Gentry, before you start, I did want to acknowledge that we have a special guest here today all the way from across Jervay Street Bridge, the mayor of West Columbia, and I'm going to introduce our new community development director. I'm going to take a moment of personal privilege. I want to ask Felicia Kilgore to come up and introduce our new community development director. I want to know one's more excited than I am and her entire staff. If you all will stand, I would like community development staff to stand up. Felicia comes to us from state housing where she spent four years. But the truth is this is her home. She was here many years before she went to state housing and as she walked the office of community development, some of that staff, the words that they said was welcome home and that spoke loudly to me. Her leadership already this is week four of her work with the city of Columbia and her love for Columbia. So I just want to welcome her. Please let me work through our work to all of the programs and services we're providing. But I did want to welcome her and she wants to say a few words as well. Thank you so much, Missy. I am excited to be back here at the city of Columbia. Just like she mentioned, I do feel like I'm at home. It's been a long time. It's been a long time. It's been a long time ago. And I've got a great staff that I'm working with and excited and that leads me to one particular thing I want to address today. May I recommend and council members, I want you to join me this afternoon to recognize the city of Columbia. Adam is one that doesn't like a whole lot of hoopla but we're going to give him a little hoopla today. So he's actually celebrating 35 years of service with the city of Columbia and we are excited about that. I prepared a little PowerPoint to share and he doesn't know that we're doing this. So we definitely want to appreciate you and we definitely appreciate your dedication, resilience, hard work, customer service, creativity, and integrity. And he is very passionate in reference to affordable housing. You can find a more passionate person to support all the various projects that we've been involved in all the many years. And so we do certainly appreciate his talents. He has contributed to the success of community development. We are proud to have you on our team. And we've got a few pictures there he's involved in and picture with us. And Adam, again, thank you for your efforts and contributions throughout the years. You have been valuable, most valuable, not just to our department but the entire city of Columbia. We truly appreciate your dedication. Your work has been a blessing to not only community but the entire city of Columbia. And again, Adam, thank you, thank you so much. Yes, sir. Next up for the evening, Council is asked to approve the consent agenda items 4 through 16. Motion is there second. Is there any further discussion? Very excited about the consent agenda. A lot of great items in there, especially around our continuing efforts to have representation both at the federal level and at the state level. Thank y'all for being here. Mr. Jeter, Mr. Laney, glad to have y'all on board, along with our team in Washington. But also a tremendous amount of efforts and continuing to deal with our Crane Creek issue. Thank you, Clint and your team for what y'all are doing there. With that, Madam Clerk, could you read the roll? Mr. Brown, Mr. Herbert. Hi, Dr. Bustles. Yes, Mr. Brennan and Mr. McDowell. Mr. Duvall, may I recommend? Thank you. With that, Mr. Jeter and Mr. Laney, do you mind standing up so we could introduce you to our, this is our team that represents us at the State House. Welcome aboard. Thank y'all. And there's Kyle, who's been a steady, great supporter. So we've got a great team. And thank you for being here as well. Next up, we have public hearing and first reading for zoning and planning matters. Ms. Hampton. Good afternoon. Yes. We'll try to get through this quickly before the lights go out. This evening, your first item on your public hearing agenda is an amendment to the unified development ordinance, personal service uses, tattoo and piercing establishments, a request to amend the UDO to remove the spacing requirement from Fort Jackson. The spacing requirement from the other establishments and from residential districts will remain. And just as background as well, we did contact Fort Jackson. They did not have any concerns. This was kind of a vestige of Army base regulations. However, now the Army is actually hosting tattoo establishments on base. So it's a little bit of a turn. And so we no longer determine this to be necessary. Thank you, Ms. Hampton. Do we have anybody here to speak for or against this item? It's item 17. Okay. Is there a motion? Second. We have a motion and a second. Any further discussion, questions or concerns? Hearing none, seeing none. Madam clerk, could you read the roll please? Mr. Brown. Ms. Herbert. Aye. Dr. Bussell. Aye. Mr. Brennan. Yes. Mr. McDowell. Yes. Mr. Duvall. Aye. May I recommend? Aye. Number 18 is a zoning map amendment for 34.4 acres on the south side of I-20 at Spears Creek Church Road. A portion of that. It's a request to rezone the property from general commercial to residential mixed. Is there anybody to speak for or against this item? This is item 18 on the agenda. Is there anybody to speak for or against? Is there a motion? So moved. Second. A motion and a second. Any further discussion? Seeing none, hearing none. Madam clerk, could you read the roll please? Mr. Brown. Aye. Ms. Herbert. Aye. Dr. Bussell. Aye. Mr. Brennan. Yes. Mr. McDowell. Yes. Mr. Duvall. Aye. May I recommend? Aye. Thank you. Madam clerk, would you like to introduce the second number 20 amendment confirmation to confirm the zoning of community activity center corridor in the second number 20 is a future land use confirmation to confirm the future land use classification of urban core community activity center both for the recently annexed land. Is there anybody here to speak for or against items 19? Yes, sir. Thank you for the time to speak and I live in the neighborhood immediately adjacent to property in question and one of my fellow neighbors is here as well and others who were not able to be here are asking me to speak on their behalf including my neighbor across the street. We do not feel that we were given adequate notice about this. The signage about this hearing was difficult to access. There's only a few of us who are aware of it because of the way the signs were posted and we request that there be a deferral of this decision until we can have further polling of our neighborhood and other neighborhoods immediately adjacent to the property that would be materially affected by a further influx of homeless into our neighborhood. We already have a substantial influx of not homeless. Our understanding was that it was going to be a day shelter for homeless but happy to get clarification. Thank you. This is not a homeless shelter. This is daycare for adults for handicapped adults, senior citizens and it's not close to your property. You can't get to it from your property. I don't believe it's going to be 55 apartments for elderly and it's going to be daycare for elderly. The daycare will hopefully be run by one of the hospitals here in Columbia but it should not have any impact at all on the neighborhoods. These are going to be elderly people that can't get across those digits. That was not our understanding from the article that was published back in April. So thank you for the clarification. I have no further comments. Ms. Hampton, this is two readings, correct? Correct, yes. And it is for recently annexed land. The development would have occurred in the county regardless of the annexation but we are annexing. I would like if we give it first reading, I'd like before second reading to at least make sure that all the questions that the neighbors have and the correct information is shared with them exactly what it is before we give it second reading to move it forward. And just for my clarification, so confirmation needs two readings as well. That's correct. Correct, yes. So it's what you did when you annexed as you assigned an interim classification and this is confirming that through this process. You got a hand back there, Mr. Mayor. Sir. It was the article said transitions homeless center in April. So that's our concern. So we would appreciate it. It's not going to be transitioned. It's Midland's home housing allowance alliance is a parent company of transitions, but it's not a homeless shelter. It's not a shelter. It is a daycare center for adults and it is 55 will be eventually 55 apartments for elderly. And as a physician who is treated a geriatric population for much of my practice career, I greatly appreciate those facilities. So thank you for that clarification. There may be neighbors who still have other questions, but what we'll do is facilitate that you get those questions answered. I think you'll be happy with the end results, but I do think if you have, if you don't have the information, we need to make sure you get it. Thank you, Mr. Mayor. And it would certainly help, sir. All right, I'm fine. Talk to Howard. I move approval of 19 and 20 is first reading. So moved. Motion in a second. Any further discussion? Duly noted that we'll work. Howard, I think you helped make that happen. Yeah, okay. Thank you. With that, Madam Clerk, could you read the roll please? Mr. Brown, Ms. Herbert, Dr. Bussles, Mr. Brennan, Mr. McDowell, Mr. Duvall, Mayor Rickamon. Thank you. Number 21 is an annexation future land use map amendment and zoning map amendment for 408 Piney Woods Road and 418 Piney Woods Road is a request to annex the property, assign a land use classification of transportation and utilities and a zoning of light industrial. Is there anybody here to speak for against item 21? That's the annexation and zoning map amendment for 408 Piney Woods Road. No one has signed up. No one signed up. Nobody here to speak for against. Is there a motion? So moved. Got a second? Second. Motion in a second. Madam Clerk, could you read the roll please? Mr. Brown, Ms. Herbert, Dr. Bussles, Mr. Brennan, Mr. McDowell, Mr. Duvall, Mayor Rickamon. Thank you. Number 22 an annexation future land use map amendment and zoning map amendment for a portion of 68 Riverview Court, 9106 portion of that tax map number. It's a request to annex the property, assign a land use classification of urban core residential small lot and a zoning of residential single family small lot. It's in a historic preservation overly. Is there anybody here to speak for against this rezoning amendment? Ma'am, please come to the podium. Hi, I'm Terry McLaughlin and I own the property. I'm just wondering what the ramifications are. What does this mean for me? Because I own a house across the street from it. I like the little lot across the street. It's all wooded and nice and so I don't know what they're about to do. Rezoning, if they're rezoning a portion, how does that affect my taxes on it? I think, you know, the zoning map amendment. So we're annexing, you see the very small corner at the back. That's not in the city where the line goes. We are annexing that tiny portion of the land and assigning it the same classification as the rest. So single family residential over that fence line or over that line switch type over in that right hand corner. Let me show you right here. Sorry, guys. I sent this in the mail and I was like, what are they doing? You see this little portion? It's not in the city. So the lot is actually split. So we're just bringing the rest of the property in into the city. So it's not affecting me in any way, shape or form, really? No, ma'am. Just changing the boundary line yet. And it will still, it will be zoned residential. Okay. Just like the rest of them right here. Okay. All right. That's cool. Y'all can have it. Was there anyone else here who had a question or concern about this item? You hear none seen? I do. Yes, ma'am. One quick question for Krista. I'm sorry, Ms. Hampton. Okay. Just want to ensure that the applicants, the purchasers or the sellers, I just want to make sure they know what they're getting because people used to not know what they were going into. I'm going to let Andrew help me answer that question. Yes. The applicants are the current property owners. Okay. Thank you. Madam Clark. Need a motion? Yes, please. So moved. Second. Got a motion and a second. Madam Clark. Mr. Brown. All right. Ms. Harbert. Aye. Dr. Bussells. Aye. Mr. Brennan. Yes. Mr. McDowell. Mr. Duvall. May I recommend? Thank you. Final case on your public hearing agenda is number 23, annexation, future land use map amendment and zoning map amendment for plus or minus 9.1 acre a portion plus or minus 15.4 acre portion and plus or minus one acre portion of 300 Clemson Road and plus or minus 3.9 acre portion of 200 Clemson Road. It's a request to annex the property, assign the land use classification of community activity corridor and neighborhood activity corridor and assign a general commercial district zoning. Is there anybody here to speak for against item 23? Mr. Duvall. Krista, this is the one where the staff recommended denial and the planning commission voted to approve it. What was the reason the staff recommended denial? So we did not recommend, we're recommending approval of the annexation. We're supportive of the annexation. As you know, we base our recommendations on policies established by the governing bodies. The Richland County has a plan in this area that recommends transitioning from suburban type to more pedestrian oriented development. The GC does not facilitate pedestrian oriented development. So that is why we recommend a denial of the GC, but we are supportive of the annexation. Can we do that on this item? How do we do that? Can we make a motion to approve the annexation, deny the rezoning? That would be the case. What would be required at that point in time? We would have to go back to planning commission and have them make a recommendation on a substitute zoning classification, which we would recommend to the community activity, which is more of a pedestrian oriented zoning classification. So, Ms. Hampton, but the other recommendation that approved 5-0, they would be in favor of the rezoning. That's correct. The applicant did come, Craig, one of the brokers, they do not yet know what development they're going to put this location. So they did come and make their case to planning commission and planning commission was supportive of the general commercial zoning. Mr. Brown, this is District 4. I'll make a motion to approve. Zoning as well as the annexation. I did ask if anybody was here to speak for or against. No one signed up. Everybody signed up. So, Ms. Hampton, this is dualistic in nature in terms of we are you know, we are approving the denial of going back to the planning commission. My understanding is you the motion currently is to approve the GC, the requested zoning. Correct. That's correct. Any further discussion? Do we have a second? A motion and a second. Madam Clerk, please read the roll. Mr. Brown. Aye. Ms. Herbert. Aye. Dr. Vossels. Aye. Mr. Brennan. Yes. Mr. McDowell. Yes. Mr. Duvall. No. Mayor Rickamon. No. That concludes your zoning public hearing. Thank you, Ms. Hampton. Thank you. Next we move into ordinances first reading. Item number 24 is ordinance number 2023-098 granting an encroachment to Ryan Maltbaugh for the use of the right-of-way area of the 1900 block of Pendleton Street for the installation and maintenance of brick pavers adjacent to 1927 Pendleton Street. Second. There's a motion and there's a second. Any further discussion? Mr. Maltby is doing a wonderful job on renovating this historic house in our historic University Hills neighborhood. With that, Madam Clerk, could you read the roll? Mr. Brown. Aye. Ms. Herbert. Aye. Dr. Vossels. Aye. Mr. Brennan. Yes. Mr. McDowell. Yes. Mr. Duvall. Aye. Mayor Rickamon. Aye. Thank you. Next up are event resolutions. Item number 25 is resolution number R-2023-049 authorizing consumption of beer and wine only at the College Jazz Fest in the 1700 block of Main Street. I will approve them. Second. Not a motion and a second. Any further discussion? Hearing none, seeing none, Madam Clerk, could you read the roll? Mr. Brown. Aye. Ms. Herbert. Aye. Dr. Vossels. Aye. Mr. Brennan. Yes. Mr. McDowell. Yes. Mr. Duvall. Aye. Mayor Rickamon. Aye. Thank you. Item number 26 is resolution number 2023-058 authorizing consumption of beer and wine only at the Palmetto Peanut Boil Fundraiser in the 2900 block of Divine Street. Motion to approve. Second. Got a motion and a second. Any further discussion? Looking forward to the event. Madam Clerk, could you read the roll? Mr. Brown. Aye. Ms. Herbert. Dr. Vossels. Aye. Mr. Brennan. Yes. Mr. McDowell. Yes. Mr. Duvall. Aye. Thank you. Thank you. Aye. Thank you. Our final event resolution, item number 27, resolution number 2023-059 authorizing consumption of beer and wine only at Vista Lights Annual Holiday Festival on Thursday, November 16th, 2023. Move approval. So we have a motion and a second. Any further discussion? Madam Clerk, could you read the roll please? Mr. Brown. Aye. Ms. Herbert. Aye. Dr. Vossels. Aye. Mr. Brennan. Yes. Mr. McDowell. Yes. Mr. Duvall. Aye. May I recommend? Aye. Thank you. Next, we move into a period of appointments. Hey, how are you doing, Ms. Woods? I'm doing well. Thank you. You're welcome. Happy birthday again. Thank you. I know that you all decided to defer. I believe you said deferred. No, Mr. Mayor, I'd like to make a motion of appointee to the Central Midlands Council of Governments citizens position to Ms. Vivian Clark. Is there a second for this nomination? There is a second. Any further discussion? Any other nominees? Hearing none is seeing none. Madam Clerk. Mr. Brown. Aye. Ms. Harvick. Aye. Dr. Bustle. Aye. Mr. Brennan. Yes. Mr. McDowell. Yes. Mr. Duvall. Aye. May I recommend? Aye. Okay. Next, we have the Columbia Museum of Art, where council has asked to reappoint an appointee and choose two new commissioners. Mr. Mayor, we'd like to reappoint Brenda Wheeler and new appointments Theodore Dubose and Victoria Dozier. Is there a second for these three nominations? Second. We have a motion and a second. Any further discussion? Hearing none is seeing none. Madam Clerk, could you read the roll? Mr. Brown. Aye. Ms. Harvick. Aye. Dr. Bustle. Aye. Mr. Brennan. Yes. Mr. McDowell. Yes. Mr. Duvall. Aye. May I recommend? Aye. Next, we have the Columbia Tree and Appearance Commission. Council has asked to appoint one new developer, Realtor. And this person is recommended by the committee. Mr. Mayor, I'd like to nominate Mr. Lane Ligon. Second. Is that junior or senior? Junior. Excuse me, junior. We have a nomination and a second for Mr. Lane Ligon Jr. Is there any questions, concerns? Hearing none is seeing none. Madam Clerk, could you read the roll? Mr. Brown. Aye. Ms. Herbert. Aye. Dr. Bustle. Aye. Mr. Brennan. Yes. Mr. McDowell. Yes. Mr. Duvall. Aye. May I recommend? Aye. Mr. Mayor, before we go into, I'm sorry. Go ahead, Mr. Before we go into, I just want to make a statement. Sure. That has been numerous complaints about our tree trimming cutting process within our city. I've talked to several folk about that. Some trees and some limbs are hanging within our neighborhood that should have been sheared or cut away. Ms. May, it would certainly be helpful to be in touch with those persons who are tree trimmers so that neighborhoods, when they call, they are saying we are afraid after having the tree trimmed that it looks dangerously hanging over into the street. Yes, sir. So that's something we can follow up with. Mr. McDowell, I'm actually going to have a conversation with the representatives from Dominion this week on that issue. We have an extraordinary amount of complaints around the tree trimming, leaving of limbs, damage of personal property, other things that have gone through over the last several months with the tree trimming crew here. And so we're going to address those directly with Dominion. Thank you. Thank you, ma'am. I'm sorry. Oh, not a problem. Do we have some nominations for the Columbia Tree and Appearance Commission? Lane Leggan. He's on the commercial line. We did defer to get some clear bidding. I'm sorry. Say again. Yeah, we already voted on that. I think we're on commercial line. We're on line. That's the rate. That's great. Next, we have the Commercial Evolving Loan Committee. Council has asked to appoint one small business owner, and this person is recommended by the committee. Mayor, we'd like to appoint Mary Sparrow. A small business owner to the CRLF. For the, there's a motion and a second for those you don't know, Mary Sparrow is also known as Mother Shuckers. She has a cocktail sauce she sells, and she's a proud owner with her son of the Oyster Bar, another small business here in our community. How is that the Oyster Bar? Madam Clerk, could you read the roll? Sure. Mr. Brown. Aye. Ms. Herbert. Aye. Dr. Bussell. Aye. Mr. Brennan. Yes. Mr. McDowell. Yes. Mr. Duvall. Aye. Mayor, recommend. Aye. Next, we have the Design Development Review Commission with the reappointment of the planner and the appointment of one new appointee. Mr. Mayor, I'd like to, I'm sorry. Go ahead. Don't get them confused. I'd like to appoint Charles Lee Decker. Okay. We have the nomination of Charles Lee Decker. Is there a second? Second. So a motion and a second. Any further discussion? Seeing none, hearing none, Madam Clerk, could you read the roll? Mr. Brown. Aye. Ms. Herbert. Dr. Bussell. Aye. Mr. Brennan. Yes. Mr. McDowell. Yes. Mr. Duvall. Aye. Mayor, recommend. Aye. Thank you. Next up, we have the Parks and Recreation Foundation. I'm sorry. Hold on one second. Are we going to do the reappointment as well? Yes, it was included. Correct. Or do we need to state it as a separate? Okay. Separate motion. Yeah, it has to be separate. Okay. Do you go ahead and make that, Ms. Herbert? I move to reappoint Chloe Jacob. Second. A motion and a second. Any further discussion? Madam Clerk, could you read the roll? Mr. Brown. Aye. Ms. Herbert. Aye. Dr. Bussell. Aye. Mr. Brennan. Yes. Mr. McDowell. Yes. Mr. Duvall. Aye. Mayor, recommend. Aye. Next, we have the Parks and Recreation Foundation. Council is asked to reappoint four appointees and choose up to three new appointments. I'd like to make a motion to reappoint Lee Snellgrove, Jerry Salmon, Joshua Shelton, and Sue Harper. Can we take those individually? Yeah, let's. You would like, okay. I'd like to make a motion to reappoint Josh Shelton. Okay. Is there a second? Second. Second. Motion and second. Madam Clerk, could you read the roll? Mr. Brown. Aye. Mr. Herbert. Aye. Dr. Bussell. Aye. Mr. Brennan. Yes. Mr. McDowell. Yes. Mr. Duvall. Aye. Mayor, recommend. Aye. Thank you. Mr. Mayor, I'd like to appoint Lee Snellgrove. Is there a second? Second. There's a motion and a second. Any other further discussion? Hearing none, seeing none. Madam Clerk, could you read the roll? Mr. Brown. Aye. Ms. Herbert. Aye. Dr. Bussell. Aye. Mr. Brennan. Yes. Mr. McDowell. Yes. Mr. Duvall. Aye. Mayor, recommend. No. All right, we're going to... The next person is Jerry Salmond. I'd like to nominate Sue Harper. Okay. For reappointment. There's a nomination for Ms. Sue Harper. Okay. Is there a second? Second. Second. There's a motion and a second. Madam Clerk, could you read the roll? Mr. Brown. Aye. Ms. Herbert. Aye. Dr. Bussell. Aye. Mr. Brennan. Mr. McDowell. Yes. Mr. Duvall. Aye. Mayor, recommend. Aye. Thank you. And last, the reappointment of Jerry Salmond. I'd like to make a motion to reappoint Jerry Salmond. Second. There's a motion and a second. Any further discussion? Hearing none, seeing none. Madam Clerk. Mr. Brown. Aye. Ms. Herbert. Aye. Dr. Bussell. Aye. Mr. Brennan. Yes. Mr. McDowell. Yes. Mr. Duvall. Aye. Mayor, recommend. Aye. Thank you. But Council like to appoint one of the new appointees. Bless you. Ms. Herbert. Yes, I believe we should. I'd like to nominate Rachel Gramling. Is there a second for the nomination from Councilman Herbert? We have a motion and a second. Any further discussion? Seeing none, hearing none. Madam Clerk. Mr. Brown. Aye. Ms. Herbert. Aye. Dr. Bussell. Aye. Mr. Brennan. Yes. Mr. McDowell. Yes. Mr. Duvall. Aye. Mayor, recommend. Aye. Um, next we have the Planning Commission. Councils ask to reappoint two commissioners and to appoint one new commissioner. I'd like to make a motion to appoint Carlos Osorio as our new commissioner for the Planning Commission. Second to that nomination. Second. A motion and a second. Any further discussion? Seeing none. Madam Clerk, could you read the role on that new appointee of motion? Mr. Brown. Aye. Ms. Herbert. Aye. Dr. Bussell. Aye. Mr. Brennan. Yes. Mr. McDowell. Yes. Mr. Duvall. Aye. Mayor, recommend. Aye. Thank you. But council, I'd like to approve the reappointment of Mason Harp. I'd like to make a motion for reappointment. Can we do the vote? And Harris Cone. Okay, we can do this together. And Harris Cone. That's for Mason Harp and Harris. And Harris Cone. Yes. So we have a motion and a second. Any further discussion? Seeing none. Hearing none. Madam Clerk. Mr. Brown. Aye. Ms. Herbert. Aye. Dr. Bussell. Aye. Mr. Brennan. Yes. Mr. McDowell. Yes. Mr. Duvall. Aye. Mayor, recommend. Aye. Last but not least, we have the river alliance. Council is asked to appoint one new member. Mr. Mayor, I make a motion to appoint former councilman Anson Clare to the river alliance. Second. There's a motion and a second. Is there any further discussion? Hearing none. Seeing none. Madam Clerk. Mr. Brown. Aye. Ms. Herbert. Aye. Dr. Bussell. Aye. Mr. Brennan. Yes. Mr. McDowell. Awesome. Thank you. Yes. Mr. Duvall. Aye. Mayor, recommend. Aye. Thank you. And Ms. Ashley, thank you for the one page. You're just made it a lot easier for people who are sometimes challenged with. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. In other matters, we have item 36. Council is asked to approve the installation of one speed hump at Corolla Avenue as requested by the public works department. Move. Move. There's a motion and a second. Yeah. For the speed hump. It's just just one hump? Yes, sir. Just one hump. One. You're the man. Okay. Thank you, sir. Mr. Brown. Aye. Ms. Herbert. Ms. Herbert. Aye. Dr. Bussell. Aye. Mr. Brennan. Yes. Mr. McDowell. Yes. Mr. Duvall. Aye. May I recommend? Aye. Thank you. And I'll remind everyone, the man is only here replacing the woman for a temporary period of time. Okay. You need to take that when you get it. Okay. Pull what is. The man. So, item 37. Council is asked to approve the installation of four-way stops at Crestwood Drive and Pickin Street and Pinewood Drive and Sleuda Avenue. Pleasant to approve. Second. Now, motion and a second. Any further discussion? This has been a long-awaited four-way stop, I tell you. Every time I go to that meeting. You can carry all four of them with you. How about that? Madam Clerk, could you read the roll? Sir, Mr. Brown. Aye. Ms. Herbert. Aye. Dr. Bussells. Aye. Mr. Brennan. Yes. Mr. McDowell. Yes. Mr. Duvall. Aye. May I recommend? At this time, in other matters, I'd like to make a statement around the coordinated effort of unsheltered feedings in partnership with Christ Central. As you know, last fall, the City of Columbia has been strategically working on meal sharing focused on feeding and providing meals in a safe environment for Columbia's unsheltered population as safely and compassionately as possible. This plan is a response to a community expressing the desire to step up, provide food for those experiencing homelessness. In addition to the City's Task Force to prevent and end homelessness, examine the state of feedings across the City with input from residents, businesses, and representatives of the unsheltered, the Task Force recommended that we take steps to identify and secure a communal location where groups and individuals can feed the unsheltered in a safe, clean, indoor facility with restrooms. After months of work by the City officials and staff, we are pleased to announce that we will be partnering with Christ Central to provide a facility for public to provide meals on behalf of the City of Columbia. Christ Central was the best fit to partner with the feeding initiative because it's centrally located, its accessibility for our unsheltered, and it also has all the amenities from kitchen, dining room, air conditioning, weather-inclemented space, climate control, and obviously the ability to bathroom and proper cleanup facilitating the most appropriate environment for feeding compared to outdoor pop-up locations. The City of Columbia commends those community groups and individuals who care for those experiencing homelessness in our City. We're happy that we can provide a centralized location for these activities to take place. We encourage groups with already established programs to join in in this new location. The City officials welcome those who are interested in serving the unsheltered to contact our City's Director of Homelessness Services, Camisha Hepburn, who's here tonight. Camisha, thank you for your continued compassionate work and your team that continues to be stuck on. Her team will have preferred days and times you'd like to assist and coordinate with Christ Central for these scheduled services. We also invite service providers to contact. And if you want to provide services for the unsheltered in this new central location, we encourage you to do so. Again, we're excited to launch this partnership with Christ Central to provide a safe, healthy, indoor place to take care of those less fortunate in our community with providing food and other services at that location. And I think it's very important for us to understand that this is one of the most appropriate areas and we encourage citizens to support our efforts for health, order, health, and safety that are paramount for this initiative and for those being served and our citizens at large. Mr. Mayor, I just want to take a moment to thank you and the staff for continuing to address what was found to be, as you mentioned, a concern from our community members on the Task Force to Prevent and End Homelessness. We believe based on our cataloging of services and the numerous opportunities available to engage in meal sharing, this will provide a safe and public location for those that may not have private property to serve. But this, again, doesn't necessarily change existing efforts on private property, rather balances some of the needs that we have identified in terms of providing that communal space for nonprofit groups and other community groups that are interested in providing services to those experiencing homelessness. So thank you for the hard work and to commission your team for being diligent about finding a great location that can allow us to centralize some of these services. Thank you. Mr. Pailin. Moving to City Council Committee Referrals, Reports and New Business, we have Item 38. Council is asked to refer the proposed revision to the 1998 Code of Ordinances. I move that the Item 38 be referred to the Environmental Committee. Second. Got a motion and a second. Do you have a date for that so the public will know? August 22nd. August 22nd will be that date in that referral. At 11 a.m. At 11 a.m. On the second floor, City Hall. With that, Madam Clerk, could you read the roll? Mr. Brown. Aye. Ms. Herbert. Aye. Dr. Bussell. Aye. Mr. Brennan. Yes. Mr. McDowell. Yes. Mr. Duvall. Aye. Mayor Rickiman. Aye. Thank you. Item number 39, Council is asked to refer proposed revisions to the 1998. I'd like to make a motion to refer Item 39 to the Health Social and Environmental Affairs Committee. Second. Got a motion and a second. Any concerns? Hearing none, seeing none. Madam Clerk. Mr. Brown. Aye. Ms. Herbert. Aye. Dr. Bussell. Aye. Mr. Brennan. Yes. And Mr. McDowell. Yes. Mr. Duvall. Aye. Mayor Rickiman. Aye. Item number 40, Council is asked to refer consideration of naming the Earlwood Community Center after Virginia Lee Bedford along. So moved. Second. And I know there's no discussion about this, so Madam Clerk. Mr. Brown. Aye. Ms. Herbert. Aye. Dr. Bussell. Aye. Mr. Brennan. Yes. Mr. McDowell. Yes. Mr. Duvall. Aye. Mayor Rickiman. Gladly, Ms. Bedford was a starch supporter of Earlwood Community, but really the renovation of the park and the push for us to move our parks and wrecks there into a very environmental friendly environment and create an atmosphere for the parks and wrecks to continue to flourish. And we have the great honor of having her husband Fred Monk also be a starch supporter and driver for us on the parks and wrecks foundation. So we're very honored that we can do this for Ms. Bedford. Quick end. Item 41. Item 41, Council is asked to refer consideration of exterior signage opportunities for the Leroy Moss Multi-Purpose Center at Hyatt Park to the Ministry of... So moved. Second. At a motion and a second. Any further discussion? Hearing none, seeing none. Madam Clerk, could you read the roll? Mr. Brown. Aye. Ms. Herbert. Aye. Dr. Bussell. Aye. Mr. Brennan. Yes. Mr. McDowell. Yes. Mr. Duvall. Aye. Mayor Rickamon. Aye. Item 42, Council is asked to refer the review of chapter 24 vehicles for higher article to taxicab shuttles and limousines division three certificate of public. I move approval. This is a referral to the committee so that they can discuss we've had several folks reach out there. There has not been an increase in taxicab fairs in a long time and so we want to take a look to make sure that folks who are making their living and using a taxicab have the same opportunities as other private companies such as Uber and Lyft and others. And so we're going to review that at that time and that would be at the public safety committee when... What's the date? August 22nd. August 22nd at... 1pm. 1pm at 1pm. With that, Madam Clerk. The second. Second. Thank you. Mr. Brown. Ms. Herbert. Aye. Dr. Bussells. Aye. Mr. Brennan. Yes. And Mr. McDowell. Yes. Mr. Duvall. Aye. Mayor Rickamon. Aye. Thank you. Our last item before executive session is public input and I believe we have... Jeff, do we have two items? Oh, we have two items. Yeah. Okay, two more things before public input. I have number 44. 43. 43. Okay. 43. We are adding resolution number 2023-069 supporting the effort to host the 2024 NUSA conference in Columbia, South Carolina and Richland County. Move approval. Second. Motion and a second. Any further discussion? Hearing none, seeing none. Madam Clerk, could you read the roll? Mr. Brennan. Yes. Mr. McDowell. Yes. Mr. Duvall. Aye. Mayor Rickamon. Aye. Item number 44. Yeah, I got that right now. See if occasionally I get numbers off, I guess. So item 744, add for second reading ordinance number 2023-081 amending the 1998 code of ordinances of the city of Columbia, South Carolina. Chapter 14, offenses and miscellaneous provisions to add article 12, drug paraphernalia. Mr. Mayor. Mr. Duvall. The council passed first reading of this ordinance at the last council meeting and referred it back to the public safety committee to make sure that we had everything straight before we passed the second reading of the drug paraphernalia ordinance. A simple explanation of this ordinance is that the definitions are the same definitions that are in the state law for drug paraphernalia. And we have taken one word out of item 10, which we have deleted the word needles from item 10. So the rest of it is exactly as is stated in state code. The state code makes the possession of drug paraphernalia for unlawful purposes a not a clerical error, but a civil matter rather than a criminal matter. And we wanted to be able to give another tool in the toolbox for CBD for dealing with these subjects on the streets of Columbia. And so this ordinance gives 14 criteria that an officer that is looking at an individual with drug paraphernalia that has a substance in it that can very well be construed to be an illegal substance or has other items in these 14 items to allow them to arrest them on a criminal ticket from the city of Columbia, which is a just like a traffic ticket that would be subject to $500 an hour 30 days in jail. We think that this is another method for Columbia police to help us with the people that are on the street with illegal drugs and using them with drug paraphernalia. And I move approval for second reading of ordinance 2023 081. Councilman Duvall, I just want to confirm that we have also removed the fentanyl strips language because, you know, thinking about the public health perspective and harm reduction, those strips can be used for preventive measure. Were we able to remove that language? Yes. Yes. Okay. I'll second his motion then for to move forward. Motion and a second. Any further discussion? Ms. Herbert? I was just I was trying to figure out if we needed to have the public hearing on the we haven't had a public hearing on the fee for SDRs, but not on this. Okay. Okay. I'm just double checking the legal over there. I try to read Howard, but I'm double checking. Yeah, the final one's for you. All right. Any further discussion? Madam Clark, could you read the roll please? Mr. Brown? Aye. Ms. Herbert? Aye. Dr. Bussell? Aye. Mr. Brennan? Yes. And Mr. McDowell? Yes. Mr. Duvall? Aye. Mayor Rickamon? Aye. Thank you. All right. Now we move to public input. Madam Clark, you've got a sign up sheet. I do. And I would like to remind speakers that they have up to three minutes to state their comments. We have a new clock, but once it beeps, there are three minutes is up. So we will start with Ms. Darla. After that, we have Dr. Indica Banderra. Thank you for giving opportunity to address. Can you fold the mic just a little bit closer so everybody can hear you? Thank you. Okay. You hear me? Thank you for giving opportunity to speak to the concern we have, the safety and community of the city of Columbia. I have done my PhD in University of South Carolina, and I live here in this city 20 years. I have a small business taxi business operating in city of Columbia. Recently, we noticed that taxi come to the city without having business license, chauffeurs, or any other top lights or other features belongs to the city. Normally, we go with the city, city of police, and we do the inspection. All the drivers should have the chauffeur's license. Shower means the drug test and everything included. That's very, very important for the safety and community of the city. Someone can argue they do not have city of Columbia license, but they can come to the city like. But it's not like operating the regular vehicle. Have insurance and registration is not enough to working as a city, working as a taxi in the city. That's the law, like I believe it's a law for everybody because if someone get the insurance, can run as a taxi, it's not a legal. They should have all the features city allowed to work there. Then our concern, this illegal operation ruin our reputation, and they overcharge. They do not have seal meter. They can start from $3, $4 at the beginning. Normally, we do $2.50 per mile. And this taxi, similar to the other legal taxi, angel taxi. Then some people get into the same taxi, look like angel taxi. It's ruining our taxi business. Then we inform the chief with the documents, with the signatures of other taxi companies. And he may have concern about that, but his hand may be tied to catch that taxi. Because if you give the ticket, they have a right to defend. Then we need to change some legal things in the city. If someone come every three hours, not like someone come once in a while, drop someone. That taxi enter to the city every three hours, drop the people and sometimes pick up the people. We have given all the information to the traffic unit also. They also contact us. Somehow it has not been caught by the police yet. I would encourage you to attend the public safety meeting where they're going to discuss taxi cabs and share your information with all of the council members who are part of that committee for the full discussion to look at all of those details and see if there's a solution. And I have documents to serve. You should leave those with Mr. Palin there. Thank you. Because we have given the same thing to the chief of police and we would like to distribute those things. Thank you for being here. Is there any way to attend that meeting? Yes, you can attend the meeting. It'll be August 22nd at 1pm. Same place. On the second floor. Second floor. Yes, ma'am. Okay. Thank you. Thank you. Is there any question regarding that that is clear for you what I'm asking to make a rule to someone do the business without business license is illegal? I think for you to bring those issues up for the committee to make recommendations if we have to make any changes for ordinances or procedures so that they can bring that forth to the council at whole and so they'll be able to hear from you and review the information that you share. Yeah, but I have another concern. Removing the safety issues is not a solution for stop this taxi. If you allow to come to this taxi, so many taxis will show up. If you allow one person to do illegal activity, there are more in next year. Well, I think we have to look at what safeguards we can do to prevent that because obviously we can't get everybody that is running an illegal cab service. But if there's safeguards that we can put in a play to make sure that people are identified and they know the difference and that allows us then to proceed forward to help. So the Public Safety Committee is the perfect place for all this to be discussed and look for solutions. August 22nd at 1pm. We'll be glad to have you. Thank you very much. Thank you, Doctor, for being here. We have Mr. Oliver. Mr. Oliver, please come to the mic. Thank you. Mr. Government and the distinguished members and the ladies and gentlemen, my name is Oliver Khandralal. That I'm living in Colombia itself for almost 24 years. I'm a retired person and I'm doing the same taxi business in Colombia City. When we do the business, we need to follow the City of Colombia police requirements as well as the city requirements. Doing this business, we have to follow the regulations according to the state required. That because of the safety of the business and the people who are traveling with us. So very recent past, some illegal taxis are working on the same business without following any procedure or the requirements city need. So it's affecting so much for our business and mainly they are working in the airport. So most of the new visitors coming to the airport, they will get the bad impression about the Colombia City, what they are serving to them. That because there is no any procedure, there is no any accurate prices they are charging. So it's hurt a lot of our business. So my request is to make sure that illegal taxis who are doing the same business to stop the safety of the people who are traveling with the taxi service. Thank you for being here sir. Thank you sir. Thank you sir. Thank you sir. Thank you. Mr. Spike Cohen. Thank you. My name is Spike Cohen. I don't recall the first amendment coming with a three-minute time limit but that's okay. I shouldn't even need that long. I'm here to speak on behalf of Erica Brown and Be Kind, Be Great and all of the other residents of your community who are out helping people as they're being told by the city government that there's a problem with that. We've heard, Howard you were one of them, we've heard some of you on the news saying that they're creating a hazard and that they're making a mess and yet when Be Kind, Be Great goes out and feeds people they leave the place cleaner than they found it. You call them a nuisance. I don't think a person helping another person and giving them food is a nuisance. I think when someone shows up and lies about them and threatens them with fines or jail time, I think that's a nuisance. Now what wasn't mentioned in your declaration about the plan that you're offering, what you didn't notice, what you didn't mention is it comes with fees. So you're now telling people who out of the goodness of their own heart are trying to help members of your community in need that before they can spend a single penny to give a single morsel to someone who needs it, they got to pay you off first. Now I don't think the single one of you outside of your capacity as a government official, I don't think a single one of you if you were on the other side of this dais would dare to go out there to someone who's feeding someone else and say, this is a nice little charity guy here. Be a real shame if something were to happen to it. Maybe if you do it the way I tell you to and you give me a little piece of it, I'll let you keep doing it and maybe if not we'll have some trouble. I don't think a single one of you would do that. I don't think any of you are sociopaths. I don't think any of you are protection racketeers or mobsters. I think what happens is you get on that side of the table and you tell yourself that you're just doing your jobs. Well, if that were actually true, then your jobs are objectively evil. You should quit them and find something better to do. I don't think that's your job. I think you can choose to do your job differently and treat them with the same level of respect that you treat them with on this side of the table. What I'm here proposing, and this might sound crazy, is for you to act on that side of the dais as you would on this side of the dais and let people help people who are in need. Whichever you choose, I'm going to make sure as I do in cities across the country that millions of people know what you chose. I hope that the thousands upon thousands of those who contact you about it will be congratulating you on choosing to be a hero and not giving their thoughts on you instead being a nuisance. Let's clarify some facts before we start running down the path. Just to address the fees that there are no fees, and that's why it took so long with the coordination to make sure that just to address the fees, there are no fees. And so that's why it took so long with the coordination to make sure that we removed all the barriers that would not make this successful. And so I think that, as the mayor mentioned, this is the best coordinated effort. This is a safe environment. It has heating and air. It has restrooms. And at the same time, we're trying to provide services in a place where individuals experiencing homelessness are being fed. So we're trying to bring the services to them. Whatever that service looks like, our ultimate goal is to serve that vulnerable population and find the best housing fit for them because the best housing fit doesn't look like an apartment for everybody. But I welcome any individual that would like to contact me. We can sit down and we can talk. You can tell me how you think it would look for it to be successful. We could talk things through. But just to throw out information that's not accurate, I don't think that's fair because we've been working really hard. And again, I just opened, you guys have my email. You can email me or call me and we can sit down and talk things through. Anything else, ma'am? Madam Clark. Mayor, at this time, we have Mr. Mike Ross. Hi there. My name is Mike Ross. I'm here to talk about be kind and be great. I came from our sister state up North North Carolina a couple of hours from the Charlotte area because Spike Cohen came to my town in Gastonia where we've got a crisis in pretty much every city across America with homelessness. We see our fellow Americans suffering. Each one of you on this city commission, I take it you took us oath to defend and uphold the Constitution. I think if I were to go out on the street and offer someone a conversation, nobody would have a problem with that. If I were to offer them a sandwich, I don't know, maybe you guys would have a problem with that. But I think that the First and Fourth Amendment should cover me to just offer a stranger on the street something to eat out of the goodness of my heart, my property, offering to give it to them. I think you would all uphold and defend that. But what I see is a little disconcerting. I watched you guys spend what 14.2 million in the consent agenda, ramp up the war on drugs, criminalizing essentially possessing something. I see a lot of towns doing that, but you mentioned something real specific that the purpose was to give additional tool kits to go after the I think you called it street people or people on the street. Those are fellow Americans. There's solutions to these things and they come in the form of opportunity, creating real opportunity. And quite frankly, we need 100 more people who are trying to solve homelessness, regular people, because I'll tell you what, regardless of your power of taxation, you will not solve it from behind the dais. They won't solve it behind the dais in Raleigh. They won't solve it behind the dais in D.C. But you know who will solve it? People who are out there working in their communities, finding a way to get resources to the people that they need. You know what we don't need? We don't need cities trying to make one less person trying to help. I brought with me someone who's a pastor at a church who's been at the center of it. There's now federal lawsuits and my fellow taxpayers in Gastonia are probably going to pay a lot of money because of the bad decisions of the city council, not listening and opening themselves up to quite a few first, fourth amendment violations. And I promise you there's lawsuits in law firms that would love to collect on that. I'd love to implore you to change the approach. If someone is in your community trying to help, if you don't like the way that they're doing it, that's okay. Find someone who will do it the way that you want to do it. But we need a hundred more people out in our community solving this in every town across this country, or we're never going to solve it. Please, look at Compassionate. What you're doing, great. People need your services, but they need your services too, and they need the services of any American who's willing to put the banner of charity on their back and help their fellow Americans. Please show some compassion and let anyone who wants to help people help people and don't criminalize it. Thank you. Mr. Thomas Hill. My name is Thomas Hill. I'm also from North Carolina. I appreciate it, Hospitality in your fine city. First of all, I've been helping the last two Fridays serving with be kind, be great. And I want to give us some praise to Lieutenant Hall. I believe his name he checked in on us last Friday. He gave us a thumbs up. He said his only concern was that we did not block the sidewalk and we did not leave trash and I'd assured him that we would leave the area better than we found it and we did that successfully. I want to tip my hat to him and I thanked him for being a peace officer. Man, we're not your enemy. I'm a member of Faith, Hope, and Love Enrichment Ministries in Gastonia, North Carolina. We have the largest encampment of unhoused people in Gaston County. The Gaston County has been fighting us every step of the way, but as soon as federal charges got filed in the case of Joshua Roar, a homeless veteran who by the way, I've been threatened to be arrested at least six times with him flexing his First Amendment rights on the streets of Gastonia. I'm just here to say we're here to help and cooperate. We aim to help our brothers and sisters. And if we are not, if we're interfered with, we aim to misbehave. I'm not a violent man. I believe in the Prince of Peace, but I can tell you we're going to feed those. We're going to flex our First Amendment rights, our Fourth Amendment rights, and all the rights that our Creator have given us. So we need no disrespect, but we serve a higher purpose, a higher law, the great legislator of the universe. That law circumscribes my actions and I will not cheerfully conform to tyranny, brothers and sisters. And interfering with the Lord's work to Erica Brown's doing is just that. So if you need to bring the hammer down, I volunteer to be your nail. Just don't lay a finger on this lady, please. I'm not a threat to anybody except tyrant. So you have an opportunity to show me from here on out where you stand. But I hope next time I'm here is to give you praise for making the right decision because all you got to do is look up the road to Gastonia and see how not to do it. Thank you for your time. Just out of curiosity, sir, do you know all the things that we've been doing as a community as a city? I mean, because you've told me you've been here twice, but I mean, some of us have been here for a lot longer and have been big advocates. And I think learning a little bit about what we've done as well and how we've outreached and how we're continuing to work, we're trying to find a safe environment, our ultimate goal. And I want to be very clear about this because I haven't heard anybody, three people who've spoken so far tonight don't live here on a day to day basis. And they haven't acknowledged all that we've done as a community and we're continuing to do more. We're trying to build a center where we can provide all the services for those who are un-sheltered in a place that is safe, secure, with everything from urgent care to clinicianal help to rapid shelter. We put in a rapid shelter system so we could start helping people get off the streets. So I just want you to understand that this is a compassionate and you've used the word tyranny and all this. We are trying to find a central location that we can help get people in there that's safe and inclement weather, that's cured, that's got bathrooms. And I appreciate and I applaud you all for cleaning up behind you. But the problem is, is the cleanup that goes on everywhere else. You're not the only group and people do feed and they do provide and then it becomes a nuisance. We've talked to residents, we've talked to businesses and we continue to work. And I think Ms. Camisha has opened up the door. Hey, there are some better suggestions. We want to hear them. But please don't condemn this council because we've done a lot more than a lot of other people. And this city is a compassionate city and we're going to continue to be that way. I understand that and I applaud you, sir. But day in May when you shut her down after seven minutes, that was a failure. That was tyranny. Her civil rights were violated. That's unacceptable. Thank you for improving. You keep improving. I want to work with you. Now I can do more on the street and I can with your Southern hospitality and your six by nine. But if that's what it takes, that's where we're headed, brother. Thank you for your time. Mr. Jason Lyon. Hello. Yes, sir. Wonderful people of Colombia. I'm here on behalf of be kind and be great as well. I actually want to address something you were talking about with the concerns for safety. That's a that's paramount issue for everybody. We're always worried about how do we keep our people safe, whether they're people who have homes or people in the in the situation of being unhomed. And when it comes to the situation that is being prescribed of being able to use the Christ Center, there's already the stigma and the concerns for people within the LGBT community of going into a church and being able to be involved with that. There's this stigma has been around for a long time. So how I would urge you to look at it from that lens to figure out what we can do in order to try to help facilitate that and make sure we're working through that lens. Before you continue, I just I want to go back to the fact that we are there is a lot of work that we've done behind the scenes again to make this decision. We catalog to the all of the different meal services that are available in the city. Some of them are provided on private property churches. You know, some of them are non religious groups that are doing a public good public service. This would simply provide those who do not have private property, a centralized location. And we have we have great partnerships with the Salvation Army with United Way, with all of these different groups. And I promise you that there are actually so many meals sharing sharing services that there's a duplication of effort going on. And we want people to be able to access things well and access them equitably. So you know, I want to remind you that Christ Central is just one central point that we are providing for those who may not have private property because of some of the concerns that the mayor has raised. So I think it's really important to be clear on what we have done and the understanding that this council has. We commissioned a study to understand for the first time ever what the landscape of services look like here. We spend $30 million approximately a year for homeless services. So it's not that the investment isn't there and the city itself has almost doubled their budget for rapid shelter and some of our other services. So please, please, I implore all of you that are here, whether or not you're from Columbia or you're from North Carolina, do your research on what we've actually done before, you know, saying these very broad things that are not true. So I think that speaking to that. Yes, absolutely. I'm speaking to the rumors that we've been here. Absolutely. And what I want you to know is that my team is the mic. My team is trained. We are, what is it called, safe zone trained. So we're just not random people picking up, trying to go do anything. And we are compassion. And this is what I do before I came to the city. What I do is my heart's work. And so I'm going to handle the people with care. I promise you that. It may not look like how you guys wanted to look like, but I promise you we're doing the real work. It's not a matter of if you guys are not doing this. I'm not saying that. I'm saying that there's a stigma out there of the concern for that. How do we break through that barrier? That's something we all have to figure out. And I'm going to actually come see me and sit down and talk. And let's talk about how we can all work together and make a good decision. Could I get my time back as well? Yes. But going into that as well, when it comes to the cost, of course, there is no fees being associated with this. And I'm glad to see those barriers being broken because there was the talk of having to do insurance or the talk of cleanup fees and everything else. And I'm glad that that's being resolved. But there is another issue that is there in that when we have the centralized location and you're having more people come in to serve, you're forced to be able to provide more food in that instance for if you're going to serve or you're leaving people out to dry. And so you have good people that are trying to provide goods and trying to provide foods. And if they don't meet a certain barrier, then they feel defeated. They don't keep coming back. And then we, over time, because of that cost prohibitive barrier, you're going to lose more people providing. And in the long run, you'll have less providers. And that's going to be, I mean, not to harp on from the North Carolina, but I follow these stories a lot. And seeing what happened in North Carolina, there were actually about 17 homeless people that had died just over the course of one winter because no one was able to provide for them. And so I'm glad that we do have Pastor Moses here who's been there from faith, love, and hope. And I think that he would be a great person for you guys to lean into a little bit and to help work with him as well to find out some of the ideas he has and see if we can make this better. Because I think at the end of the day, we're all here to try to make this situation better. I don't think that there's really anyone here that is trying to say that, you know, what we're doing is a nuisance. I think that if you would, I don't think that that would be unbecoming, but I'm glad that you're retiring, Mr. Duvall. But apart from that, I think everyone else here is here in good faith. And I want to just see the best thing happen for Columbia, South Carolina. Thank you. Mr. Mayor, the city of Columbia, unlike other cities in South Carolina, is one of the most compassionate communities in South Carolina. I think it would be to our advantage, and for those who don't know all of the facts to understand, that this council has endeavored to be compassionate, sensitive to everyone. We are our brothers and sisters' keeper. So the whole notion of us not being generally that's the sense that I heard just a few moments ago, that we are not compassionate. And I'm saying to you that we are programmatically, we continue to dig deep and dig deep into the issues of this community as it relates to homelessness, as it relates to persons being unsheltered. So I think it's good for us to at least say, while that may not be compassion in other parts of this nation of ours, we're compassionate in Columbia. We are generally, we have generally horned in on the sense of being our brothers and sisters' keeper and being compassionate enough to know that it's not us that we're caring for, it's the Creator. And it's the Creator's sense through us that we're providing the kinds of assistance that we've already and continue to endeavor to do. So it's about compassion. Thank you, Mr. Van. Madam Park. Reggie Solis, Mayor. Mr. Reggie Solis. I'm back. I brought you, I'm going to make this part quick. I brought you an article printed June 12th, 2023, about your urban camping. I'll leave that for you. When transitions tried to open Cottonwood and Elmwood communities didn't like the idea, they protested quite a bit. And now you're asking for more homeless people to be in that area. The handicapped and the elderly are not going to be able to make it there. Are you going to provide transportation for them to get there? Or do you expect them to walk three or four miles in 90-degree heat or 30-degree cold? What's the solution? These people are not going to be getting food. That's all that's what it's coming down to you. You're going to make people star is what you're doing. The overflow from transitions, like they said, people that are serving 80 to 100 people are going to be expected to feed two or 300 people. Are you going to provide extra money for that? These groups can't do it. There's no way they can do it. So again, you're denying people food because these people are going to be able to do it. You're telling me people can't collaborate. People can't work together. Y'all are talking about it. Every time you come up here, Reggie, you tell me what we're not doing. But what you're not doing is never coming up here and providing some constructive ways for us to improve it. You come up here every time. No, sir, it's not. It's just really gotten to a point. Where they would need to. Where the people are. For you to do. If you want to work with us, I'd like to work with you, but I don't think I'm going to get any anyone doing that. Because again, on the streets, people are taking it to where the people are and you're expecting people to walk miles to get to the food. That's not humane. That's not Christian. That's certainly not Christian. To make people endure that just to get a meal when people can take it to them. Mr. Reggie, I just want to reiterate. The task force, I don't even believe it, because you guys weren't doing anything good. I'm not talking about the task force, so let's not jump to where you thought I was going. I was going to remind you that churches like Washington Street Methodist, a lot of the downtown churches will still be serving on their private property. There's going to be multiple meal sharing options. And you're expecting people to walk there. They already do. No, not the people down of the park and the river. There are a lot of people that won't, that don't, they can't walk that far. They can't just, that's all the ways to it. They cannot walk that far. And you're expecting them to go to a place down here. We need to get them into a place that they can get service because they don't need to be living in the park and they don't need to be living at the river. If they can't get around, we need to get them into a place that provides wraparound services. And that's what we've been working with. So let's, let's quit trying to say we can't do this and let's figure out how we do it. By letting people serve the people that need the help, not by telling people that they have to go to a certain place to get help. Why should, why should they, when people can go out in the field and help them, why should they have to go to a certain place? There is no answer to that. Why now do the majority do go to certain places? Is she the homeless director? I'm sorry? The home, the director of homeless services? Yeah. Because I didn't even know that existed until a little while ago. I've been doing this for eight years. I've asked a few other people. Nobody knows she's exist. I would bet the effort that a lot of people do, Reggie, and a lot of people who have been involved and a lot of people over the 200 people that we put through the rapid shelter, through the folks that we're helping. Look, I'll be honest, you have to house thing again. Half these people are going to be back on the streets. I've seen four or five people down there that are not going to succeed in that program. They're never going to get a job. They're never going to get a house. But is that the judgment, is that the judgment you make or is that something that's dated? No, I've seen, I know these people. I was out there for six years. I know these people. I know these people personally and I know that they are never going to get a job. They're the only reason to go to rapid shelters. They have a place to stay for 90 days. But you guys don't know that because you're not, you don't know these people. Thank you. Thank you. Next we have Ms. Erica Brown. Ms. Erica Brown. Back again, some of the same concerns. I will say Mayor the last time I was here, once again, I followed up with Camisha as you stated. We came here today in peace for some reason. Camisha made an appointment to throw a fist up and say, fight the power outside. I felt it was very unprofessional and rude. None of us were out there yelling, doing any of that. So I do want to address that while we're here. I just feel it was unprofessional and unnecessary. Secondly, as far as Christ central is concerned, thank you guys for taking the time to do that. Dr. Rhodes and I met with Camisha directly for about an hour, unfortunately talking in circles. Camisha went to a point to say, well, why don't you guys serve at Allen University, which I thought it was a low blowing and insult. But to go forward to Christ central, I will say some of the concerns that I did address with Camisha when we met was one, we're a small mom and popper organizations. Our funding is limited. On average, we prepare to serve 100 individuals. If we serve at Christ central, our numbers will double to about 200 individuals. How will we differentiate who we can serve and we cannot? Secondly, one another concern was the LGBT community as far as some issues that's known with Christ central in our gay community. One of my last concern with Christ central was Christ central has from what I've been told and I did double check has given the okay to have individuals arrested for trespassing. So if we have individuals that we're saying, hey, we're at Christ central now, come here, let us serve automatically. People are going to dwell there. So if we're providing meals there and now you got people hanging out after the meals, are these individuals subject to being arrested? We're painting the picture that Christ central is safe. I've served there before. Yes, they are. But if you look at the logistics of it, there were two huge bras at Christ central just last week where it took over 15 to 20 individuals just to break those fights up. So no matter what we do where we go, yes, the issues will be there. But I will say in my seven years of serving on the street here in Columbia, South Carolina, we've never had one fight, not one. And I think it's because it's the open space, people are free to move. And again, I'm open to Christ central. I don't have an issue with that. My initial concern where the fees involved. So hey, like I told you guys before, I'm not here to be troublesome. That's not why I'm here. I want immediate, but I'm gonna leave you guys with this. I grew up in Gonzalez Gardens. I was on the marching band, varsity cheerleader, pageant kid. I did all those things. I was raised. My father's ex military, my grandfather's ex military, my parents fought to keep us from being a victim of our circumstance in the projects. And I was there 17 years of my life. But that did not stop me from making bad decisions. My oldest brother's a principal. My that was right here in Richland, one he's in district 59, Orange Bird. My second brother is a nurse. I come from a good family, but me being an individual made bad decisions. This place where I'm at now is God ordained. God placed me here. Trust me, I tried to walk away from serving several times. I've got not one paycheck in seven years, but I do it because God had to ground me and snatch me of everything to make me know I needed to depend on him. This is why it is important to me to reach back and give to those that are in the trenches because I was once there. Thank you. I just want to make sure I have your three points. It is because there are some things on the back end with service providers that you guys may not know with Christ Central. So these are things that I know and I've dealt with firsthand and I've had the opportunity to serve at Christ Central. All of us have and trust me, there are reasons why we didn't go. Okay. It was about the police and the trespassing and individuals being arrested. Works for me. Yes, sir. And happy birthday also. Thank you. Yes, sir. Yes, sir. Third time. Yes, sir. No, sir, you will not alter where God has placed me. In all due respect, I will not entertain that. As I stated to you, God placed, I don't need to hear it because I know where God placed me. And he placed me here. With all due respect, excuse me, the council member is speaking and we're going to allow Mr. Duvall to make his statement. You don't have to agree with him, but please have respect for our council members. And I respect that also. Thank you. Well, let me suggest that I think that Reggie has done a really good job over the last eight years that I've seen him come to the council on telling the unsheltered in Columbia where to get food. Yes, there are lots of feeding places in Columbia. They can get three meals a day. And there may be some, some places where the people that have infirmities can't get to. But I know for a fact that there are lots of sheltered elderly people in Richland County that don't have enough food. And we provide those services as well. We take food care boxes to senior citizens. I've been doing that for four years. Great focus for your if you don't want to cooperate with the city. I mentor youth, young girls who have been in abusive situations. I we serve the senior citizens. We have a scope of things we do. So serving the unhoused is just one. So you fell and it's far beyond the scope of just serving the unhoused. I've worked at the girl with the girls at DJ J. Trust me. I was one of those troubled youth. So anything in my life that has been affected, I double back. My grandmother raised me important person to me. She's deceased now. But the reason why we make an effort to provide food care back packages to senior citizens is because of my grandmother. So our scope is far beyond just the unhoused. That's just number one. But we have two or three other things we do as well. Thank you for your input. And I appreciate that. You have a good evening. Thank you, Ms. Brown. Mayor Terrence Colbert and he'll be followed by Mr. Mike Gopo. And that would conclude the individuals that have signed up to speak. Good evening, Mayor, Council. My name is Pastor Moses Colbert. I'm the chairman of Faith Open Love Community and Richmond Ministries, Inc. And I'm so happy to be here today to speak for the ones that can't speak for themselves. I serve, we service about 100 homeless people in Gastonia, North Carolina. And we allow them to take showers. We feed them. We allow them to get their mail. And we also allow them to have wraparound service such as mental health and substance abuse. And I'm just, I'm here to help support my sister, sister Erica and her organization and other organizations that's like-minded. I really appreciate your mind and your heart for wanting to be compassionate for the homeless. Matthew 25 and 35 says I was hungry. And you fed me. I was thirsty and you gave me drink. I was naked and you clothed me. I was sick and you visited me. And Jesus asked a question, they asked Jesus the question, when were you this and we did that? He says often as you do it to the least that he's my little ones, you've done it under me. So we have a more obligation for those that are in need. These people that are getting fed, they're probably not getting some of the medications that they need. So I would think in my mind that maybe we could create some kind of mobile unit to take the food to those that can't walk to the food. Do something that's going to be and make their life a little less miserable because until we walk a mile in somebody's homeless shoes, we won't know what it's like to be that way. Every day I have the privilege to service. I served today and then I ran down here because I thought it necessary to come and be able to help, be able to support. And I would love to sit at the table anytime that's necessary to, if it's going to help the homeless, then it's helping humanity. I'm here, you can look me up on Facebook, you can go to my website, you can call me and I'm there. And I'm just here as a voice for the voiceless. And there are so many people and the temperature is a little high because we got so many people who have been working so hard for so long and we got so many hurting people. And our job as pastors and as leaders of the community is to lower the temperature and to rub some pain medicine on the pain. And I think love is the pain medicine that's necessary that we need today. And that's what we don't have enough of. And I've been to several council meetings and I want to applaud you for listening because we've been shut down and shut out of some council meetings. We've been told we don't want to hear what you got to say. And you guys, I believe that you genuinely want to help and that's a blessing and I want to applaud you for that. And we still got to uphill climb. We got a lot of work to do, but we're up for the work. We're up for the task and let's get the work done. Thank you for listening. Thank you for hearing me and God bless you. I just want to say a word referencing because there is there is a theological and a spiritual context that you talked about just a moment ago. And that's Matthew 25 and 35. Yes, sir. I think it's essential. And what this council has endeavored to do these last few years that I've been a part of it is that we've endeavored to live through and live out Matthew 25. Now, to some you don't see it because you can very well politicize anything. Taking it out of the theological and the spiritual context. I think it has become very natural for us as we kind of delve into this whole to the whole issue is that we're here to help. Yes. We're not here to dislodge. We're not here to say anything that is not going to affirm and lift up our brothers and sisters. Yes. We are here to be of help. Yes, sir. And I think that has been that has been the theme of this council. Yes, sir. Nowhere else will we see that kind of interaction. And I appreciate you saying what you say. And I appreciate knowing that we are just not here politicizing, but it's theological and spiritual. Thank you, sir. God bless you. Well, it starts with one and I think we on second base. Let's just get the home plate. God bless you. They got to keep you. Thank you. Thank you. We have Mr. Michael Bow and then we'd have Mr. Ty. What? Suicide signed up to speak. You may remember me from several months ago when I presented petition of 120 signatures representing businesses and communities of residents in the community of Elmwood and Assembly Street. The petition dealt with increase in bad behavior in Colombia. I don't know what was done, but we experienced very significant decline in public urination, defecation, panhandling, intimidation, public nudity, and loitering. It's been a relief not having to deal with this undesirable activity. I and others in the area were pleased with the improvement. Thank you very much. I intended to express my appreciation earlier, but my schedule prevented me from attending. The bad behavior was never eliminated, but was significantly reduced. Unfortunately, it has increased again over the last three nights. I've pictures of people urinating in the alleys and fights. I was not meant. I will not mention discussing items I found on the sidewalk in the last three days. It's time to take action again before the bad behavior escalates to level was before. Consistency is a cornerstone in changing behavior. Hopefully when individuals know Colombia will not tolerate bad behavior, they will not tolerate bad behavior and will consistently take action to stop it. Then individuals will conform to a level of decency. The results of not enforcing the laws and demanding a level of decency can plainly be seen in cities like Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York, and Chicago. The good people of Colombia and South Carolina deserve better. I'm convinced with good strong leadership, Colombia can improve the living conditions for all, including the unsheltered. I would like to comment on the pop-up feeding programs. The individuals conducting the programs have a very compassionate heart and deserve everyone's appreciation and respect. They are providing the comfort to individuals in need as we are all called to do. I agree that the solution is not with government, but with the people. Unfortunately, the unintended consequences of this action affect others in the community. The homeless gather in the feeding locations. Frequently the food is provided in disposable containers and it ends up on the streets and sidewalks. Individuals don't have available bathrooms and human excrement also ends up on the streets and inappropriate locations. When the feeding programs are finished, they pack up and leave. The residents and businesses in the area are left to deal with the concentration of homeless. No one wants to see the homeless suffer, but no one wants to walk through puddles of urine and piles of feces. We need to work with the leadership and city council and the mayor in coming up with a solution, provides resource for the homeless, does not require business to reside residents to suffer through bad behavior. And I would like to say that I have worked with the police again and they were very respectful and I appreciate that. I appreciate the time that the county, the state council has given us and I've also worked with the Yellowshire people and appreciate the effort they've done. So I'm from the other side in the fact that I experienced this on a daily basis and I do sincerely appreciate what the the city council has done. Thank you. Good evening, mayors. Rickerman, members of council, I want to come to you and share the words that Larry King told at least one of his seven wives. It's been a long meeting and I'm not going to keep you very long. However, Mayor Rickerman, I do want to let you know I gave you the best possible birthday present ever by lip-syncing happy birthday and trying to instead of singing in the worst monotone voice there is. So with all that said, I'm not here to add on to the conversation about homelessness but I'm actually here to move on from it and thank you for your action on item 43 today with the unanimous resolution and thank councilwoman Herbert for helping lead the effort and every single councilman from Will Brennan to Howard DeVault to Ed McDowell to Peter Brown and of course Dr. Bussells. Our unanimous support is a truly historic vote for a truly historic undertaking to bring neighborhood USA a conference I care about very much so to our community and because of you and your vote today we are going to have we are going to be able to have the ability to possibly share our stories with the rest of the nation and hopefully the rest of the world beyond that because as we all know of one's very good president of these united states said everything that's good about America has started within our neighborhoods and I won't tell you which president that was all the child figure that out later but with one last thing your vote today was also the best possible way to help bring Deborah Christie's culmination of her career as a community development director one step closer to history and I and I make this promise to you I will not stop until we bring this conference here to Columbia and Richland County because it's not just the city of Columbia we're teaming up with Richland County as well and I know between all of our combined forces we will show what is good about America's neighborhoods and I did it with less than three minutes thank you all. How are you doing? How are you doing? Mr. Mayor, Ms. Kanisha, I commend you for what you do. I didn't know what was on the agenda today I just came on vacation but I want to commend you. I commend you, Ms. Kanisha, because the last couple of times, Mayor, you remember y'all had those four or five guys, the chief, you and Ms. Kanisha tried to give them a job to show them how to get something to eat that the little guy that had the little thing on it and they ran out to build out you know you know I be at every city council meeting but don't you let them pull you down because they got food banks all over even at my church house of prayer we had to we the food that we sometimes we have leftovers we gave some to the homeless they tried to sue us so you got to be careful I didn't want to say nothing but I'm not gonna let everybody cut them down I'll do that you know I'll do that but you know you got to have have respect and you that's my buddy over there main thing is we're gonna have to respect and you know y'all I had to learn the hard way because I was angry at one time I'm gonna admit you know and y'all haven't quiet lately but Ms. Kanisha don't you let them bring you down you're doing a good job two people or three people I know you know I'm not gonna let you go down like that I'll be at all city council I missed one last month but I'll be listening y'all don't think I don't be thinking and listening and to you chief you have been doing a good job don't let these people pull you down because that's Satan because this mouth this tongue can really mess up people and you're not gonna talk about our city council I don't agree with a lot of things y'all do but you know I pull you to the side you know but I'm not gonna let nobody talk about you and and man you know you know but and I just wanted to say don't y'all do that you're doing a good job if you want something to eat if I just I've been homeless you're gonna find somewhere to walk to get what you want to walk if you're gonna go get something to eat they walk all up and down the highway and that little man with the little hat y'all tried to give him a job each time his back was hurting I heard all that back then I got good ears but I want to thank you ready with that Alan please come forward yes I'm Dr. Casey Whitner I do live here in Columbia I teach at the University I think the concern on our side where we live in in our county I'm the Richland County Chairperson for the Libertarian Party is that government solutions frequently do centralize they frequently do come with a lot of regulations and restrictions and they frequently do leave people out so our hope is that decentralization or enabling citizens to come forward and do good work without being harassed by law enforcement certainly if those citizens are violating some kind of rules or creating a nuisance or leaving litter nobody in Columbia wants that Richland County doesn't want that but we also want people to be fed and we want them to be safe and cared for so thank you for the efforts that you've already put forward thank you for the task force thank you for working on behalf of our citizens to try to work on this but we're never going to solve homelessness and government is certainly not going to solve homelessness if they could have they would have already done it right so could we just together work as citizens and individuals to care for one another I think that would be a a good effort on all of our part um you know what we've been doing for the last 20 years ain't working truth so we got to try different things I agree and that means that also folks got to try different things too and we're not trying to solve it on our own I promise you I agree because if government does it it will fail we know that um but we also have to stand up and and make some decisions that help further along and get people to get out of the mindset because we can't continue to what do what we're doing it's not working I agree all options on the table and if individuals are coming forward with a full heart I think they should be welcomed to be able to serve their fellow citizens um so I'll say that and then apologize for my baseball cat I like it summertime so I casual thank you for being here be on campus in two weeks I'll be a little bit more thank you I appreciate your time yes ma'am with that I'll entertain a motion mr. mayor I move we go into executive session of discussion of negotiations instead of proposed contractual arrangements pursuant to sc code 30-4 s 70 a to salute river force main extension project congruent levy property discussion of employment of employee pursuant to s us to sc code 30-4 s 70 a one legal department receipt of legal advice relating to a pending threat and a potential claim pursuant to sc code 30-4 s 70 a to serve brandon legett versus offices shan roland's columbia police department in the city of columbia second got a motion in second mr. brown miss herbert i dr bustle i mr. brandon yes mr. mcdowell mr. devolve all right america then thank you you don't go downstairs yes