Narrative Summary
Summary
The Fort Mill Town Council held a regular meeting on March 9, 2026, with all members present except Councilwoman Lisa Cook. The agenda was heavily informational and discussion-focused, covering internal administrative matters alongside several infrastructure and planning topics. Council received presentations on the York County Library Board's strategic planning survey, the Town's procurement card rebate program, and a utility water system valve installation plan. The meeting concluded with a brief executive session before adjourning at 9:27 PM.
Key Decisions & Votes
- Approval of Minutes — Motioned to approve the February 23, 2026 Council Meeting minutes with an amendment noting the term expiration in 2029 for sworn-in Councilmembers. Vote: Approved unanimously. Moved by Councilman Chris Wolfe, seconded by Councilman Allen Garrison.
- Recess — Motioned to recess during discussion of prioritizing amendments to the Town's Code of Ordinances and Zoning Ordinances. Vote: Approved unanimously at 8:41 PM. Moved by Councilman Chris Wolfe, seconded by Councilman Ben Hudgins.
- Draft Funding Commitment Letter — Academy Street Utility Work — Motioned to approve New Business Item 5E, authorizing a funding commitment letter for water and sewer infrastructure improvements along Academy Street in support of a CDBG/RIA grant application. Vote: Approved unanimously. Moved by Councilman Chris Wolfe, seconded by Councilman Ronnie Helms. Project is eligible for up to $1,220,000 in RIA grant funding; remaining estimated cost of approximately $2.8 million would draw from water and sewer cash reserves.
- Adjourn — Motioned to adjourn at 9:27 PM. Vote: Approved unanimously. Moved by Councilman Chris Wolfe, seconded by Councilman Ronnie Helms.
Watchlist Flags
No watchlist items flagged.
Action Items & Upcoming Dates
- Town Manager Cary Vargo to bring formal resolutions on compensation study and policy amendments to the next Council business meeting.
- Town Manager Cary Vargo to submit RFATS CMAQ application for adaptive traffic control systems if Council approves authorizing resolution — deadline April 1, 2026.
- Assistant Town Manager Chris Pettit to return with guidance on formalizing Traffic Impact Analysis (TIA) fee schedule amendments at a future meeting.
- Town Manager Cary Vargo to sign the funding commitment letter for Academy Street utility work for the RIA grant application.
- March 12, 2026 — York County Library Board strategic planning survey release.
- April 1, 2026 — RFATS CMAQ application deadline.
- 2028 — SCDOT plans to resurface Academy Street.
Agenda Items
-
1
Approval of Minutes
Approval of February 23, 2026 Council Meeting minutes with amendment regarding term expiration in 2029 for sworn in Councilmembers.
- Outcome
- approved
- Motion
- Motioned to approve the minutes with the amendment of the term expiring in 2029 for the sworn in Councilmembers
- Moved / seconded
- Councilman Chris Wolfe / Councilman Allen Garrison
- Vote
- Approved unanimously
- Source ref
- page: p.1
- Tags
- minutes procedural
-
2
Public Comments
Scott Couchenour from 122 W. Oak Street commented in support of a library in District 7 within York County specifically within the downtown district and expressed appreciation for Town staff and Council.
- Outcome
- informational
- Motion
- No motion recorded
- Moved / seconded
- Not recorded / Not recorded
- Vote
- No vote recorded
- Source ref
- page: p.1
- Tags
- public_comment library
-
3
Presentation
Multiple presentations provided: York County Library Board strategic planning survey announcement; Town's procurement card program highlighting $17,571.74 rebate received; and Utility Department's water system valve installation plan to locate non-existent valves and ensure proper maintenance.
- Outcome
- informational
- Motion
- No motion recorded
- Moved / seconded
- Not recorded / Not recorded
- Vote
- No vote recorded
- Source ref
- page: p.1
- Tags
- library procurement utilities water_system
-
4
Old Business - Discussion and Consideration of the Compensation Study
Town Manager Cary Vargo discussed the compensation study to ensure internal equity, address salary compression, recruitment/retention challenges, and establish a sustainable compensation framework. Discussion covered PTO accrual, sick and vacation leave, longevity programs, educational reimbursement, certifications, parental leave policy, and bereavment leave. Formal resolutions will be brought to the next business meeting.
- Outcome
- deferred
- Motion
- No motion recorded
- Moved / seconded
- Not recorded / Not recorded
- Vote
- No vote recorded
- Source ref
- page: p.2
- Tags
- compensation human_resources salary benefits
-
5
New Business - Discussion and Consideration of Prioritizing Amendments to the Town's Code of Ordinances and Zoning Ordinances
Assistant Town Manager Chris Pettit presented a prioritized list of topics for amendments including development density, trees/land conservation, buffers and setbacks, open space/trails, table of uses, neighborhood character overlays, residential or commercial design requirements, downtown core district, parking lot design, and signs. Discussion noted the Town Master Plan update and the opportunity to be cost effective in implementation.
- Outcome
- tabled
- Motion
- Motioned to recess
- Moved / seconded
- Councilman Chris Wolfe / Councilman Ben Hudgins
- Vote
- Approved unanimously at 8:41 PM
- Source ref
- page: p.2
- Tags
- zoning ordinances code_amendments downtown
-
5
New Business - Discussion and Consideration of Applying for the Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) Improvement Grant for Adaptive Traffic Control Systems
Town Manager Cary Vargo presented adaptive traffic control system proposal addressing traffic growth from 10,811 residents in 2010 to nearly 39,500 today. The Town has approximately 30 traffic signals. The system would enable real-time traffic monitoring, signal timing adjustments, emergency vehicle preemption, and battery backup systems. Estimated project cost is approximately $3 million with 80% federal funding and 20% local match ($600,000). RFATS CMAQ deadline is April 1, 2026. Council would need to approve a resolution authorizing the Town to pursue funding and enter into an agreement with SCDOT.
- Outcome
- deferred
- Motion
- No motion recorded
- Moved / seconded
- Not recorded / Not recorded
- Vote
- No vote recorded
- Source ref
- page: p.3
- Tags
- traffic grant CMAQ infrastructure
-
5
New Business - Discussion and Consideration of Amending Fee Schedules for FY 25-26 as it relates to Downtown Garbage Collection, Engineering Services and Traffic Impact Analysis (TIA) Reviews
Assistant Town Manager Chris Pettit discussed fee schedule amendments related to downtown garbage collection and engineering services. In 2018, the Town transitioned from green roll carts to dumpsters in enclosures on Main Street. Businesses have responsibility for managing dumpster contracts. A proposed solution is for the Town to assume responsibility and implement a fee schedule applied to water bills to cover costs. For engineering services, the Town contracted with a third-party company after the departure of the Town Engineer and recommends continuing with third-party reviewers while searching for a new engineer with amended fee schedule.
- Outcome
- deferred
- Motion
- No motion recorded
- Moved / seconded
- Not recorded / Not recorded
- Vote
- No vote recorded
- Source ref
- range: pp.3-4
- Tags
- fees garbage_collection engineering downtown
-
5
New Business - Discussion of the Recycling Survey
Assistant Town Manager Gordon Burnette presented recycling survey results showing that the Town provides curbside collection with recycling services over 9,000 charged at $23/month and WastePro at $5.42/month per household for bi-weekly recycling. 21% of recycling loads are contaminated with more than 20% non-recyclable items. The Town is charged by York County at $50/ton but if contaminated load occurs, York County charges an additional $50, totaling $100/ton. Multiple options were presented to continue the program or modify it.
- Outcome
- no_action
- Motion
- No motion recorded
- Moved / seconded
- Not recorded / Not recorded
- Vote
- No vote recorded
- Source ref
- page: p.4
- Tags
- recycling survey waste_management
-
5
New Business - Discussion and Consideration of a Draft Funding Commitment Letter for Utility Work on Academy Street
Assistant Town Manager/CFO Eric Davis advised that the Town received notification in January of application assistance for Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and Rural Infrastructure Authority (RIA) funding. Staff worked with an engineering partner and COG to prepare a grant application for water and sewer infrastructure improvements along Academy Street from Main Street to Banks Street. The project was prioritized because SCDOT plans to resurface Academy Street as early as 2028. The project is eligible for up to $1,220,000 in RIA grant funding with a benefit factor of $20,000 per impacted property across 60 properties. The remaining estimated project cost of approximately $2.8 million would be funded from the Town's water and sewer cash reserves.
- Outcome
- approved
- Motion
- Motioned to approve New business Item 5E
- Moved / seconded
- Councilman Chris Wolfe / Councilman Ronnie Helms
- Vote
- Approved unanimously
- Source ref
- page: p.4
- Tags
- grant utility infrastructure water sewer
-
6
Executive Session
Council entered into executive session at 9:08 PM and exited at 9:27 PM.
- Outcome
- no_action
- Motion
- No motion recorded
- Moved / seconded
- Not recorded / Not recorded
- Vote
- No vote recorded
- Source ref
- page: p.5
- Tags
- executive_session
-
7
Adjourn
Council adjourned the meeting at 9:27 PM.
- Outcome
- approved
- Motion
- Motioned to adjourn
- Moved / seconded
- Councilman Chris Wolfe / Councilman Ronnie Helms
- Vote
- Approved unanimously
- Source ref
- page: p.5
- Tags
- procedural
Votes
-
Approval of Minutes
Motioned to approve the minutes with the amendment of the term expiring in 2029 for the sworn in Councilmembers
- Vote
- Approved unanimously
- Outcome
- approved
- Source ref
- page: p.1
-
New Business - Discussion and Consideration of Prioritizing Amendments to the Town's Code of Ordinances and Zoning Ordinances
Motioned to recess
- Vote
- Approved unanimously at 8:41 PM
- Outcome
- tabled
- Source ref
- page: p.2
-
New Business - Discussion and Consideration of a Draft Funding Commitment Letter for Utility Work on Academy Street
Motioned to approve New business Item 5E
- Vote
- Approved unanimously
- Outcome
- approved
- Source ref
- page: p.4
-
Adjourn
Motioned to adjourn
- Vote
- Approved unanimously
- Outcome
- approved
- Source ref
- page: p.5
Public Hearings
No public hearings listed.
Action Items
-
Bring formal resolutions regarding compensation study approval and policy amendments/adoptions to next Council business meeting
- Owner
- Town Manager Cary Vargo
- Due
- Source ref
- page: p.2
-
Submit RFATS CMAQ application for adaptive traffic control systems if Council approves resolution authorizing pursuit of funding
- Owner
- Town Manager Cary Vargo
- Due
- 2026-04-01
- Source ref
- page: p.3
-
Bring guidance on potentially formalizing amendments regarding Traffic Impact Analysis (TIA) fee schedule at a later meeting if desired
- Owner
- Assistant Town Manager Chris Pettit
- Due
- Source ref
- page: p.4
-
Sign the funding commitment letter for utility work on Academy Street for RIA grant application
- Owner
- Town Manager Cary Vargo
- Due
- Source ref
- page: p.5
Upcoming Dates
-
York County Library Board strategic planning survey release
- Date
- 2026-03-12
-
RFATS CMAQ application deadline
- Date
- 2026-04-01
-
SCDOT plans to resurface Academy Street
- Date
- 2028
Watchlist Flags
No watchlist items flagged.
Uncertainty Notes
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schema_version- Value
- Not applicable
- Note
- Schema is 0.1.0-draft; final validation must happen downstream in Codex.
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vote_granularity
- Field
facts.agenda_items[*].vote- Value
- Not applicable
- Note
- Approved minutes record tallies but not per-member dissent.
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watchlist_coverage
- Field
generated_narrative.watchlist_flags- Value
- Not applicable
- Note
- Zero watchlist regex hits on this meeting.