Council renews pandemic measures

Emergency ordinance expires in April

Simpsonville, S.C. — At the first Committee of the Whole meeting of 2021, Simpsonville City Council renewed measures to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus disease.

In a 5-2 vote Tuesday night, City Council adopted an emergency ordinance that continues a declared state of emergency and permits the holding of Council meetings by electronic means, disallows the public from attending in-person meetings and authorizes the city administrator to close facilities to the public. Emergency Ordinance 2021-07 is the seventh emergency ordinance adopted in response to the pandemic since Council first declared a state of emergency in March.

City Administrator Dianna Gracely recommended at the online meeting that Council approve at least one more emergency ordinance due to the continued increase in COVID-19 cases and out of concern for the health of council members and City staff.

"I believe it is an absolute necessity at this point to continue to meet virtually not only because of the rise in COVID numbers but because we do have some council members and some staff who are immunocompromised," Gracely said. "I know that we tried one time last year to do sort of a hybrid model where the folks who were comfortable could attend and then those ... who were immunocompromised could call in. I will say that that is not advisable and almost impossible."

Council held in June in Council Chambers a business meeting that Councilman Ken Cummings of Ward 5 and Councilwoman Sherry Roche of Ward 4 attended via an online meeting service. Gracely said the setup resulted in feedback and poor recording quality that limited the public's access to the meeting.

Council members Cummings, Matthew Gooch of Ward 1, Jenn Hulehan of Ward 3 and Lou Hutchings of Ward 6 and Mayor Paul Shewmaker voted in favor of the ordinance. Emergency ordinances need at least five votes in favor for adoption since they require only one reading. 

Shewmaker said the S.C. Department of Health & Environmental Control has shifted its emphasis from containment of the virus to mitigation.

"That's their way of saying COVID is now out of control," Shewmaker said. 

In a 6-1 vote, Council approved the previous emergency ordinance in December with Councilwoman Stephanie Kelley of Ward 2 voting against adoption out of solidary with struggling business owners. Kelley and Roche cast the two dissenting votes on Tuesday.

Roche said "the fact that the rest of our lives are going on" is an indicator that in-person meetings can now be resumed.

"Every other aspect of life for most of us has returned to somewhat normal, and the standard practice of masking if you feel the need and keeping distance from other people if you so feel led is working in every other aspect of our life," Roche said. "I do not feel that it endangers constituents at all by offering (in-person) meetings. They can choose to come or not to come."

The emergency ordinance expires April 21.