Council meeting available on YouTube

Committee of the Whole meeting to be held via online meeting service

Simpsonville, S.C. — The business meeting held by Simpsonville City Council on Tuesday is available to view on the City of Simpsonville YouTube Channel.

The meeting on June 10 was open to the public with social distancing guidelines in place to help prevent the spread of the Novel Coronavirus Disease 2019. Councilman Ken Cummings of Ward 5 and Councilwoman Sherry Roche of Ward 4 participated in the meeting via an online meeting service as allowed by the emergency ordinance passed by Council in May.

Council will return to holding meetings electronically via an online meeting service at the Committee of the Whole meeting on June 23 at 6:30 p.m. City officials decided to again temporarily disallow the public to attend meetings due to the recent spike in COVID-19 cases in Greenville County, which the S.C. Department of Health & Environmental Control has labeled a "hot spot" for the virus.

Community Relations Specialist Justin Campbell said the current global pandemic presents a fluid challenge to local governments that requires a fluid response from City leadership.

"The City of Simpsonville continues to be proactive in its response to COVID-19 by taking actions to help prevent the spread of the virus and reopen government operations in a responsible manner," Campbell said. "COVID-19 cases continue to increase in the state, making Greenville County a hot spot. City leadership will keep making decisions that prioritize the public health and safety of residents and visitors."

Campbell added that those decisions are based on guidelines and information from the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention and SCDHEC.

Public access to meetings will be maintained by live streaming them and encouraging city residents and business owners to participate in the Citizen Comment portion of meetings by leaving a voice message on Mayor Paul Shewmaker's office phone at 864-967-5400. Citizens who wish to leave a comment must reside or own a business inside city limits; state their name and address at the beginning of the message and refrain from using profanity as messages will be played during the meeting over live stream. Messages must be no longer than 3 minutes.

City leadership regularly assesses conditions related to COVID-19 and will adjust government operations when necessary.

For more information, contact Community Relations Specialist Justin Campbell at jcampbell@simpsonville.com.