By Jim Faile

Darlington County Council members failed to elect a chairman for the new year Tuesday after neither of the two candidates nominated for the post could get enough votes.

Last year’s chairman, Billy Baldwin of Darlington, will continue to serve as acting chairman until a chairman is elected, said County Attorney Terence Quinn. That is provided for in the county’s ordinance governing the annual election of officers.

Typically council elects a chairman, vice chairman and chaplain at its first meeting of a new year. Those officers serve one-year terms.

Lamar Councilman Bobby Hudson nominated Baldwin for a third consecutive year as chairman.

The county’s ordinance requires that for a person to serve more than two consecutive years as chair, he or she must receive a three-fourths majority vote of council, or six votes from among council’s eight members.

Hartsville Councilman Alex “Buz” Shaw nominated Councilman Le Flowers of Darlington for the top post. Flowers needed only a simple majority to be elected.

No other nominations were offered.

On a first vote, Baldwin received five votes to Flowers’ two. Baldwin, Hudson, and members Mozella “Pennie” Nicholson and Wesley Blackwell, both of Hartsville, and Society Hill member Dannie Douglas voted for Baldwin. Shaw and Flowers voted for Flowers. Councilwoman Wilhelmina Johnson of Darlington did not vote.

That set up a second vote. This time, Baldwin got four votes: himself, Hudson, Nicholson and Douglas.

Blackwell switched his vote to Flowers to give him three votes. Johnson again did not vote.

Unable to break the impasse, council took no other votes for chair. Council is expected to try again at a future meeting.

Members did agree on a vice chair and chaplain. Nicholson was elected vice chairman and Douglas was reelected chaplain. Both of those votes were by acclamation.

In other business, Johnson continued her efforts to try to resurrect the South Darlington Watershed Project, which council shut down in August because of soaring costs.

Johnson has repeatedly tried to get the project back on track. She asked to have the matter placed on the agenda for council’s February meeting.

Johnson produced a letter she recently received from U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Thomas J. Vilsack after she wrote the USDA in November seeking support for getting the drainage project restarted.

The project was intended to alleviate poor drainage conditions and frequent flooding in a large area of South Darlington. Many residents of the area are minority.

The project was aimed at upgrading more than five miles of existing drainage channels, digging new channels and construction of a large detention pond on about 12 acres of land all designed to carry storm water away from the area. It was to cover about 134 public and private properties and about 160 acres of cropland, according to the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS).

Johnson said Vilsack’s letter, in which he thanked Johnson for her efforts on behalf of the project, represents “a second chance” for the project. In it, Vilsack said he has asked NRCS Chief Dave White to review Johnson’s request again.

“Those people out there, they pay taxes,” Johnson said of the area’s residents.

On Aug. 15, 2011, a motion to continue the project failed on a 4 – 4 tied vote, ending the project.

That meant the county would not get $2.55 million in federal stimulus funds to help pay for construction costs for the project.

The four members who voted against continuing the project – Baldwin, Blackwell,  Flowers and Hudson - cited its rising costs to the county.

At the time of the vote county officials estimated the total cost of the project at more than $2.5 million, more than $1.5 million than originally projected.

The county has already spent $262,000 on the project and was faced with the prospect of having to spend another $738,000 in county funds before construction could even start.

Johnson has repeatedly criticized council’s vote and even challenged its legality.

County Administrator Dale Surrett said restarting the project would require renewing condemnation efforts on 11 individual parcels of property to get the necessary easements for construction and maintenance of the system.

Surrett said he would recommend a budget of $1 million for the project if it were to be restarted. That money would have to come from the county’s general fund balance and would require an amendment to the current budget, he said.

He said about $2.2 million to $2.3 million is available through the USDA.

He also reminded council members that if the project is completed, the county will be responsible for its maintenance in future years, which will also come with a price tag and could mean the addition of two full-time employees. And he estimated maintaining the system could cost an estimated $40,000 a year for materials alone.

It was not immediately clear whether the issue will be placed on council next meeting agenda.

Blackwell said if it is, he would like to see some figures on projected future costs for the project.

During a break in the meeting Johnson and Flowers got into a heated exchange over the issue.

In other action, council accepted bids totaling $844,714.99 for purchases of heavy equipment and trucks, including a fire truck. Surrett said officials reserved some money set aside for such equipment purchases and will look to see what other equipment needs exist before making another recommendation.

Council also accepted a bid of $76,000 for a bridge piling project. That money is Darlington County Transportation Committee (CTC) funding that is allocated by the state, Surrett said.