EUTAWVILLE - After reviewing the existing system of checks and balances of the town's current procedure for issuing expense payments, Eutawville Town Council members discussed and agreed on a more detailed plan at their November meeting.

In addition to the monthly summary of income, expenses and payments, all bills and bank statements are available for review at Eutawville Town Hall, Mayor Robert Collins said, and all charges are reviewed by and authorized by at least two members of council before payment is made. As a further security, all checks payable on town accounts must be signed by two authorized officers before they are accepted by the bank.

Council members approved continuation of the current measures but also voted to add a requirement that officials reviewing and authorizing a charge also initial the bill to note their approval for the record.

"It just adds one more layer of security to the process," Collins said.

A listing of the town's various expenses in 2007 and 2008 with monthly averages was also presented to council members for their review, along with the proposed 2009 operating budget.

After a week's in-depth review of the projected budget, council was scheduled to meet Nov. 17 for a working session to hammer out the fine points of the plan before it is approved. The final draft of the budget will be presented at the January council meeting, Collins said.

Collins also reported that the adoption of the state retirement plan, approved in an October executive session, will take effect Jan. 1 for full-time employees Clerk/Treasurer JoAnn Russell and police officers Curtis Mizell and Kimberly Kite.

In other business:

* James Nutt, firefighter and water systems worker, reported that all fire code violations noted in last month's inspection of the town hall, fire department and community center would be corrected once the town hall's newly purchased exit lights and backup lights are installed by an electrician.

* Nutt reported the old town hall's utilities were cut off in preparation for the building's scheduled demolition. He thanked Will Gaillard for his professional assistance. "We had a time finding and removing that old water meter," Nutt said. The volunteer fire department completed one training exercise utilizing the old town hall, with a second drill scheduled for November, he said.

Council discussed removing the streetlight behind the unoccupied structure, or moving it to add more light to the community center parking lot. A decision will be made at the next council meeting following further study.

* The fire department responded to 19 fire calls and five medical first responder calls in October, Nutt reported. The department's annual Christmas banquet honoring firefighters and their families will be held Tuesday, Dec. 9, Councilwoman Mary Lynn Owen, fire commissioner, announced. Individuals and area businesses are welcomed to join in making a contribution to be presented to the firefighters as a small measure of appreciation for their many hours of unpaid service to the community, she said.

* Upcoming projects for the water department include continuing to replace broken or unlocked water meters, locating and replacing the broken fire hydrant outlet on Barkley Street before that dirt road's scheduled paving and following up the S.C. Rural Water Association's offer to assist in finding costly water leaks, Nutt reported.

* Councilwoman Jean Akers, streets commissioner, said maintenance worker Sam Washington, who was previously on medical leave was "thankfully, back on the job of keeping our streets looking good once again."

* Akers thanked Officer Mizell for the stepped-up patrols of Tupelo Lane and Tucker Road that "kept the golf carts and speeders in check."

* Councilman Roger Adkins, police commissioner, reporting for Chief Russell Parker, said recent burglaries are under investigation. One of the burglaries resulted in the theft of Town Clerk Ruby Mimms' weeder and sausage grinder. The grinder was handed down to her by her mother, Mimms said. "They cut off my lock - and then they took that, too," she said.

"Unfortunately, it seems thefts rise each year at the holiday season," Collins said.

No Eutawville Town Council meeting will be held in December. The next session is scheduled for Monday, Jan. 12.

T&D Correspondent Diane Gainer can be reached by e-mail at bcdthinktank@yahoo.com. Discuss this and other stories online at TheTandD.com.

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