ELLOREE - The special election to fill the District 2 seat left vacant at the death of Elloree Town Councilman Barry Pauling will be held this Tuesday, Jan. 13, voters were reminded during Monday's regular council meeting.
Candidates on the ballot will be Sarah Ann Parler and Harold Void. Absentee ballots may be obtained through the Orangeburg County Office of Voter Registration and Elections.
After Pauling's death on June 13, 2008, a nonpartisan write-in election was held on Sept. 30 to fill the seat, but that election was overturned because the Orangeburg County Office of Voter Registration and Elections failed to place notices in the newspaper advertising the election as required by state law.
The polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday.
Also during Monday's meeting, Larry McDowell of the Elloree Water Agency reported that 44 work orders were completed and 644 customers were billed in December. Of those customers, 362 were billed on behalf of the town for household trash services.
The estimated water loss was 14 percent last month, down from 17 percent in November, McDowell said.
He presented council a copy of the report on the federal inspection of the water treatment plant, which gained a satisfactory rating. The Elloree Water Commission will hold its next meeting at 6 p.m. on Jan. 13, McDowell said.
In other business:
* Officer Lin Shirer said the Elloree Police Department had 17 calls for service last month and two calls for assistance in Santee. He said officers issued seven written warnings and 16 uniform traffic tickets in December. In addition, police made five arrests related to possession of drugs, possession of a stolen firearm, unlawful carrying of a pistol and individuals who were wanted on outstanding charges. Shirer also noted there was a report of a stolen credit card, and the suspect has been identified and charges are pending.
* Shirer reported Police Chief Preston Avinger and Officer Shawn Murphree attended a Drugs of Abuse conference in Myrtle Beach last month. Shirer and Murphree also renewed their radar certification with the S.C. Criminal Justice Academy.
* Town Administrator John Singh reported the new accounting software system was installed through Nicholson Business Systems, noting that the court and the police department are currently using Lawtracks software.
* Singh presented the town's 2009 schedule of events as approved during the Commerce Forum meeting. He also presented the schedule for council meetings and municipal court for the year.
* Singh presented the renewal for Tree City USA status, which entails an annual certification process.
* The administrator said the town will be working to update ordinances in the upcoming year.
* Council approved an amendment to the town's budget for fourth quarter 2008 related to police fines, revenue and expenditures.
* Council, at Mayor Van Stickles' request, voted to allow the police department to purchase 15 concrete pigs at a cost of $50 each for this year's Elloree Pork Fest.
* Stickles welcomed James Burn of South Carolina Electric and Gas to the meeting.
T&D Correspondent Danielle Sanders can be reached by e-mail at crazyd_308@hotmail.com. Discuss this and other stories online at TheTandD.com.