The Lyman Town Council swore in its new member Greg Wood at its regular meeting on Monday evening.
Wood was elected to Council following a special election last month. With this new appointment, Council held its first meeting with a fully-staffed bench since November.
Following Wood’s appointment, Council jumped into a lengthy agenda for the evening, including hearing two items that were postponed from last month’s meeting. These items amend the town code regarding the election of Mayor Pro Tempore and the appointment of committee members by Council.Â
Previously, Council voting procedures made it difficult for multiple nominations to be presented before they were voted on. Under the new voting system, there would be a period of nominations for these roles and Council would vote on each candidate via voice vote in alphabetical order by the candidate’s last name. Council approved the items to move forward unanimously and will hear both of them once more before final approval and implementation.
Another item of old business was postponed by Council until April’s meeting. Ordinance No. 02-09-2006 amends the language on the eligibility requirements for members of the Planning Commission and Board of Zoning Appeals. Under the new ordinance, it would make it so that no commission members could be married, immediately related or living in the same residence.Â
Council member Cindy Behm brought up the issue of selective discrimination, as there are other town employees who have immediate family members also working for Lyman. The Council agreed to postpone the agenda item until next month to give them time to receive advice from the town’s legal team.
The last item of old business was the discussion of Community Care Committee appointments. Council member Jack Bellaire says that the committee has had strong interest, and he is considering opening it up to all Lyman residents rather than hiring a select few.
Council also heard several items of new business at its meeting. All of these items were approved to move forward unanimously by Council and will be heard for a second time before final approval.
The first item was a resolution authorizing the purchase of 20 laptops from Mobile Concepts Technology. A version of this resolution was heard last month, but it was reintroduced on Monday due to taxes not being included on the original price estimate. The new price point is $36,020.
Another item of new business included a resolution approving Goldie Associates’ proposal for the Meadow Street stormwater repair project. According to town staff, the costs of the repairs should not exceed $148,500 and are to be distributed from the General Fund.Â
Council then heard a proposed ordinance that would amend the town code to have a section outlining the procedure for naming and renaming town streets. Here’s a look at the proposed street naming criteria as written in the ordinance:
 Street names shall be unique, easily discernible and simple to pronounce for public safety purposes
 Similar sounding or duplicate street names shall not be permitted
 Street names shall not contain more than 18 characters in the base portion of the name
 Cumbersome, corrupted, discriminatory or derogatory names shall not be permitted
 Street names may reflect native wildlife, flora, fauna, geographic areas or natural features related to the town of Lyman
 Streets may be named after individuals, living or deceased, in accordance with criteria laid out in the ordinance
Final discussions among Council included a conversation on junk cars brought forth by Mayor Petty. Petty expressed concerns with Lyman’s current policies allowing for an unlimited number of nonfunctional cars to sit in someone’s yard so long as they are covered. Next month, he looks to bring forth a proposed ordinance to change the law and limit the number of cars seen from the road.
Council member Behm also brought forth a discussion on a possible community Gardening Club. She expressed a desire to beautify certain areas of the town before former State Rep. Rita Allison visits for a ceremony in April. Behm will bring forth a more concrete proposal at Council’s next meeting.
Finally, two individuals were appointed to the Board of Zoning Appeals. Both John Wells and Tony Axsom were approved by Council to renew their terms on the Board. The Business of the Month title was awarded to Lyman Drug, Inc., and the Yard of the Month went to Eddie and Lori Vinso of Woodland Street.
For more information on the Lyman Town Council, visit its website.
Follow Breanna Laws on X @GreerByBreanna
