As summer vacation begins to draw to an end I hope 
you and your families have had a safe break.

As always, if I can help you with an issue, please let me know. 
Thank you for reading and for allowing me to serve our District!

Monthly Breakfast Meeting:

Once a month I hold a breakfast meeting for constituents who want to ask questions and hear more about what is going on within York County.  I will hold a breakfast on Friday, August 26th at the Tega Cay Deli (1143 Stonecrest Blvd #103, Fort Mill, SC 29708).  The meeting lasts from 8:00 to 9:00.  Please come out, have breakfast, and learn more about what is going on in our area and the County.

2016-17 York County Budget Recap:

The Council passed a budget for 2016-17 without a tax increase.  As I have stated in my previous updates, I argued that a tax increase was not needed and would not serve the best interests of the citizens of the County.  By a vote of 6-1 the budget was passed.  The County has also hired a new Treasurer and I intend to meet with him in the coming weeks to discuss budgets and how to get us on track.  This budget was a first step, there are many more to rein in York County's spending and budgeting process.  This was my 4th budget and each year I have chipped away at what I feel is reckless spending and budgeting procedures.  I can't tell you how pleased I am that other Council members agreed with me this year.  I'll keep you updated on changes to the process as we go through the fall.

1920 Gold Hill Road:

On July 12th the County held a Hearing to determine whether the home located at 1920 Gold Hill Road was fit for human habitation.  As you may recall, this home caught on fire in October of 2013.  Since that time the County has been waiting for the criminal investigation to an end as well as a decision by the insurance carrier on whether they would demolish the home.  A written Order has been issued requiring the home owner to demolish the property.  He has 120 days to comply with the Order.  If he fails to comply, the County may demolish the building and place a lien on the property.

New SC-NC Boundary Lines:

The final lines are being completed on the new NC-SC boundary.  This has been an ongoing event between the two States for several years.  From what I have been told, 11 properties currently located in York County will be relocated within North Carolina.  Approximately 8 properties will move from North Carolina to South Carolina as well.  If you are concerned about this issue or are worried that your property may be affected, please contact Matt Wellslager, Director of Geodetic Survey in SC at 803-896-7700.

C-Fund Requests:

If you know of a road that needs to be repaved please contact the County and request that it be added to my C-Fund list.  The County has received $4,385,302 in C-funds from the State.  As you may know, C-funds can only be used for road improvements and are derived from the State gas tax.  The funds from the State will be divided among the seven council districts, as well as Economic Development, and I will be responsible for choosing which roads to be repaired.  Last year I had over $6 million in requests in District One.  The lack of funds will not allow me to fix every road, however I do everything I can to fix the worst roads on the list.  If you believe your road should be on that list please contact Dean Hendrix at 803-818-5764 so that it can be evaluated.

Transparency in Government:

In an effort to make County government more transparent and easier for the average citizen to know what is going on, the County has updated its website.  Part of the redesign was to make it easier to navigate to the departments and important documents.  One of the additions is a "transparency" page.  This page will give you information on the County Strategic Plan, building updates, Pennies for Progress updates as well as a calendar of upcoming events.  I encourage you to take a look and give feedback.  One of my goals is for all of you to be able to easily access information about your government and what it is doing.   https://www.yorkcountygov.com/transparency

Roads Update: 

I update road projects every other month in this newsletter.  Throughout District One, the County is involved in numerous road projects to improve the flow of traffic.  Here is the most recent timeline update of some of the projects impacting our area.  Changes from one update to the next are indicated in italics:
 
SC Highway 160/Gold Hill (SCDOT Project) - $10,586,100
  • Will create two (2) dedicated left turn lanes in each direction and widen intersection
  • Construction work has begun
  • Right of Way acquisition is ongoing, 10 possible condemnations to be required
  • Completion December 2016
Hubert Graham Way (Pennies for Progress 2 Project) - $10,057,613
  • Will create an alternate way to Hwy 160 closer to entrance of Tega Cay
  • Construction work has begun
  • Stonecrest Blvd opened to traffic on June 11th
  • Completion Summer 2017
SC Highway 160/Zoar Road (Pennies for Progress 3 Project) - $10,500,000
  • Will create left turn lane on to Zoar Road and four (4) lanes to NC line
  • Right of Way acquisition to begin Fall 2016
  • Anticipate construction to begin Fall 2017, Completion Summer 2019 
Gold Hill/I-77 (SCDOT Project) - $12,449,811
  • Will create a diverging diamond interchange to improve traffic flow
  • Federal Highways has given approval, 70% Plans approved
  • Right of way acquisition has begun
  • Anticipate construction to begin Fall 2017, Completion Fall 2019
US Highway 21/SC Highway 51 (Pennies for Progress 3 Project) - $32,000,000
  • Will 5-lane Hwy 21 and Hwy 51 from Springfield Parkway intersection to NC border
  • Right of way plans submitted to SCDOT on July 30th
  • Right of Way acquisition planned for late 2016/early 2017
  • Anticipate construction to begin 2018, Completion Spring/Summer 2020
 
Potential Exchange Projects with SCTIB (SC State Infrastructure Bank) - $215,860,000
  • Improvements to I-77 and Carowinds Boulevard
  • Improvements to I-77 and Gold Hill Road (to include additional improvements beyond diverging diamond)
  • Improvements to I-77 and Hwy 160
  • Improvements to I-77 and Sutton Road
  • Improvements to I-77 and Celanese Road
  • York County has submitted an application to the SCTIB Board for approval of the intersections listed above.  RFATS has already approved funds to be used for engineering work
  • Anticipate construction to begin 2020, Completion 2021/2022 (if funding approved by SCTIB)
  • SCTIB board is meeting in September to discuss our application
Speaking With Groups
Around The District:
If you are involved with a local group or HOA that would like for me to attend a meeting to provide a County update, please let me know.

Facebook:
I have a Facebook Page for Councilman Michael Johnson. Please "like" the page to receive updates during the week from me on Facebook.

Email Updates: 
If you know of people in or around District 1 who do not receive my updates but they would like to get them, please email their names and email addresses to me.
Small Business Help -
SC Dept. Of Commerce: 
The South Carolina Department of Commerce has helpful information for small business owners and employees.
To learn more, go to http://sccommerce.com/sc-business-network.

Road Issues:
If you see a road problem, call the SCDOT at 327-6186 or York County at 628-3200 to report the problem. If you do not get a prompt response, please email me at [email protected] or call me. Generally, most paved roads in the County are maintained by SCDOT. County roads are typically identified by a green sign, with small white numbers on the right hand side near the bottom.