Re-Election and Your Help:
Election season has begun and in November we will go to the polls to elect statewide offices, the US House of Representatives and local offices. I am on the ballot in November and need your help. If you feel that I have done a good job over the past two years I ask that you help me in the following ways:

1. Donate to my campaign. From mailers to signs to this email update, my campaign spends money to keep you informed of what is going on in York County. Any level of donation is appreciated and you can donate up to the maximum of $1,000. Checks can be made payable to Michael Johnson for County Council and mailed to 1201 Carolina Place, Suite 103, Fort Mill, South Carolina 29708. Please include your occupation as it is required by State law.
2. Put up a yard sign. Nothing helps more than someone agreeing to put a sign in their yard to support my re-election. It sends a message to your neighbors that you believe in what I am doing and are supporting me. One sign in a yard is worth ten randomly put on the streets. All I need is your address and a sign will appear in your yard by mid-October. We will even come back and pick them up after the election. If you live in District One and are interested in a sign please email me.

I have enjoyed serving you the past two years and look forward to doing this for another two years. I think we are beginning to make real progress in addressing the issues that face the County. I will continue to remember that every time the County spends one dime it is your money and we must be accountable for all of it. I will also continue to push for better standards for growth and improved roads while constantly working to insure more commercial growth and good, high paying jobs for our area. I ask for your support, both financially and publicly in this upcoming election.

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County-Municipalities Meeting:
York County hosted a meeting on September 19th to discuss the upcoming Comprehensive Land Use Plan and other topics. The event was well attended with staff and elected officials from Tega Cay, Fort Mill, the Fort Mill School District, Rock Hill, and other entities attending. The meeting began with an overview of the Comprehensive Land Use Plan and the significance of public input. It was announced that a website would be up and running in the next few weeks to begin receiving public input. Additionally, a series of open houses will be held throughout the County to get citizen input. At the meeting I requested that a meeting be held between Tega Cay, Fort Mill School District, Fort Mill and County representatives to discuss future growth, roads and how to best integrate each entity�s Plan into one cohesive document. I feel confident that this type of meeting will occur and I will update you as soon as it is scheduled.

This meeting is the first step in addressing road and growth issues in our area and the County. While the Land Use Plan will not create a hard and fast rule that can be enforced, it will hopefully reflect a new cooperation between the municipalities and the County moving forward. The key to the success of this plan is your input. As meetings are scheduled I will do my best to keep you informed. I ask that you do your part and attend and give feedback on your vision for our community in the future.

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Lake Wylie Overlay Changes:
I have been asked by several people why the area above the river cannot attempt to change development standards along the lines of the changes currently proposed in the Lake Wylie Overlay. For those of you who are not aware, the Council has passed second reading on an ordinance which will ban multi-family housing within 2,000 feet of the full pond elevation level contour of the lake; create a maximum single family residence density of two units per acre; and create a sliding scale for green space requirements (25% to 40%) based on density within the Lake Wylie Overlay. These changes would only apply to the overlay area.

The Lake Wylie Overlay is a unique part of York County. As the area does not sit in a municipality an overlay was created many years ago to assist with planning regulations. Changes to the overlay district do not affect the rest of the County. In order for the types of changes as listed above to occur in our area Fort Mill, Tega Cay and the County would have to agree to an overlay of the entire area. It would require all three entities to agree to a common set of standards on almost every aspect of governance. This is most likely impossible due to the differences in each community. That being said, we can certainly do more to plan together and assist one another on the issues that we agree on and attempt to work together to lessen the impact in those areas that we disagree.

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Sign Ordinance:
A constituent recently contacted me about the signs that you see on all of the roads on the weekends advertising new neighborhoods and homes for sale. The person requested that a new Ordinance be passed to prohibit the signs. After looking in to the issue, I replied that I was not willing to amend the existing Ordinance.

The Ordinance in question limits signs from 6:00 pm on Friday to 7:00 am on Monday. Moreover, the Ordinance limits the amount of signs that may be placed in an area (4) and has restrictions on where signs can be put (not within 75 feet of an intersection). Additionally, there are penalties that can be assessed against developers for violating the Ordinance. After reading all of that, it became very clear to me that the problem is not the Ordinance, it is the enforcement of the Ordinance. The County is simply not enforcing an existing Ordinance. At our next Council meeting I intend to make a presentation to staff on the violations that I have seen and photographed and request that the Ordinance be enforced. I believe we will see a significant improvement on this issue within the next 6 to 8 weeks.

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Road Update:
I have made it a goal to update the status of our roads every other month. As I have said before, I receive more questions on this issue than any other and want to keep everyone informed. Here is the latest update:

Pennies-3 Project 11149-007 � I-77/Gold Hill Road Interchange (Funding available - Pennies-3 - $11,649,811 + RFATS CMAQ Grant - $800,000 = $12,449,811)

• Today�s estimate based on concept plans - $12,449,811
• Project Manager � York County Pennies Staff
• Design Engineer � Kimley Horn and Associates
• Environmental Document is underway � Interchange Modification Report (IMR) will officially be submitted to Federal Highways for review the first week of October 2014
• A Diverging Diamond Interchange has been approved Design is underway - 30% Plans are nearly complete
• Right of way is anticipated to begin Summer of 2015 Construction is anticipated to begin Summer of 2016 Estimated construction time 24 months
  
  Pennies-3 Project 11149-004 � US Highway 21/SC Highway 51 Widening Project (Funding available - Pennies-3 - $22,425,371 all local dollars) Today�s estimate based on concept plans = $22,425,371 Project Manager � York County Pennies Staff Design Engineer � STV, Inc. Design is underway - 30% Plans were submitted to SCDOT on September 18, 2014 Right of way is planned for 2015 � 2016 Construction is planned for 2017 and will take approximately 18-24 months

Pennies-2 Project 03020-006 � Tega Cay Connector Project (Funding available - Pennies-2 - $7,431,618)

• Today�s estimate based on 70% right of way plans = $7,431,618
• Project Manager � York County Pennies Staff
• Design Engineer � Campco Engineering Right of way is underway
• Bids are to be advertised in early 2015
• Construction is planned for 2015 and will take approximately 18 months

Pennies-3 Project 11149-001 � SC Highway 160 Zoar Road to NC State Line (Funding Available $8,848,728 - $978,805 CMAQ match - $984,342 to cover SCDOT revised costs at construction = $6,885,581) Note: The SCDOT is administering a York County CMAQ Grant project obtained through the RFATS MPO that will construct approximately 2,200 feet of the Pennies-3 SC Highway 160 project (from Gold Hill Road to Zoar Road) leaving only 2,900 feet of road widening under the Pennies-3 Program

• Design underway Right of way is planned for late 2015
• Bid project January 2016
• Construction to begin early 2016
• 18 month construction timeline

RFATS CMAQ Grant Project � SC Highway 160/Gold Hill Road Intersection (Funding available - CMAQ funding - $5,035,220 + $1,341,159 Federal Funds +$1,238,805 local funds = $7,615,184)

• Today�s estimate based on 90% plans = $8,599,525
• Additional funding needed = $984,341 ($7,615,184 - $8,599,525)
• Project Manager � SCDOT (Julie Barker)
• Design Engineer � Campco Engineering
• Design is underway - 90% Plans complete
• Right of way is underway Bids are to be accepted in November 2014
• Construction will begin in early 2015 and take approximately 18 months (this time frame will depend greatly on traffic control and staging)
• York County staff is working on a recommendation for County Council to approve the use of Pennies-3 11149-001 SC Highway 160 Project funding to cover the new costs estimates ($984,341) and allow the project to proceed with current bid schedule. Vote on that issue should take place at the next Council Meeting in October.

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York County Economic Development Summit:
York Electric Cooperative hosted an Economic Development Summit on September 18th at the Baxter Hood Center. The event was well attended with representatives from industry, local and state government, utilities and the private sector. Attendees heard from a panel made up of James Chavez (SC Power Team), Paul Devine (Childress Klein Properties) and Ronnie Bryant (Charlotte Regional Partnership) on the perception of York County from outsiders. The overwhelming response from the panelists is that York County is quickly becoming the envy of the State and the region. All three predicted that we will see an influx of inquiries from industry and business wanting to move to our area due to our combination of good schools, proximity to Charlotte and I-77 and I-85 and our exemplary work force.

The Summit was not simply an attempt to puff up the County though. Attendees discussed the issues facing our area from the lack of adequate infrastructure on the western side of the County, to how sprawl affects new commercial growth in the highly urban areas of the County. It was also noted that growth is currently focused on the I-77 corridor and that the County must place an emphasis on securing land and insuring that it is ready to be used for economic development. A laundry list of initiatives and ideas were put forth on how to improve economic development in the County. Specifically, it was decided to create a smaller group to study ways to better initiate county-wide economic growth and insure that the Economic Development groups already within the County communicate with each other better and work together.

I believe York County is on the precipice of massive economic growth. If planned and channeled correctly we can see unlimited economic development that spans the spectrum from executive level corporate headquarters to manufacturing. These are jobs that are sorely needed in York County and our state. As a County we are going to have to make decisions on how we can assist with attracting business. One of the bright parts of the Summit came at the end when all the attendees pledged to meet again in the upcoming months to continue to plan and prepare for an increase in economic development.

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Palmetto Plantation HOA and Springfield Middle School PTO:
I want to thank the Palmetto Plantation HOA for having me speak on September 25th. The meeting was well attended and I enjoyed hearing everyone�s concerns and sharing information about the County. I am also scheduled to attend the Springfield Middle School PTO meeting on October 27 at 7:00 pm. I look forward to seeing everyone on the 27th.

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Quick Hitters:

• There are 2,300 miles of roads in York County
• South Carolina has the 4th largest system of state roads in the United States
• South Carolina has the 3rd lowest gas tax (which goes to road maintenance) in the United States
• 200 million gallons of gas are sold annually in York County creating approximately $3.5 million in maintenance funds for the County
• SCDOT estimates that there is a $42 billion shortfall in funding for road repairs between now and 2040

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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.

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

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Thank you for the opportunity and the honor to represent you.
Please let me know if I can help you in any way or if you have questions about these or other issues. Your feedback is meaningful and appreciated.

Sincerely,
Michael Johnson