This year's meeting also featured panel discussions on the importance of advocacy work as well as the importance of forming strong partnerships between county leaders and state legislators.
"It's all about us working together as a team to benefit our citizens," said Union County Supervisor Phillip Russell, one of four panelists.
Russell was joined by Orangeburg County Council Chairman Johnnie Wright and state Reps. Gilda Cobb-Hunter and Doug Gilliam, who highlighted the importance of good communication between councilmembers and legislators.
Attendees also got an update from the South Carolina Emergency Management Division on Hurricane Helene recovery efforts. Emily Bentley, chief of recovery and mitigation, shared the agency's ongoing plans to help counties recover from the storm.
"We're working on a housing strategy, and we're looking at that on a county-by-county basis," she said, noting that solutions that work for urban counties might not be effective in rural counties. She added that Hurricane Helene caused widespread damage that will take time to repair.
"It was a severe event, and we're going to be dealing with recovery for a long, long time," Bentley said.
See photos from the 2024 Fall Advocacy Meeting and Institute of Government.
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