City Council Looks at Zoning, Fire Department Pact with County EMS
Greg Wilson/Anderson Observer
Anderson City Council will look at a partnership between the Anderson City Fire Department and Anderson County Emergency Medical Services as part of Monday’s regular meeting at 6 p.m. in the council chambers downtown.
The meeting is also scheduled to include zoning decisions, a cybersecurity pact and the swearing in of new City Councilman Marshall I. Pickens, III in Seat 2.
The cooperative effort between the fire is a memorandum of agreement with Anderson County EMS to support paramedic-level response within the city limits. Under the arrangement, the city would supply personnel and equipment while the county provides physician-level medical control, training, and some supply support as Anderson works toward its own licensure. There is no funding request tied directly to the MOA since funding is primarily being provided by the South Carolina Opioid Recovery Fund.
The most visible land-use item is a rezoning request for 1401 South Fant Street and five associated lots, where the city is being asked to turn a long-dormant funeral home site from single-family residential to neighborhood commercial so the use can resume. Planning staff note that the property previously operated as a funeral home as a legal nonconforming use, but that status expired when the business closed; the Planning Commission recommended approval after “significant deliberation.”
Council will also consider annexing and zoning 3415 Clemson Boulevard for general commercial use, a move tied to a four-acre parcel that long functioned as the Ralph Hayes automobile dealership and sits as a pocket of property surrounded by city limits. The planning materials say the site is consistent with nearby development and typical of the Clemson Boulevard corridor.
The city also seeks to renew the IT contract with Sharp Business Systems which has handled the city’s managed services and cybersecurity for three years. The new three-year term at $22,950 per month, or $275,400 annually, with rates held steady over the life of the contract.
Council will also issue proclamations for Fair Housing Month and Community Development Week, both of which connect Anderson to broader federal and local efforts around affordability and access.
