Abbeville City Council met Monday night in a special meeting and voted unanimously to change its regular monthly meeting day from the second Tuesday of the month to the second Wednesday of the month.
The meeting time will stay the same--7 p.m.
The decision followed a lengthy discussion among Council members. Council had previously passed first reading on an ordinance to change the meeting day to Monday, and Monday night’s meeting was scheduled to include second reading on the ordinance, but City Council member James Jackson said that that change would not be agreeable to everyone.
“I don’t want to hurt anyone,” he said.
Council member Chris Crawford noted that he teaches at Piedmont Tech on Mondays and Thursdays. Greeson, meanwhile, had a business conflict with Tuesdays.
The discussion then turned to a search for another day.
Friday was not a suitable choice for everyone, but no one seemed to have a problem with Wednesday.
Council member Faye Thomas made the motion to change the day to Wednesday, and Council approved the amendment, and then approved the ordinance as amended.
The new format will take effect next month, City Manager Blake Stone said.
Also Monday night, new City Council member John Sutherland was sworn in by City Judge Bill McNeil.
Sutherland will represent City Council District Three on Council. He will fill the unexpired term left by Trey Edwards when Edwards was elected Mayor of Abbeville.
Sutherland won a special City Council election on March 9 to fill the term.
Also, City Council passed first reading on an amendment to a City Council measure to encourage rehabilitation of historic properties.
Also, Council voted to reappoint Dave Bacon to the Planning Commission, and tabled two other appointments to that Commission.
Bacon was present at the meeting Monday night, and told Council he would be willing to serve again if reappointed.
The other appointments were to fill the terms of Jason Walker and Betty Simpson, who according to the City did not wish to serve again.
No one on Council had nominations for those two slots Monday night, and the matter was tabled.
Council also discussed the community-wide clean up in Abbeville on Saturday.
“It was a very good turnout,” said Mayor Trey Edwards of the volunteers who came out to pick up trash along with streets in the Abbeville community.
“It was a good day,” he continued, noting that a clean up could be done periodically in the future.