Tuesday, May 12, 2026 · 6:00 PM · Council Chambers, Camden Source: official approved council minutes (approved May 26, 2026)
Present: Chairman Ben Connell, Vice Chairman Russell Brazell (D1), Sammie Tucker Jr. (D2), Derek Shoemake (D3), Jimmy Jones (D4, on call), Brant Tomlinson (D5), Danny Catoe (D6). All members present.
The headline
Council gave the Building Permit Allocation System its third and final reading - it passed 5-2 and is now law, capping new residential building permits to manage the county's growth. On the same night, a slate of related zoning ordinances also received final approval. The measure was softened before final passage: most permits inside already-approved subdivisions are protected, and the concept of a fixed twice-a-year review was loosened.
Votes at a glance ▸ tap to showtap to hide
Building Permit Allocation System - 3rd & FINAL reading - PASSED For 5 · Against 2. ▸ detailsless
Now adopted, effective May 13, 2026. Final passage included a five-part amendment (also 5-2, same split) that:
For: Connell, Tucker, Shoemake, Tomlinson, Catoe. Against: Brazell, Jones.
- reserves 80% of major-subdivision permits for projects with site plans approved before May 13, 2026 (protecting builders already underway);
- caps any single applicant at 20% of the "Category A" permits outside a major subdivision per six-month cycle;
- treats a permit application as complete only once the permit fee is paid;
- changes Council's review of the system from a fixed twice-a-year schedule to "as needed."
Zoning ordinances 10D, 10E, 10F, 10H, 10I, 10J - 3rd & FINAL readings, as a slate - PASSED For 6 · Against 1. ▸ detailsless
These finalize: major-subdivision design standards (5.3.3); buffering/screening/open-space rules (3.5.4); sidewalks on both sides of the right-of-way (5.3.14); naming of easements and drives for 911 addressing (5.1.2-13); stronger developer performance guarantees (5.2.4-7); and longer staff-review timelines for development submittals (5.2)
Against: Jones.
Impact Assessments ordinance, 10K (5.2.9-3) - 3rd & FINAL reading - PASSED For 5 · Against 2. ▸ detailsless
Lets the Planning Commission consider impact assessments - including from the school district - when approving developments
Against: Brazell, Jones.
Off-Street Parking ordinance, 10G (3:6) - TABLED to May 26 - unanimous. ▸ detailsless
Held for more discussion
Fee-in-Lieu of Ad Valorem Taxes agreement ("Project Ballast") - 1st reading, title only - PASSED unanimously. ▸ detailsless
A tax-incentive agreement for an unnamed company's project in the county
Joint Industrial & Business Park agreement (Kershaw - Fairfield) - 2nd reading - PASSED unanimously. ▸ detailsless
Reduces the park's boundaries by removing certain Kershaw County properties
Two proclamations - PASSED unanimously: ▸ detailsless
May as ALS Awareness Month (honoring five individuals, with Sheriff Lee Boan participating), and recognition of North Central High School's Iron Knights weightlifting team for a third straight state title
Approval of April 28 minutes - PASSED. ▸ detailsless
Chairman Connell abstained (he was absent from that meeting)
Executive session ▸ detailsless
(two attorney-client legal briefings) was entered and exited unanimously; no action was reported out
Also of note ▸ tap to showtap to hide
- Public comment / hearings: Five people signed up to speak at the Building Permit Allocation System hearing; other hearings had no speakers. (The minutes record attendance and topics only, not remarks - topics included the permit system, growth, and a proposed hate-crimes ordinance.)
- Administrator's update: county parks nearing completion, the pool opens May 16, and the Pecan Orchard drainage issue is still being worked with property owners.
Coming up ▸ tap to showtap to hide
- May 26: Off-Street Parking ordinance (10G) returns for its third reading.
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