Save Lexington SC

📢 TOWN COUNCIL MEETING

🗓 Monday, October 5, 2026
📍 Council Chambers, 111 Maiden Lane

🕔 5:00 PM – Executive Session
🕕 6:00 PM – Open Session

EXECUTIVE SESSION

1. Review pending litigation.
2. Personnel matter: Discuss updates to the employee handbook.

PUBLIC HEARING & OLD BUSINESS – FINAL READING
1. Cross-Connection Control Program – Ordinance to prevent contaminants from entering the water supply through backflow.

NEW BUSINESS
1. Law Enforcement Assistance & Support Agreement - Approve an agreement with the Town of Batesburg-Leesville due to their newly appointed police chief.

2. Building Codes Administration - First reading of proposed amendments to Chapter 150, based on guidance from the SC Building Codes Officials Association. There will be no change to the enforcement or application of the codes.

3. US 1 at Harmon St. / Martel Dr. Intersection Improvements - Authorize intersection improvements and utilities and approve a $100,000 design fee. This extends construction until late 2027.

4. N. Church St. Parking Lot Lighting - Approve a lighting agreement with Dominion. The annual cost for 12 LED light poles is $9,481 before sales tax, with an initial term of 10 years and annual renewals.

5. First reading - Purchase 16 acres at 159 Corley Mill Rd, for the Sunset Split Project. An appraisal has been completed.

PUBLIC COMMENT
Any member of the public who would like to address Town Council may do so for up to 3 minutes before the meeting ends.

📺 Stream on YouTube

📄 Meeting Materials:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1m2ZJVlHtacdD3G9NHiY5cxK8xdxsOQ_M/view?usp=sharing

Ethics complaints filed against Mayor Pro-Tem Todd Carnes for his handling of a development project ⬇️

The Post and Courier Columbia covers the story.

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/19PXx8c24A/?mibextid=wwXIfr

The complaints allege the town councilmember used his position to encourage the development, which he has professional and personal stakes in. (Full story below.)

This is Greg Brewer - founder of Save LexingtonSC posting.

One of our council reps, Gavin Gavin J. Smith asked: What do we expect of our council body/reps.

I think this is an important question that we should constantly be asking ourselves and serving up answers. I am sharing this as we consider the future of our town and how it is most effectively managed and fairly represented. His post's responses are quite limited thus far so sharing here to elicit more resident feedback.

What do you think about our political governance? Ideas? 💡

📢 Planning Commission Meeting
🗓 Wednesday, September 23, 2026
📍 Council Chambers, 111 Maiden Lane
🕟 7:30 AM - Breakfast
🕟 8:00 PM - Meeting

New Business:
1. Sign Ordinance Amendments, Chapter 159, proposed refined amendments, with most notable amendments including:

Most Notable Changes Include:

* Window Signage: Establishes standards for permanent and temporary window signage, including allowing permanent window graphics to cover up to 25% of the total glazed area of each storefront elevation. Permanent window signage will count toward the business’s overall allowable number of signs and maximum display area.
* Signable Wall Area: Revises the definition and calculation of signable wall area to provide a clearer and more consistent standard for determining allowable wall signage and addressing architectural features.
* Commercial Center Signage: Clarifies signage allowances for commercial centers, including individual tenants, end-cap locations, and corner lots.
* General Housekeeping: Resolves conflicting or duplicative provisions, updates definitions and terminology, and clarifies language throughout the ordinance to improve consistency and administration.

See pages 8-31 at the link below for exact proposed wording.

Stream on Town’s YouTube channel

Meeting materials here:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1UHlyc7JSsCiw5hVWEAI9Qej36PQgcj3l/view?usp=sharing

📢 Town Council Meeting
🗓 Monday, September 21, 2026
📍 Council Chambers, 111 Maiden Lane
🕟 5:00 PM - Executive Session
🕟 6:00 PM - Open Session

Agenda for Executive Session:
1. Discuss potential property acquisition
Review pending litigation
2. Discuss contractural matter related to roadway project

Agenda, Open Session, New Business:
1. Proposed amendment to Chapter 150, Building Codes Administration, based on guidance by the SC Building Codes Officials Association, there will be no change to the enforcement or application of the codes.
2. US 1 at Harmon St / Martel Dr intersection improvement, utilities, approve $100k design fee, this extends construction until late 2027.
3. N Church St parking lot lighting agreement with Dominion, annual cost for 12 LED light poles is $9,481 before sales tax.
4. Review Street Light Ordinance, to consider the town’s financial obligation, existing and future neighborhoods, and specifications.

For Council Information:
1. N Church St parking lot - intent to award to lowest bidder of 15 applicants who is Coogler Construction with a bid of $1,005,301.99. Work will be completed in early 2027.

Stream on YouTube

Meeting materials:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Rh-sLFiHpmpqz5GquU4s46hUl1HYphKG/view?usp=drivesdk

🚨 Court ruling - Town of Lexington ordered to pay West Columbia $5.7 million over a long-running water service dispute.
A judge found Lexington illegally served 263 properties in West Columbia’s area, underreported customers/water use from shared lines, and described the town’s record-keeping as “sloppy at best and fraudulent at worst.”

Lexington is permanently barred from serving six specific subdivisions and must now audit its accounts and connections to identify any remaining unreported customers.

West Columbia was awarded roughly $3.8 million for lost revenue, with a total judgment of $5.7 million. The court rejected Lexington’s defenses.

Full story: https://www.postandcourier.com/columbia/news/lexington-west-columbia-water-lawsuit/article_324eee68-db0b-48ab-bf8d-03b0649cd982.html

A clear accountability issue for Lexington taxpayers. We’ll keep following the audit and next steps.

The Post and Courier Columbia covered the commercial development conflict of interest story. See below.

Development on scenic Lexington road gets key approval. Two councilmembers have ties to the project. As a 7.5-acre redevelopment project moves forward in Lexington County, it is spurring tensions between town officials, as some have ties to the project's developer.

🚨 CONFLICT OF INTEREST - Town Councilman Todd Carnes represents his son-in-law, the buyer of a commercial property seeking “upzoning” for commercial development. (see 🚨 agenda item below)

📢 Town Council Meeting
🗓 Tuesday, September 8, 2026
📍 Council Chambers, 111 Maiden Lane
🕟 3:45 PM - Executive Session
🕟 6:00 PM - Open Session

Agenda for Executive Session:
1. Review pending litigation
2. Personnel item
3. Town prosecutor contract
4. Legal advice on council roles and responsibilities
5. Legal advice on town policies and procedures
6. Discuss potential property acquisition

Agenda, Open Session, New Business:
1. Review consent letter for Ripple Fiber LLC franchise agreement. Frontier Communications is acquiring Ripple Fiber LLC. Existing obligations would remain in effect.

2. Request for Pilgrim Point street lights for the town to pay the pro rata portion of the bill of $2,671.76.

3. Approve cross-connection control program to prevent contaminants from entering the water supply through backflow.

4. First Reading to update ordinance governing cross-connection control program.

5. Annex 2.08 acres on the corner of Georgia Ln and Old Cherokee Rd for two single family lots, First Reading.

🚨 6. Rezone 7.48 acres in the 500 block of Corley Mill Rd from Office Commercial (OC) to Limited Commercial (LC), First Reading. This is “upzoning” or increasing the permitted range of use or commercial development potential. Town Council votes to set the zoning and developmental standards. Town council also appoints all members of boards and commissions who approve any exemptions or rezoning. On August 26, Town Councilman Mayor Pro Tem Todd Carnes appeared and spoke before Planning Commission as the buyer’s agent for this property and described the request as a “small upzoning.” Councilman Todd Carnes co-owns a local real estate brokerage with his partner, fellow Town Councilman Todd Lyles, who was also present at the Planning Commission meeting. The proposal includes an initial phase with a 4,600 sq ft office building and a 4,600 sq ft golf simulator, with another phase that includes two more 4,600 sq ft buildings. The Bear Fruit Collective, LLC is the potential buyer, and their address, email, and phone number are redacted on their application, which is highly unusual as it is a public record and does not meet legal standards for redaction. Councilman Todd Carnes is the father-in-law of the applicant with financial interest in the Bear Fruit Collective, LLC, creating a conflict of interest as a sitting councilman with financial interest as the buyer's agent for his son-in-law. This "upzoning" request can create additional "value" in the property. A map of where this property is located is also in the attached images. Planning Commission reviewed this proposal, a member of Planning Commission recused himself, and the commission ultimately recommended to council in a 5-2 vote to approve the rezoning request. Prior to the vote, a commissioner encouraged the potential buyer to develop it within the existing zoning. Of note, the applicant is not bound by the proposed development in the application if Town Council approves the rezoning request and could build anything permitted under the new Limited Commercial (LC) designation.

🚨 7. Amend Corley Mill Preserve Planned Unit Development, First Reading, for the property above in agenda item #6.

Stream https://youtu.be/WD8n24iaQDo

Meeting materials here https://drive.google.com/file/d/1HQEvtXqT7yhFIwxffttVBaPf5a-q3-Wg/view?usp=sharing

📢 Planning Commission Meeting
🗓 Wednesday, August 26, 2026
📍 Council Chambers, 111 Maiden Lane
🕟 7:30 AM - Breakfast
🕟 8:00 AM - Meeting

Planning Commission reviews site plans for residential and commercial developments and makes recommendations to Town Council about land-use, rezoning, planned developments, and road classifications.

Agenda:
1. Annex 2.08 acres at the corner of Georgia Ln and Cherokee Trail for two single family residential lots.
✅ Motion to approve, 8-0

2. Rezone 7.48 acres in the 500 block of Corley Mill Rd from Office Commercial to Limited Commercial with a phased Planned Unit Development (PUD) overlay for an initial phase with a 4,600 sq ft office building and a 4,600 sq ft golf simulator. The business making this request is called The Bear Fruit Collective, LLC, and they request the rezoning to accommodate the full mix of low intensity uses they propose.
✅ Motion to approve, 5-2

*Items #2 & #3 are the same project but require different votes, and a commissioner recused himself for both of these items. Additionally, Town Councilman Todd Carnes spoke on behalf of the applicant as he is the realtor representing the buyer, and his business partner, Town Councilman Todd Lyles, was also in attendance.*

3. Amend Corley Mill Preserve Planned Unit Development (PUD) for the rezoning in #2 above and to remove the Scenic Corridor protections on Corley Mill Rd, claiming the project has unique circumstances that it should be exempt from the protections put in place in 2025. This is the 604 unit project approved in 2017 and includes both commercial and residential. Approving a PUD allows a developer to bypass existing developmental rules. The rezoning was required to allow the golf simulator.
✅ Motion to approve the amendment to rezone from Office Commercial to Limited Commercial, but keep the Scenic Corridor protections in place, 7-0.
🚨 Denying the Scenic Corridor exemption requires the developer to do a tree survey approved by the town.

4. Approve sketch plan for a 2.32 acre subdivision at 517 Corley St for 3 single family detached homes, including a flag lot.
✅ Motion to approve, 8-0

Stream on YouTube here:
https://youtu.be/_oNCTX_3ELs?si=lv--hqC9Az4AcARR

Meeting materials here:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1dw16rqBx-slyBOHQ60R_wFpvRuF6CLFZ/view?usp=drivesdk