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Government

  • City upgrading new all-purpose rescue truck

    Lancaster Fire Department’s rescue truck – Rescue 1 – is the most used apparatus in the fleet.
    It not only answers emergency calls in the corporate city limits, but also provides mutual aid to the county in an area from Steele Hill to Heath Springs. In this year’s first 11 months, Rescue 1 responded to 530 calls.
    After a unanimous commitment from Lancaster City Council, there will be an upgraded Rescue 2 in the future to help reduce Rescue 1’s workload.

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  • Deputies’ low pay keeping jobs open

    A lack of competitive salaries is holding down staffing levels at the Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office, and county officials are exploring ways to encourage employee recruitment and retention.
    Lancaster County Sheriff Barry Faile said Dec. 4 he is facing a good news, bad news scenario when it comes to keeping his department fully staffed in the wake of the county’s rapidly growing population.

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  • Let’s set goals for Lancaster, manager says

    When he was hired last month as Lancaster city manager, Flip Hutfles said one of his first goals was setting goals, and he is seeking feedback from city council, city employees and the public to do that very thing.
    He sees a direct relationship between clear goals and the success of any organization, and that includes the day-to-day operation of municipal government.
    “I believe it helps us move in the right direction,” Hutfles said. “That way, I can stay on the same page.”

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  • Lancaster gets $1.5 million sewer grant

    The city of Lancaster has been awarded a $1.5 million grant to pay for about 75 percent of the much-needed sewer system upgrades in the West Arch Street area.
    While it has not yet been determined where the remaining $465,000 to pay for the other 25 percent of the upgrades will come from, accepting the grant is a no-brainer, said Lancaster City Finance Director James Absher.
    “We still aren’t going to turn down $1.5 million,” he said. “We’ll get it from somewhere.”

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  • McClancy request back on the table

    A rezoning request that may lead to some type of expansion at McClancy Seasoning is back on the table, or at least, talking about it is.
    After voting 4-3 earlier this month to deny the rezoning request, on Nov. 23, members of Lancaster County Council passed two motions on the matter.

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  • Council discusses residency requirement again

    A month after a proposed residency requirement for county department heads stalled, county leaders resurrected the idea during Lancaster County Council’s Nov. 9 meeting.
    Councilman Larry Honeycutt, one of the council members who brought the idea back for consideration, said it should be a major condition of employment that county managers and directors live within the county’s borders.
    “Employees who have an impact on how our tax revenue is spent should be residents of Lancaster County,” Honeycutt contended.

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  • Unplanned repairs impact Kershaw budget

    KERSHAW – There are some things you just can’t budget and plan for, no matter how much you’d like to.
    One of them is damage from lightning strikes.
    Kershaw Town Administrator Joe Boyes told town council this week the 2015-16 budget for the Kershaw Recreation Center is out of balance, thanks to Mother Nature.
    The matter came up during the administrator’s monthly financial report at the Nov. 16 town council meeting.

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  • Hutfles takes over as city administrator

    The first item on the agenda for new Lancaster city administrator Steven James “Flip” Hutfles is teaching people how to properly pronounce his name.
    “You say it pretty much like it looks. It’s Hutfles (HUT-fless). That’s the reason I always answer the phone, ‘Hello, this is Flip. How can I help you today?’ It’s also why I made sure they included Flip on this,” he said, laughing while he picked up his nameplate.

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  • City council honors Sowell for 34 years of service

    Helen Sowell will finally get to spend some time with her grandchildren.
    Sowell is stepping down as the City of Lancaster interim administrator.
    Although her official retirement date was May 31, Sowell agreed to stay on until the city found a replacement.
    New City Administrator Steven “Flip” Hutfles starts Monday, Nov. 16.
    City leaders recognized Sowell for her 34 years of service to the municipality at the Tuesday, Nov. 10, Lancaster City Council meeting.

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  • City says no to LCEDC dues

    The City of Lancaster will support the county’s new economic development department instead of the Lancaster County Economic Development Corp.
    City council made that decision Tuesday night, Nov. 10, after hearing a presentation from Lancaster County Council Chairman Bob Bundy about what the county is creating. Last month, city council tabled a vote on its annual LCEDC funding until it got more information about the county’s plan.
    City council had budgeted $25,000 for its 2015-16 LCEDC membership/participation dues, which were due July 1.

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