City Council Honors Employee Milestones
Many employees were recognized for milestone work anniversaries with the City of Newberry at Tuesday’s City Council meeting.
For his 20 years of service with the Newberry Police Department, Justin Weaver was recognized by council.
Weaver’s supervisor, Chief Kevin Goodman described him as loyal and dedicated, saying no matter when he was called upon, he was willing to serve.
Khadijah Gaskins, was also recognized for her five years of service with the police department.
“She’s got a huge heart for the community, especially for kids,” Goodman said of Gaskins.
From the parks, recreation and tourism (PRT) Department, Marquerite Palmer was then recognized for her 10 years of service.
PRT Director Collin Shealy described Palmer as not only a valued leader, but cornerstone of the city’s PRT team.
“Marquerite continues to inspire and grow the reach of the arts, making sure that programs, camps and events are available to everyone in our community,” Shealy said.
Kim Hunter was then recognized for her 20 years of service with the city’s finance department.
“Her friendliness and dependability leave a lasting impression, and she is truly a joy to work with every day,” said Shannon Smith, finance director and Hunter’s supervisor.
From the Newberry Fire Department, Michael Parker and Tim Beaudoin were recognized for their 10 year and five-year work anniversaries respectively.
Fire Chief Gene Shealy said Parker was a vital asset to the fire department, but also to the community. Of Beaudoin, Shealy said he was a great firefighter and engineer, recently receiving a lifesaving medal for his actions at an emergency scene.
In the public works department, Chuck Wesser was then recognized for his five years of service.
Joe Kitchen, public works director and Wesser’s supervisor said their department was lucky to have him on their team.
“He keeps our offices running smoothly and plays a huge part in keeping Newberry in tip-top shape,” Kitchen said.
Within the utilities department, William Attaway was then recognized for five years of service.
Scott Motsinger, utility director and Attaway’s supervisor said he was one of two that kept the city’s right of ways cut for water, sewer and electric.
“This is a very behind the scenes job but is a vital one for keeping our services available,” Motsinger said of Attaway’s position.
Nate Loudermilk, also in utilities, was also recognized for five years of service.
Motsinger said that Loudermilk had really taken ownership of the role with the city’s fiber system, continuing to learn and grow daily with his skills.
“We thank you for your dedication, loyalty and contributions to Newberry utilities,” he said.
Announcements/Updates
Mayor Foster Senn shared good news from around Newberry to include the most recent employee spotlight, Tiffani Robinson from the Newberry Fire Department. Senn highlighted the police department’s National Night Out event, the Parks and Recreation milestone of surpassing 10,000 visitors to Gully Washer Splash Park, the adult senior luncheon hosted by PRT, the city’s Urban Forest Master Plan article being picked up by a national website and the ribbon cutting at La Michoacana Ice Cream and Tacos Don Mane.
Also under announcements, Senn shared that the Newberry Fire Department had received the Fire Safe Award for 2024. The department earned this award through personnel completing Community Risk Reduction training, submitting quality national and state data reporting, community engagement, as well as public education programs.
This is the sixth consecutive year that Newberry has been designated as a FireSafeSC community.
Senn then shared several proclamations with those in attendance:
- Fire Prevention Week (October 5-11)
- National Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15 – October 15)
- Public Power Week (October 5-11)
- Constitution Week (September 17-23)
New Business
Under new business, council approved a resolution committing the city to providing a local match for a Municipal Association of South Carolina (MASC) Hometown Economic Development Grant and following its procurement policy when securing services and products with grant funds.
Senn said that city staff intends to apply for a grant for planning funds for revitalization of the Newberry Historic District, to include the back streets. The resolution commits the city to a 5% match of at least $1,250 towards a maximum of $23,750 award for a total of $25,000 as well as committing to following the city’s procurement policy adopted in accordance with SC Code of Laws Section 11-35-50.
There was much community interest in remembering and honoring the back streets, Senn said and he named a committee to recommend appropriate recognition. The committee is composed of:
- Councilman Lemont Glasgow
- Councilman Carlton Kinard
- Birdell Dennis
- Gloria Glasgow
- Joe McDonald
- David Abrams (unexpectedly passed away recently)
Senn said the committee met several times and considered different sites and ideas. City Manager Jason Taylor said they voted to select a site located at the intersection of Nance and Friend Streets, a portion of an existing parking lot.
Taylor said they hoped to celebrate history and make this as a gateway into Friend Street.
Motion to approve the resolution was made by Glasgow and seconded by Kinard.
Kinard said he thought this was a great opportunity to share history so it would not be forgotten.
Also approved Tuesday was the fiscal year 2026-27 budget calendar. Motion to approve the calendar was made by Councilperson Jackie Holmes and seconded by Councilperson David Force.
Council will begin reviewing the fiscal year 2026-27 budget on April 21, 2026 and continue on the evenings of April 29 and April 30 if needed. The work sessions are suggested to start at 5 p.m. It is recommended that the regular council meeting remains at its normal time and date of May 12 at 7 p.m.
City Council will plan to conduct first reading and public hearing of the budget ordinance during the June 19, 2026 meeting and second reading and adoption of the budget ordinance would be held the following Tuesday at a special meeting of City Council on Tuesday, June 16.
Motion was then made by Councilperson David DuBose and seconded by Holmes to approve the 2026 regular city council meeting and work session dates. Regular council meetings will be held at 7 p.m. (apart from the June 16 meeting) on the second Tuesday of each month.
Also approved Tuesday was one appointment to the Zoning Board of Appeals. Motion was made by Senn and seconded by Force to appoint Joe Goekner for a two-year term.
Consideration of a request was then approved to authorize the city manager to purchase a portion of parcel #343-5-7-10. Motion to approve was made by Kinard and seconded by Glasgow.
Taylor said a portion of this lot would allow for the Back Streets project mentioned previously.
Consideration of a franchise agreement request was then approved from Spectrum Southeast, LLC at a 5% franchise fee rate. Motion to approve the request was made by Councilperson Clay Smith and seconded by Glasgow.
Taylor said when a telecommunications company comes to a city, they allow the city to charge them a franchise fee. A recommendation of 5% was made to keep consistent with what the city is doing with others, he said.
Public Comment
Several members of the public spoke on Tuesday regarding the potential closure of a section of Boundary Street.
Lillie Hunter shared that their community wanted their voices to be genuinely heard and for potential outcomes to be weight and informed choices to be made regarding the decision.
“Is it possible to come to a compromise to benefit the church, school, and community,” she questioned.
Frank Burnside offered his suggestions in place of closing the portion of Boundary to include caution lights that stopped traffic during portions of the day, while Engle Thompson shared concerns about lack of communication regarding a previous town hall meeting hosted by another entity.
Representative Walt McLeod shared some history of Boundary Street to include those that had lived in the area throughout the years. He said he felt the street was a Newberry institution that should be cherished.
Blackwell Johnson shard that he had three students in Boundary Street School and believed this new charter school would be a great opportunity for Newberry and the influx of people near the downtown area would be good for small businesses in the area.
“I hope we can look at this optimistically to see how this could benefit everyone,” he said.
City Council will hold their next regular meeting on Tuesday, October 14 at 7 p.m.
Many employees were recognized for milestone work anniversaries with the City of Newberry at Tuesday’s City Council meeting.
For his 20 years of service with the Newberry Police Department, Justin Weaver was recognized by council.
Weaver’s supervisor, Chief Kevin Goodman described him as loyal and dedicated, saying no matter when he was called upon, he was willing to serve.
Khadijah Gaskins, was also recognized for her five years of service with the police department.
“She’s got a huge heart for the community, especially for kids,” Goodman said of Gaskins.
From the parks, recreation and tourism (PRT) Department, Marquerite Palmer was then recognized for her 10 years of service.
PRT Director Collin Shealy described Palmer as not only a valued leader, but cornerstone of the city’s PRT team.
“Marquerite continues to inspire and grow the reach of the arts, making sure that programs, camps and events are available to everyone in our community,” Shealy said.
Kim Hunter was then recognized for her 20 years of service with the city’s finance department.
“Her friendliness and dependability leave a lasting impression, and she is truly a joy to work with every day,” said Shannon Smith, finance director and Hunter’s supervisor.
From the Newberry Fire Department, Michael Parker and Tim Beaudoin were recognized for their 10 year and five-year work anniversaries respectively.
Fire Chief Gene Shealy said Parker was a vital asset to the fire department, but also to the community. Of Beaudoin, Shealy said he was a great firefighter and engineer, recently receiving a lifesaving medal for his actions at an emergency scene.
In the public works department, Chuck Wesser was then recognized for his five years of service.
Joe Kitchen, public works director and Wesser’s supervisor said their department was lucky to have him on their team.
“He keeps our offices running smoothly and plays a huge part in keeping Newberry in tip-top shape,” Kitchen said.
Within the utilities department, William Attaway was then recognized for five years of service.
Scott Motsinger, utility director and Attaway’s supervisor said he was one of two that kept the city’s right of ways cut for water, sewer and electric.
“This is a very behind the scenes job but is a vital one for keeping our services available,” Motsinger said of Attaway’s position.
Nate Loudermilk, also in utilities, was also recognized for five years of service.
Motsinger said that Loudermilk had really taken ownership of the role with the city’s fiber system, continuing to learn and grow daily with his skills.
“We thank you for your dedication, loyalty and contributions to Newberry utilities,” he said.
Announcements/Updates
Mayor Foster Senn shared good news from around Newberry to include the most recent employee spotlight, Tiffani Robinson from the Newberry Fire Department. Senn highlighted the police department’s National Night Out event, the Parks and Recreation milestone of surpassing 10,000 visitors to Gully Washer Splash Park, the adult senior luncheon hosted by PRT, the city’s Urban Forest Master Plan article being picked up by a national website and the ribbon cutting at La Michoacana Ice Cream and Tacos Don Mane.
Also under announcements, Senn shared that the Newberry Fire Department had received the Fire Safe Award for 2024. The department earned this award through personnel completing Community Risk Reduction training, submitting quality national and state data reporting, community engagement, as well as public education programs.
This is the sixth consecutive year that Newberry has been designated as a FireSafeSC community.
Senn then shared several proclamations with those in attendance:
- Fire Prevention Week (October 5-11)
- National Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15 – October 15)
- Public Power Week (October 5-11)
- Constitution Week (September 17-23)
New Business
Under new business, council approved a resolution committing the city to providing a local match for a Municipal Association of South Carolina (MASC) Hometown Economic Development Grant and following its procurement policy when securing services and products with grant funds.
Senn said that city staff intends to apply for a grant for planning funds for revitalization of the Newberry Historic District, to include the back streets. The resolution commits the city to a 5% match of at least $1,250 towards a maximum of $23,750 award for a total of $25,000 as well as committing to following the city’s procurement policy adopted in accordance with SC Code of Laws Section 11-35-50.
There was much community interest in remembering and honoring the back streets, Senn said and he named a committee to recommend appropriate recognition. The committee is composed of:
- Councilman Lemont Glasgow
- Councilman Carlton Kinard
- Birdell Dennis
- Gloria Glasgow
- Joe McDonald
- David Abrams (unexpectedly passed away recently)
Senn said the committee met several times and considered different sites and ideas. City Manager Jason Taylor said they voted to select a site located at the intersection of Nance and Friend Streets, a portion of an existing parking lot.
Taylor said they hoped to celebrate history and make this as a gateway into Friend Street.
Motion to approve the resolution was made by Glasgow and seconded by Kinard.
Kinard said he thought this was a great opportunity to share history so it would not be forgotten.
Also approved Tuesday was the fiscal year 2026-27 budget calendar. Motion to approve the calendar was made by Councilperson Jackie Holmes and seconded by Councilperson David Force.
Council will begin reviewing the fiscal year 2026-27 budget on April 21, 2026 and continue on the evenings of April 29 and April 30 if needed. The work sessions are suggested to start at 5 p.m. It is recommended that the regular council meeting remains at its normal time and date of May 12 at 7 p.m.
City Council will plan to conduct first reading and public hearing of the budget ordinance during the June 19, 2026 meeting and second reading and adoption of the budget ordinance would be held the following Tuesday at a special meeting of City Council on Tuesday, June 16.
Motion was then made by Councilperson David DuBose and seconded by Holmes to approve the 2026 regular city council meeting and work session dates. Regular council meetings will be held at 7 p.m. (apart from the June 16 meeting) on the second Tuesday of each month.
Also approved Tuesday was one appointment to the Zoning Board of Appeals. Motion was made by Senn and seconded by Force to appoint Joe Goekner for a two-year term.
Consideration of a request was then approved to authorize the city manager to purchase a portion of parcel #343-5-7-10. Motion to approve was made by Kinard and seconded by Glasgow.
Taylor said a portion of this lot would allow for the Back Streets project mentioned previously.
Consideration of a franchise agreement request was then approved from Spectrum Southeast, LLC at a 5% franchise fee rate. Motion to approve the request was made by Councilperson Clay Smith and seconded by Glasgow.
Taylor said when a telecommunications company comes to a city, they allow the city to charge them a franchise fee. A recommendation of 5% was made to keep consistent with what the city is doing with others, he said.
Public Comment
Several members of the public spoke on Tuesday regarding the potential closure of a section of Boundary Street.
Lillie Hunter shared that their community wanted their voices to be genuinely heard and for potential outcomes to be weight and informed choices to be made regarding the decision.
“Is it possible to come to a compromise to benefit the church, school, and community,” she questioned.
Frank Burnside offered his suggestions in place of closing the portion of Boundary to include caution lights that stopped traffic during portions of the day, while Engle Thompson shared concerns about lack of communication regarding a previous town hall meeting hosted by another entity.
Representative Walt McLeod shared some history of Boundary Street to include those that had lived in the area throughout the years. He said he felt the street was a Newberry institution that should be cherished.
Blackwell Johnson shard that he had three students in Boundary Street School and believed this new charter school would be a great opportunity for Newberry and the influx of people near the downtown area would be good for small businesses in the area.
“I hope we can look at this optimistically to see how this could benefit everyone,” he said.
City Council will hold their next regular meeting on Tuesday, October 14 at 7 p.m.
