March 2024

FEATURE

Challenges, Opportunities Shared During Counties Connect 2024

County officials from around the state gathered in Columbia for two days of education, collaboration and advocacy during Counties Connect 2024. This year’s event on Feb. 20-21 saw more than 150 participants who took part in Institute of Government classes, the Council Chairperson’s Workshop, Legislative Reception and Counties Connect: A Legislative Action Day.  

“We had a great turnout this year! It was wonderful to connect with so many county officials from around the state and to see them collaborate with each other on issues that affect many of our counties,” said South Carolina Association of Counties President Roy Costner III. “It was especially rewarding during our trip to the State House to see some of our county officials recognized on the Senate floor for the work they do for their constituents.”

Read more about this year's Counties Connect.

EVENTS

Coming Soon! Registration for the 2024 Annual Conference

Registration information for SCAC's 2024 Annual Conference and Institute of Government will hit county officials' inboxes later this week. The events are July 29-31 at Wild Dunes Resort on Isle of Palms.

Remember, you must be registered before you will be sent a Wild Dunes Resort hotel room reservation link. The reservation link will first be sent to registered Institute of Government for County Officials participants.

Registration opens this week!

COUNTY SPOTLIGHT

Partners in Preparedness: Georgetown County's Ellis Earns SCEMA Honor

Brandon Ellis (center) was named Director of the Year by the South Carolina Emergency Management Association during an award ceremony earlier this year.

Brandon Ellis wears several hats, including Georgetown County Emergency Services Director and Emergency Manager. His leadership saw the Emergency Services Department recognized as Agency of the Year by the South Carolina Emergency Management Association (SCEMA) in 2023. And this year, Ellis was honored by SCEMA as Director of the Year. 

“We have worked very hard to develop and maintain a well-rounded and fundamentally sound emergency response team in Georgetown County,” Ellis said. “Our emergency response team extends well beyond our traditional emergency response agencies and includes many partners and stakeholders from our municipalities, voluntary organizations and even the private sector. These relationships, and the capabilities that these partner agencies bring to the table are essential to our community’s preparedness and response to the numerous hazards we face, as well as our resiliency after any event.” 

Learn more about the future of emergency services in Georgetown County.

GRANT CENTRAL STATION

Get Moving on Transportation Funding Opportunities

Transportation Alternatives Program to Hold Workshop

The SC Department of Transportation will present the 2024 Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP) Application Workshop from 10 a.m. to noon Monday, March 25.

Potential Applicants may attend in person at SCDOT headquarters in Columbia or view the livestream.

A recording of the workshop will also be available online after the presentation.

More information is available here or by contacting Amy Blinson at (803) 737-1952 or

blinsonal@scdot.org.

Diesel Admission Reduction Project Deadline April 26

The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) announced the availability of grant funding for projects aimed at improving air quality by reducing diesel emissions.

DHEC has approximately $430,000 available for the replacement or upgrade of older diesel vehicles, engines and equipment. These funds are provided through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Diesel Emissions Reduction Act (DERA) program.

The State DERA Request for Proposals, which contains detailed eligibility criteria and application instructions, is available at scdhec.gov/dera. Applications are due by April 26, 2024.

AWARDS

SCAC Memorial Awards Competition Is Moving to the Fall!

Pictured above from left: SCAC Immediate Past President Debbie Summers presents the 2023 J. Mitchell Graham Memorial Award to Charleston County Board of Voter Registration and Elections Executive Director Isaac Cramer and County Council Chairman Herb Sass.

Based on feedback we received from members and the condensed annual conference schedule implemented two years ago, SCAC has adopted a new timeline for the J. Mitchell Graham and Barrett Lawrimore Memorial Awards Program. This schedule will give us time to properly recognize and honor our counties for their innovative and collaborative projects.

The 2024 Awards Competition will take place on September 19 at the SC ETV studio in Columbia. The announcement of winning projects and recognition of all participants will occur during an awards luncheon held in conjunction with SCAC’s Fall Advocacy Meeting on October 17 in Columbia. 

The call for project entries will be released in May. This includes important dates and deadlines, competition rules, and an online application, which will be available at sccounties.org/awards. 

CYBER SECURITY

How to Play Strong Defense Against Social Engineering

Social engineering attacks are on the rise and cyber criminals are finding new ways to target you and your information. Learn more about the different types of attacks being used and how you can protect yourself personally and professionally in this article by the S.C. Department of Administration's Division of Information Security.

SCAC ON SOCIAL

Learn how local counties are addressing the national EMS worker shortage, read about counties finding creative ways to maximize limited resources, and more! View the new online edition of County Focus magazine at https://bit.ly/CFWinter24!

“Companies are looking for the one place they can locate to maximize return on investment,” Maceo Nance of @SCcommerce tells county officials during our economic development session. #countiesconnect2024

🥳 Congrats to Horry County Solid Waste Authority on the awards they recently received from the SC Counties Insurance Trusts. The Outstanding Safety Achievement Award + the Sustained Excellence in Risk Management Award for continued excellence in risk mgmt. 🏆@HorryCounty_Gov

STAY UP TO DATE WITH THE LATEST FROM SCAC

Already a subscriber? Select which emails you want to receive from SCAC and cut down on clutter in your inbox.

Manage emails

Not subscribed but you'd like to be? Sign up for SCAC's mailing list.

Sign up for emails