Here’s a recap of Greer City Council’s Sept. 22 meeting:
Approved: CPW capital project financing
Council unanimously approved final reading of two separate measures authorizing financing for two Greer Commission of Public Works (CPW) capital projects.
The first measure would authorize borrowing $1.9 million through the South Carolina Water Quality Revolving Fund Authority to install 6,600 feet of eight-inch line along East Poinsett Street to expand capacity.
The second measure would authorize borrowing $4.2 million from the state’s Water Pollution Control Revolving Fund to replace 12,500 feet of wastewater force main serving industrial and residential customers along the U.S. Highway 101 near BMW Manufacturing.
In brief comments before the votes, CPW General Manager Marc Regier said neither measure would impact the city’s debt. He said the projects are part of broader investments CPW is making in building resiliency and adding capacity to accommodate the region’s rapid growth.
Public comment: Flock camera concerns
Greer resident Mary Dowd addressed council about concerns with Flock cameras and mass surveillance.
She said surveillance did not equal safety and the searchable nature of automated license plate reader (ALPR) systems like those provided by Flock Safety posed a grave risk to the privacy of ordinary citizens. She added such systems have been adopted without public input and urged a wider community conversation about the nature of public safety.
In closing, she urged council to cancel the city’s contract with Flock Safety and to ban the use of ALPRs similar to an effort being pursued by Oconee County.
In August, Greer suspended its Flock camera program for 90 days to conduct an evaluation of the system, policies regarding its use and public concerns about the use of Flock cameras.
Council has requested a workshop on the matter, and following Dowd’s comments instructed city administration to ensure that workshop included a public input component.
