Population 1-1,000: Town of Greeleyville

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Among the department's partners were Anderson County, Anderson University, the highway patrol and a local high school drama class. Together, they put on a drunk-driving accident reenactment complete with EMS, a rescue helicopter, body bags, gruesome make-up and grief-stricken survivors. They staged the reenactment in front of approximately 500 high school students the week before prom, a night when drunk-driving accidents typically soar.

The Anderson Communications Department filmed the event to share with a broader audience. It has replayed on the city's cable access channel several times so that students from other high schools can view it.

A grant from the Office of Highway Safety made the project possible. The project was inarguably successful. During a busy 2009 prom and graduation season, there were no alcohol-related accidents in the city.
Contact Linda McConnell at lmcconnell@cityofandersonsc.com or 864.231.2200. 

Barnwell
For 30 years, Barnwell housed its city hall in a small 1950s bungalow away from downtown. There was no drive-through for customers wanting to pay bills, and council chambers were so small that only a few additional people could attend meetings. Employees were cramped in small offices, sharing space with filing cabinets and other storage. Everyone was ready to move on.

The city had saved for years and had enough cash on hand to purchase a significant piece of property. Instead of building a new facility, city officials saw a chance to become a visible presence downtown. Leaders opted to buy a vacant, prominent bank building downtown. The city renovated the building to fit city administration's needs, while maintaining the structure's historic character.

After a long and careful process, city departments moved into their new home. The new facility offers enough room for city employees and for the public to pay bills or attend council meetings. The city brings in extra revenue by renting out the second story to local law firms.

The city administrator and human resources director proposed a free clinic for employees, using a local physician who would provide free medical care on a trial basis. Council gave its full support to the plan.

The clinic operates at least twice a week in a medical facility across the street from city hall. Employees can walk from work and receive medical treatment. Prescriptions cost $4.

The city plans to continue offering the free clinic and will fund it using rebates from health insurance premiums received because of employees" improved wellness. Officials hope to offer health screenings and workers compensation check-ups. The response from employees has been positive. Plus, they are healthier and missing less work.
Contact Carla Roof at croof@chester.sc.gov or 803.581.5056.

Chesterfield
As the smallest county seat in South Carolina, Chesterfield was having a hard time keeping businesses downtown. The business district had long been abandoned by its anchoring department store and the courthouse and bank building were empty, too. Local officials did not wait around for commerce to come back to Main Street. They led the way.

Town officials, working closely with a community group dubbed "Team Chesterfield," began acquiring vacant downtown buildings. First, officials bought the bank building and transformed it into a new town hall. Next, they bought empty retail spaces and marketed the spaces. The city and county collaborated to restore the former court house as well as the adjacent land. In addition, council passed an ordinance limiting the number and size of non-retail storefronts to ensure that commerce returned to downtown, and it did.

Town officials were creative about bringing downtown back to life. They negotiated with property owners to donate or lease the properties to the city. First, a new furniture store opened. Soon the downtown occupancy rate reached 90 percent.

Working with outside consultants did not result in a system to meet the city's needs. The city's information technology department took over the project and created a centralized bidder registration system, known as Bid-Online.

The system allows vendors to register online and post bids for city projects. This new paperless system saves reams of paper and money. With all records online, Columbia continues to move toward a transparent purchasing history, accessible to employees and the public. Most importantly, the city can track the demographics of awarded bids to ensure it is giving equal opportunity to men, women and minorities.

To fund the project, officials received a state grant and sold both revenue and general obligation bonds. City crews, using city equipment, did the structural work to hold down construction costs. The new complex includes meeting rooms, more storage, larger offices, a garage and room to grow.

Conway's public works, public utilities, beautification and vehicle maintenance departments, altogether 42 percent of the city's workforce, are housed in the new complex.

The town partnered with the local cable company to modernize its cable channel. Local news affiliates donated used video equipment. Soon, the town began televising council meetings, community events and other special activities. The Fort Mill Communications Department set up social media accounts to promote and share the videos with a larger audience. Council meetings were placed on YouTube then linked to Facebook.

This comprehensive communication overhaul also incorporated public safety. The Fort Mill Police Department signed on with Nixle, a free public safety alert system that provides instant alerts by text and e-mail.

Finally, the Fountain Inn Visual and Performing Arts Center came alive. In its first year, the Center hosted dozens of musicals and theater performances. Local artists started art and photography classes, summer camps, and the Fountain Inn Chorale.

Response from the community was positive. Volunteers established the Cultural Arts Foundation Fountain Inn to help promote events, solicit sponsorships and enlist other residents to help at the Center.

The department sent an officer to Gang Resistance and Education Training school to learn how to host a summer camp for kids. Officers also formed partnerships with area organizations to provide transportation, discounted attraction tickets and guest speakers.

In the summer of 2009, Georgetown police officers held their first summer camp. They spent three weeks with local children taking them on field trips, playing games and making crafts. These activities were interwoven with strong messages about violence and drugs.

The department wanted to reach older children, too. Officers created the Student Leadership Development Series for local high school students. Teachers nominated 25 students whom the city treated to dinner at the department. After dinner, there is a lecture. Discussion centered on how to be a community leader and enact positive change in Georgetown.

A committee of representatives from each department created a customer service handbook. The communications and human resources departments made a DVD to accompany the handbook. The information technology department developed the electronic tools to provide the training online and to enable users to provide feedback.

With these new tools, city staff, along with a human resources specialist, provided customer service training to every employee. Each department held discussions and tackled tasks specific to its own challenges. All employees received a city directory with important contact information so they could more efficiently handle public requests.

The city and HDDA worked closely to make the festival bigger and better. They extended the festivities into a weekend-long event and added contests to attract more musicians. The group also developed a national marketing plan to attract people from outside South Carolina. They chose the historic Center Theatre in downtown Hartsville to host the festival.

To fund these endeavors, officials used a combination of resources including donations, ticket sales, and county and city accommodations tax revenue.

To fund the project, officials established partnerships with area businesses and industry leaders who contributed money. The town also sold brick "pavers" with family names on them to place around the new park's fountain.

Unity Park was built on unused public land and sits in the center of town. Welcoming benches and statues of playing children invite residents and visitors to come and relax. The park hosts musical events and recreational activities.

The WFHAC suggested ways for the town to offer a wide range of housing options in a variety of price ranges, including rental properties. Council's first action was to create a workforce housing zoning classification. This new zone led the way to the Accessory Dwelling Unit ordinance.

In 2008, city council approved funds to hire six cadets and to provide uniforms and vehicles. The police department developed a job description, list of responsibilities and a training curriculum. The department then sought 18-20 year olds who wanted a future in law enforcement. Applicants had to meet the exact criteria for regular officers, except age.

Cadets go into the field to observe police officers and learn the tricks of the trade. In addition, they help the department with routine and service tasks to free up officers for other duties.

If the city is happy with the cadet's performance and the cadet still wants a law enforcement career, he begins transitioning to become a police officer once he turns 21. The city hires new cadets to fill the vacancies to maintain a pool of talented and committed youth that it can call upon to protect the city.

With no available funds, staff invested its time in free social media tools. North Charleston got its own accounts on familiar sites like Facebook and Twitter. Public information staff began posting videos on YouTube and pictures of city events on Flickr. Soon the city had fans, followers and viewers who were commenting on videos, retweeting press releases and rsvp-ing to community events.

While the family formed a city-wide committee to raise the money for the memorial, city leaders searched for the right place and design for the angel. Though the family had originally suggested a cemetery, officials decided to place the statue in the city's beloved and beautiful Edisto Memorial Gardens.

In addition to the Angel of Hope statue, the finished memorial includes the Wall of Love and Walk of Love, both engraved with the names of children who had passed away. More than 200 people attended the dedication and more have visited since, placing roses in the Angel's arms and talking to other families who have had similar losses.

With a limited budget, town officials knew they would need outside help to update their law enforcement technology. They applied for and received $22,700 in stimulus funds from the U.S. Department of Justice to purchase mobile computing devices.

The town purchased 10 state-of-the-art laptops and trained officers how to use their new computers. With their new laptops, officers can write reports or tickets in their cars while remaining visible to residents. They also have access to real-time information and can run background checks in a matter of seconds.

The town launched a website and began sending out e-mail newsletters to keep residents updated on current events. Law enforcement officials developed public safety alerts to go out as texts or e-mails in the case of danger. In addition, the utility department began using an automated telephone service to contact residents concerning late bills. This saved the town both time and paper.

The general fund paid for these initiatives. Thirty percent of residents subscribe to the e-mail newsletter, and the public safety alerts are developing their own following.

They organized a week-long, rapid improvement session, designed to bolster customer service, reduce business license process time and increase the business license department's control over the process. Eight key employees worked together for five days. Using various group problem-solving exercises, they came up with ways to streamline the process.

In the end, wait time decreased from 38 days to 1.17. City staff now processes 60 percent of all business license requests the same day. In addition, staff created a new workflow to give the business license department a level of control and authority as a request travels throughout various departments. This improved customer service as employees can give business owners real-time updates on their business license requests.

Screen on the Green came about during a brainstorming session between city officials and a group of young people from the community. Understanding the town's diverse socioeconomic population, the group decided to host a free event, using donations from various civic groups to make it happen.

First, officials purchased a giant inflatable screen using money from an SC Competitive Community Grant offered by the State Budget and Control Board. Movies are rented and paid for by local businesses that in turn get to air a commercial before the movie. The Turbeville Community Association pays for local advertising and promotion.

Officials wanted to partner with a company that had the necessary equipment, software and expertise. After meeting with numerous companies, the city found its partner. It purchased two high-definition cameras and assigned personnel to work on the channel. The city financed the initiative using financial contributions from the county and cable franchise fees.

Soon, the Union Connection was airing videotaped segments from important events around the city, such as the county fair and Christmas parade. Residents enjoy these broadcasts so much they often buy DVD recordings to save as keepsakes. Many residents who are shut-in have said these broadcasts make them feel reconnected with their hometown.

Union leaders want to take the broadcast countywide and connect to an even larger community.
Contact Melissa Youngblood at myoungblood@cityofunion.org or 864.429.1702. 

Officials implemented a "buy local" campaign to remind residents of the economic impact their dollars can have in their hometown. Using money from the general fund, leaders established partnerships with advertising firms and local newspapers. The "Keep Your Bucks in the "Boro" campaign was born.

With its partners, the city developed promotional literature, reusable grocery bags and billboards urging residents to shop locally. These efforts coincided with half-page print ads in the local paper and on radio.

The response has been encouraging. Over the holiday season, local businesses saw an increase of more than $100,000 in purchases from the year before. The local newspaper ran several articles praising the campaign and urging residents to shop locally.

Its first project was to plant trees and flowering shrubs along the Riverwalk and along the median of a major thoroughfare. The enthusiastic response to the new landscaping inspired the Foundation to construct a city entrance sign.

The Foundation partnered with the county as well as SCANA Corporation to fund the sign. Individual donations paid for landscaping, and city workers provided the labor. In the spring of 2009, city officials unveiled the new sign, which incorporated water and stone to symbolize the riverbanks of the city.