The Town of Edgefield held its monthly council meeting Monday, May 3, with Mayor Durham and Councilmen Rodgers, Ellis, and Jackson being sworn in by city attorney Greg Anderson at the start of the meeting.

Councilman Jackson was the only official to be challenged during the latest election cycle.

Council then heard from their visitor of the month, SCE&G representatives John Cadena and Don Smoak. Mr. Smoak stated that the current tree trimming for the area was over 50-percent done, and that herbicide spraying for rural areas and heavily wooded lots would begin in the fall. The herbicide spraying would not take place in residential yards.

Mr. Smoak also stated that there would be drastic improvements in reinstating power during power outages, as the company was moving to improved technology with a computer system instead of a manual system. The representatives also cautioned residents against imposters posing as SCE&G workers. Mr. Smoak said that a real SCE&G worker will not ask to come into your house, and will show you an identification badge with a blue background for SCE&G and a red background for contractors.

Some residents of Saluda recently had this problem of people posing as workers for the electric company; Mr. Smoak asked residents to take cautionary measures and call law enforcement if an incident occurred.

Council also held first reading of the 2010-2011 budget, which includes a 2-percent raise for town employees. The town is also continuing to look at the state insurance plan for employees. Discussion for the state insurance was pushed back to next month, while the council meets with department heads and state officials.

The census committee reported that the town of Edgefield is currently at a 76-percent participation rate in the 2010 census, while South Carolina is at 73-percent statewide. There are no longer census forms available anymore, and residents will now have to wait for personnel to come to their homes. The committee also stated that the census is still holding training for volunteers. For those who are interested, please contact Edgefield Town Hall.

Census personnel will begin visiting local homes in the coming weeks.

In other business, the council congratulated the Southern Eagles Motorcycle Club for their award as the 2009 Adopt a Highway Group. Congratulations were also in order for the Edgefield Fire Department for their ISO rating being reduced from six to five.

Mayor Durham reminded the council members of several upcoming events, including the Razzle Dazzle Day on May 22, the Fishing Rodeo on May 8, and Relay for Life on May 15.

Drew Cheatham, the Clemson University student who is designing a renovation plan for the Town of Edgefield as a school project, will be presenting his work at the upcoming Alliance meeting on June 7, at 7:30 a.m.

The meeting closed with a citizen complaint about speeders on Moragne Street, and requested Council contact the Highway Department for a “Drive Slow, Children at Play” sign for the street.