Laurens County Council Opens Refurbished Historic Courthouse with Recognitions, Carolina Day Resolution, and Budget Approval

The Laurens County Council held its first meeting in the newly refurbished historic courthouse Monday night, June 8, with an agenda that included special recognitions, a resolution marking America’s 250th anniversary, and second reading approval of the county’s general operating budget.

Special Recognitions

The meeting opened with a resolution commemorating Waste and Recycling Workers Week, June 15-21, celebrating the professionals who keep neighborhoods clean, safe, and sanitary. The resolution highlighted the physical demands and safety risks these workers face to protect public health. The certificate was received by Cortni Motes, manager of the solid waste/transfer station.

Special recognition was also given to Carey D. Bolt, Jr. for his 22 years of service in Veterans Affairs for Laurens County. Recognition was extended to Council Chair Jeffery Carroll, Councilman Brown Patterson, and Councilman Kemp Younts, and all local media in attendance were presented with certificates of appreciation for their coverage of Laurens County.

Carolina Day and the Nation’s 250th Anniversary

Council unanimously approved a resolution recognizing and supporting the celebration of America’s 250th anniversary within Laurens County, declaring Sunday, June 28, 2026, as “Carolina Day.” The observance is part of a statewide celebration commemorating the Patriot defeat of a British fleet in Charleston Harbor on June 28, 1776 — one of the first major American victories in the Revolutionary War, when Colonel William Moultrie and his troops drove back a British naval attack from a fort of palmetto logs on Sullivan’s Island.

Former County Administrator Ernie Segars, now chair of the Laurens County Revolutionary War 250th Committee, attended with members Debbie Vaughn, Sarah Jane Armstrong, Dianne Culbertson, Betty Ann Walsh, Carolyn Short, and Durant Ashmore. Segars told council the committee serves as the official entity coordinating Revolutionary War events and programs in the county, which has enabled it to apply for state commission grants. He noted the council has been generous with funding over the years and said he was not there to ask for more.

“What we have done, I think, is pretty considerable,” Segars said. “We have established a bicycling and driving trail in the county with about 14 sites identified, we have also put up kiosks in key locations… and they are sturdy with metal construction, and feature maps and narratives. We have also worked closely with the county museum, which will be the center of most of the festivities. I am 75 and have lived in this county most of my life, and I had no idea the breadth and depth of the American Revolution in this county.”

The Carolina Day schedule of events includes:

• 3:00 PM – Patriotic & Spiritual Service at First Baptist Church of Laurens, featuring a county-wide choir
• 4:00 PM – County-wide bell ringing, followed by a walking parade to the Laurens Historic Square led by a fife and drum corps and the American Legion
• 4:30 PM – Welcome and official dedication of the America250 Marker on the Historic Courthouse grounds by the local DAR chapter
• 5:00 PM – Ribbon cutting and grand opening of the new permanent American Revolutionary War Exhibit at the Laurens County Museum

Public Comment

During public comment, Nancy Garrison praised Ordinance 1010, a proactive measure to regulate the storage of hazardous waste facilities in the county, and expressed support for the proposed spay and neuter facility.

Jamie McDowell, Vice Chief of the Lower Cherokee Nation, informed council of a donation of thirteen and a half acres to their tribal ground, which will be turned into a public walking trail. A ribbon cutting ceremony with refreshments is scheduled for Saturday, June 27, at 11 AM.

Courthouse Update

County Administrator Jerre Threatt gave an update on the courthouse, noting that some punch list items remain.

“Some things are not 100% finished, we are still doing some punch list items,” Threatt said. “Obviously the podium is not the podium that will be there, we will do a little better job of hiding the cables, and I want to give a little shout out to Billy Wilson and his team, because I got a call early this morning, as we had an HVAC pan overflow in this building… Billy and his team got here quickly and they got it cleaned up, and I am just thankful that we have folks who can take care of things quickly.”

Property Reassessment Notices

Assessor G.W. Dailey told council that reassessment notices would be mailed first thing Tuesday morning, June 9. Dailey emphasized that these are notices, not tax bills. Everyone in the county who owns property should receive one, except for the few exempt by the Department of Revenue. Anyone who has not received a notice by July 1 should contact the assessor’s office.

The office will accept appeals through September 8. When tax bills go out in the fall, appeals will not be accepted based on the bills themselves, except for new owners. Dailey asked council members to help inform their constituents, as a large volume of public responses is expected once notices arrive.

Ordinances and Budget Action

Council took action on several items:

• Unanimously approved Lee McDaniel to the Assessment Appeals Board
• Held a public hearing on an ordinance to amend the joint county industrial and business park agreement between Laurens County and Greenville County (Hunter Industrial Park) to add certain property located in Laurens County. County Attorney Wes Meetz answered the lone question, assuring council that no one is actively purchasing property and the ordinance simply provides for one existing business that wants to expand
• Unanimously approved second reading of Ordinance #1010, regulating the storage of hazardous and non-hazardous waste facilities in Laurens County
• Approved second reading of the Fiscal Year 26-27 general operating budget, with the only no vote coming from Councilman Brownlee; the fire budget passed unanimously
• Unanimously approved first reading, by title only, of an ordinance adding responsible pet ownership and targeted spay/neuter provisions to county code

The council’s return to the historic courthouse marks a new chapter for county government, with the building set to take center stage again later this month as the backdrop for the Carolina Day festivities.