City Manager’s Spotlight

By Teresa Wilson

 

The City Manager’s Spotlight provides details about what is happening in the City of Columbia in an effort to keep citizens informed about City operations. The City Manager’s Spotlight on April 2016 reflects important initiatives that will highlight major projects in the City of Columbia. Here is a snapshot of the April Spotlight.

 

#KnowYourCity

On March 29, 2016, the City of Columbia Public and Media Relations Department announced a new public education campaign, Know Your City. This campaign is geared towards effectively educating citizens by sharing information regarding city services and programs, including details about frequently asked questions and more.

In addition, there will be monthly Know Your City feature departments selected to highlight details about each City department. The featured department this month is the Columbia-Richland 9-1-1 Communications Center.

During April 10 – 16, the city will celebrate National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week with the Columbia-Richland 9-1-1 Communications Center. This week-long event honors telecommunications personnel in the public safety community. The Columbia-Richland 9-1-1 Communications Center provides 24/7/365, 9-1-1 Emergency Dispatch and Public Service response to citizens and user agencies for both the City of Columbia and Richland County.

Learn more about the Know Your City Campaign at www.columbiasc.net/knowyourcity.

 

City of Columbia to Host National Youth Violence Prevention Week Activities in April

In recognition of National Youth Violence Prevention Week, the City of Columbia Parks and Recreation

Department and the Columbia Police Department have partnered to host a series of youth violence prevention activities from April 3-8, 2016.

National Youth Violence Prevention Week is held in order to raise awareness and educate students, teachers, school administrators and staff, school resource officers, parents and the public about effective ways to prevent and reduce youth violence. Councilwoman Tameika Isaac Devine initiated the City’s involvement with National Youth Violence Prevention Week approximately a decade ago.

Various planned activities will demonstrate the positive role young people can have in making their schools and communities safer. All events are free and open to the public. Youth, adults, parents, mentors and youth leaders are encouraged to attend.

 

Minority Business Opportunity Conference

 

 

The City of Columbia has consistently shown its commitment to the economic growth of all of its communities by providing opportunities for small and minority businesses to succeed. To help further this goal, the Office of Business Opportunities (OBO) will host its first Minority Business Opportunity Conference (Minority BOC) on April 6, 2016.

This FREE event will be held from 8 am- 2 pm at the Agape Conference Center, 1624 Main Street, Columbia, SC 29201.

Participants will hear from city leaders, learn about the City’s procurement procedures and special programs, and they will also get to meet individuals who purchase goods and services for the city on a regular basis.

Participants can register online (click here).  For more information, contact Erica Wade at (803) 545-4433 or [email protected].

 

Columbia Animal Services to Hold Donation Shower

Columbia Animal Services will hold a donation baby shower on April 7-9, 2016 at 127 Humane Lane. Animal Services will be accepting items including but not limited to, pet food, toys, blankets, and litter boxes. If you are interested in becoming a foster parent to an orphaned, sick, or injured cat/kitten, dog/puppy, you may fill out a foster application.

“Each Spring we get our share of very young puppies and kittens, and injured/sick animals, that really need to be in foster homes instead of a shelter environment to have the best chance for survival. We hope to collect enough supplies in advance so when they do come in we are ready to hand them over to a foster parent along with everything needed for their care. We don’t want to burden our foster homes with those expenses when they are already gracious enough to accept that pet into their home.” says Marli Drum, Superintendent of Animal Services. “It also frees up space as we start to fill up with warmer weather.”

For more information on the April Donation Shower or foster applications, please contact Columbia Animal Services at 803-776-7387 or [email protected].

 

Save the Date: Office of Business Opportunities Small Business Week

The Office of Business Opportunities (OBO) Annual Small Business Week Conference will be held at the Spirit Communications Ballpark on May 5, 2016. For more information, please contact the Office of Business Opportunities at (803) 545-3950.

 

The Municipal Association of SC Considers Columbia to be a Business Friendly City

In a recent publication of the Municipal Association of South Carolina, Columbia, SC was praised for being a business friendly city. The City’s Economic Development Department has been helpful in assisting business owners with saving money. The article described a situation where a restaurateur was looking to install a grease trap for about $50,000. Ryan Coleman, director of the City’s Economic Development office, explained how they assisted the restaurateur by helping him save more than $30,000. “Our wastewater guy looked at his usage, and we determined he didn’t need as big a system as he thought. He was looking at a system with a lot of extra bells and whistles that we didn’t require.”

To view this article, visit   http://www.masc.sc/SiteCollectionDocuments/Communications/Cities%20Mean%20Business%20Winter%202016.pdf

For information on Economic Development, visit https://www.columbiasc.net/economic-development.

 

Meetings:

April 4 – Planning Commission Meeting, 5:15 p.m., 1737 Main Street

April 5 – City Council Work Session, 3:30 p.m., 1737 Main Street

April 5 -City Council Meeting, 6 p.m., Council Chambers, 1737 Main Street / Public Hearing (Absentee Landlord Registration Program)

April 12 – Board of Zoning Appeals (BoZa) Meeting, 10:00 a.m., 1737 Main Street

April 12 – Budget Workshop, 2:30 p.m., 1737 Main Street

April 19 – City Council Work Session, 3:30 p.m., 1737 Main Street

April 19 – City Council Meeting, 6:00 p.m., Council Chambers, 1737 Main Street

April 20 – CEZ, Inc. Board of Directors Monthly Meeting, 12:00 pm -1:30 pm, 1509 Lady Street, Columbia, SC

April 26 – ECDC, Inc. Board of Directors Monthly Meeting, 12:00 pm – 1:30 pm, 3905 Ensor Avenue Columbia, SC 29203

April 26 – Budget Workshop, 2:30 p.m., 1737 Main Street

 

 

About Teresa Wilson

Teresa Wilson is the City Manager for the City of Columbia, SC. For more details on the City Manager, visit ColumbiaSC.net/city-manager. City Manager Wilson can be reached at [email protected] or 803-545-3026. For more information about the City of Columbia, visit ColumbiaSC.net.