Simpsonville City Council Addresses Feral Cat Concerns and Downtown Traffic in First 2026 Meeting

The first 2026 meeting of the Simpsonville City Council set a busy tone for the year ahead, as newly sworn-in members Jerry Tuso, Aaron Rupe, and Sherry Roche officially took their seats and immediately began tackling local issues impacting the City of Simpsonville.

While the swearing-in ceremony marked a celebratory start to the year, public comments quickly shifted the focus to two pressing Simpsonville-specific concerns: the growing feral cat population and ongoing traffic congestion along Main Street.

Several Simpsonville residents urged council members to reconsider the city’s four-pet limit as it applies to registered non-profit rescue organizations. Speakers argued that the restriction makes it more difficult to manage stray and feral cats through Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) programs, which are widely viewed as a humane and effective population-control strategy.

Council also revisited long-standing traffic concerns in downtown Simpsonville, particularly the “bottleneck” created by concrete traffic islands on Main Street. Officials reaffirmed plans to remove the islands as part of the city’s ongoing streetscape project. According to city engineers, the changes are expected to significantly improve traffic flow and address congestion that has frustrated Simpsonville commuters for years.

The discussion underscored the council’s early focus on quality-of-life issues as the new year—and a new term for several members—gets underway in Simpsonville.