CALHOUN COUNTY, S.C. — Voters in Calhoun County could vote on new form of government on the November ballot.
Calhoun County is currently under a council form of government.
The council is proposing going to a council-administrator form of government which would mean the administrator handles the county's day-to-day operations.
“Nothing would really truly be different," said Calhoun county administrator John McLauchlin.
McLauchlin says as it stands now, the council is responsible for both policies and procedures, as well as day-to-day operations.
“There are 36 counties in South Carolina that would go to this form of government because it truly takes a lot of the liability and the responsibility of the day-to-day operations off the county council back," said McLauchlin.
Under this proposal, the county administrator would serve as the point of contact for all requests made by both county staff and taxpayers, relaying the information back to the council. According to McLauchlin, this form of government is very similar to the way the county currently operates.
“We’ve been working pretty much under the council-administrative technically day to day, we’re just trying to get the ordinance to read and understand, and reflect the way that we’re going about business," he said.
In a meeting on Monday, the council gave its first reading to an ordinance calling for a public hearing before any determination is made. The third and final reading of the ordinance will happen at the next council meeting on July 11.
If voters vote in favor of this new form of government in November, the change would go into effect in January.