Lexington County Council started wrestling Tuesday with a proposal forcing upkeep of homes and businesses, a step supporters say is blight prevention.
The plan won initial approval 6-3 amid promises some features will be softened and it won’t apply to rural areas.
“We need to figure out how we can do it without being so strong-armed,” Councilwoman Debbie Summers of Springdale said.
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The proposal is intended to assure yards and landscape are neat, buildings are maintained and swimming pools don’t fall apart and spawn insects, supporters said.
Those problems are starting to happen in some areas, county planning director Charlie Compton said. While he did not specify the areas, some council members said it is under way in St. Andrews.
The proposal allows “a cluttered yard,” as long as items are neatly stored outdoors, chief deputy Keith Kirchner said. But it is aimed instead at stopping disrepair and unsafe conditions, he said.
Some council members called the proposal onerous even though it mirrors requirements in half of the county’s 14 municipalities, including Lexington, Irmo, West Columbia and Cayce.
The requirements will be seen in rural areas as “oppressive,” Councilman Frank Townsend of Batesburg-Leesville said. Councilmen Bobby Keisler of Red Bank and Jim Kinard of Swansea joined him in opposition.
Other county leaders want something done, but aren’t sure what. “I know we have a problem,” council chairman Bill Banning of West Columbia said. “I don’t know how to fix it.”
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