News

The Batesburg-Leesville Fire Department will host an American Red Cross Blood Drive on Monday, December 19th from 2pm-7pm. If you're an eligible donor and would like to sign up, please contact Jay Hendrix at 413-7934.

Batesburg-Leesville's annual Christmas Parade and Tree Lighting has been rescheduled for Sunday, December 11th. Festivities will begin at 5:30pm on the 11th. The event is being rescheduled due to expected rain. 

Town officials and staff will be working over the next few days to detect leaks, intrusions, and other issues with sewer lines by smoke testing lines in the Batesburg area north of HWY 23 and west of N. Carolina Ave. The Batesburg-Leesville Utilities Department uses a non-hazardous smoke to locate breaks, uncapped lines and other issues throughout the system.

Residents are advised to please be on the lookout for service crews in the areas north of HWY 23 and west of N. Carolina Ave. in the area of Saluda Ave., Summerland Ave., Hill St., the mill village, and the Batesburg business district during the hours of 8:00am and 5:00pm beginning on Thursday, December 1^st and continuing until Friday, December 2^nd.

If you live or work in the affected area and see smoke in your yard or home, which may indicate a break or leak of some kind, please contact Cindy Apple at Town Hall (532-4601). Crews from the utilities department, as well as others, will be in the testing areas to inspect leaks and determine the party responsible for correcting any issues found.

For more information, and to watch a video of the smoke testing process, please visit the Town’s website at www.batesburg-leeville.org.

Sewer Smoke Testing Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S8Clh7zId2A

Town Hall will be closed Thursday and Friday this week in observance of Thanksgiving (Nov. 24th &25th). We will reopen next Monday, November 28th at 8am. 

Thanks!

Frying a turkey this Thanksgiving? Don't pour out used cooking oil down the drain - it will ruin your pipes and cause damage to the Town's sewer system. 

Lexington County has collection points across the county to collect used cooking oil - for FREE!

The Batesburg-Leesville Police Department will be hosting a Concealed Weapon Permit Class in December.

The classroom portion of the class will take place on Thursday, December 8th beginning at 6:30 PM. The range qualification time for the class will take place on Saturday, December 10th at a specific time to be determined on December 8th.

The cost of the course will be $50.00 per applicant to cover the expenses for the class. Applicants are required to register and pay all class associated fees at the Batesburg-Leesville Police Department before December 8th, at which time the applicant will receive an information packet.

Chief Oswald Honored with

2016 Strom Thurmond Award for Excellence

in Law Enforcement

Town Police Chief William Wallace Oswald has been selected as the 2016 recipient of the Strom Thurmond Award for Excellence in Law Enforcement. The award is presented by the Law Enforcement Coordinating Committee at the U. S. Attorney's Office in Columbia.

“Chief Oswald has served our community for more than 40 years. He has distinguished himself both in and out of uniform. It was a true honor to recommend Chief for this award,” said Ted Luckadoo, Town Manager.

The Strom Thurmond Awards for Excellence in Law Enforcement are given annually to recognize law enforcement officers in South Carolina whose performance demonstrates the highest ideals of excellence in law enforcement. The award, which as first given in 1983, is awarded in each of four categories: (1) city officer; (2) county officer; (3) state officer; and (4) federal officer.

In a letter of support, Mayor Rita Crapps wrote, “Chief Oswald is a quiet, humble man who seeks no recognition for doing the job he loves.  His legacy will one day be his selfless service to his community and the standard of excellence he has established within his department. His caring, humility, and dedication make him the example all others in law enforcement should follow.”

Congratulations to Chief Oswald and the other three winners of this year’s award. 

Town Council met Monday night for a Strategic Plan Kickoff Work Session. The two-hour session was moderated by Gregory Sprouse of Central Midlands Council of Governments, and Jeff Shacker of the Municipal Association of South Carolina. 

The Town is undergoing the strategic planning process in order to better understand and work towards the goals of the community. Town Hall staff will be actively involved in the process, as well as, stakeholders, interest groups, and the public. 

During the session, the presenters outlined the elements of a strategic plan and answered Council Member's questions. To close the session, the moderators asked Council for a motion and vote to adopt the process as outlined here. 

The Town's intends to complete the strategic planning process by June of 2017. 

Lexington County Electronics Waste Recycling & Paper Shredding Event - August

Lexington County residents will have the opportunity to recycle electronics and shred paper documents on Saturday, August 27, 2016, at the Gilbert Elementary School from 9:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m.

This event is being hosted by the County of Lexington Solid Waste Management Department and Keep the Midlands Beautiful.
When: Saturday, August 27, 2016, from 9:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m.
Where: 314 Main Street, Gilbert (Gilbert Elementary School parking lot)

The following Electronics will be accepted for recycling from Lexington County residents only:
• Computers (laptops, monitors, CPU’s, keyboards)
• TV’s
• Printers / Copiers / scanners
• VCR and DVD Players
• Fax Machines
• Cell Phones / Telephone Systems
• Household electronics including stereo’s, Radio’s, PDA’s and Electronic Game Systems
• Microwaves
Paper Shredding will be performed on site. Residents will be limited to 5 boxes or bags.
* Electronic Waste (computers/monitors, printers/copiers, TVs, cell phones) must be recycled and not placed in the garbage in accordance with the SC Code of Law, 48-60-05 et seq. Residents should keep electronics intact for the purpose of recycling. Electronic waste must have been generated from a residence within Lexington County for this event; commercial waste will not be accepted. Please, no refrigeration units of any kind.

For more information and future recycling dates, please visit the Lexington County Solid Waste Management website at www.lex-co.sc.gov/solidwaste or contact us at (803) 785-3340.

Town officials are excited to announce the launch of a new online utility payment system. In partnership with Q/S 1, the Town’s utility billing software provider, customers will be able to make online payments with greater ease and security.

The system, set to launch this week, will allow utility customers to make online and over-the-telephone payments to their water/sewer account. Ted Luckadoo, Town Manager, is excited about the change. “We are giving our customers more options, better service, and highly secure systems to make payments online and by telephone.”

The new system by Q/S 1 is a fully integrated system which will allow payments made online or by phone to post directly to the customer’s account, thus streamlining operations for staff.

With the changing payment portal, the Town will be moving to a more user friendly fee for all credit/debit card transactions. At the moment, all transactions are charged a flat $2.00 fee per swipe. Once the new system is implemented, this will change to a flat 2.95% fee per transaction. “For the vast majority of our customers, the new fee structure will save them money. All transactions of less than $70 will cost $2.00 or less,” said Mr. Luckadoo.

To use the new online portal customers will need their account number and phone number associated with their account. To update their phone number or verify the number associated with their account, please call Town Hall Monday thru Friday from 8:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. at (803) 523-4601.

Going forward, Town officials look to add additional features including the ability for account holders to view their current and previous bills online.

The Town Manager expects the new system to be completely up and running in the next week or so.