Bamberg County Council moves to 6 p.m. meetings on first Tuesdays

Bamberg County Council voted to change its regular meeting time to 6 p.m. on the first Tuesday of each month, a shift officials said was intended to give residents greater opportunity to attend both county council meetings and school district trustee board meetings. The change follows an agenda item proposing a written public notice of the council meeting schedule for calendar year 2026.

The county agenda for Monday, January 5, 2026 was scheduled for 6:00 p.m. at the Bamberg County Courthouse Annex - Isaiah Odom Building, Council Chamber - Room 113, 1234 North Street, Bamberg, South Carolina 29003. That agenda included the item: "CONSIDERATION RE: Proposed Resolution Establishing Written Public Notice of Bamberg County Council Meeting Schedule for Calendar Year 2026. (COUNCIL)." The agenda also listed a public hearing on a complex financing and fee-in-lieu proposal tied to an initiative called "Project Inspiration" and a Three Rivers Solid Waste Authority financing not to exceed $30 Million.

Council chairmanship transitions were featured on the Jan. 5 agenda. The header lists "PRESIDING - COUNCIL CHAIRWOMAN SHARON HAMMOND" and the public presentation items read, in part, "CONSIDERATION RE: Changing of Gavel from Past Chairperson Sharon Hammond to the New Upcoming Chairman for the Year 2026. (COUNCILPERSON MICHELLE MARTIN, DISTRICT #7)" and "CONSIDERATION RE: Presentation of Service Award to Past Chairperson Sharon Hammond - From January 2025 Through December 2025. (NEW CHAIRPERSON MICHELLE MARTIN, DISTRICT #7)." The agenda also included "CONSIDERATION RE: Election of Vice Chairman. (COUNCIL)." Invocation and Pledge assignments were listed as "Councilman Dr. Jonathan Goodman, II - District #5" and "Councilman Spencer Donaldson - District #4," respectively.

Public participation procedures were specified on the agenda. The county stated that "Public comments concerning agenda items can be submitted by email to: info@bambergcounty.sc.gov" with a deadline of Monday, January 5, 2026 at 12:00 p.m., and that "All comments will be provided to County Council for review."

Available public listings contain inconsistent information on the county vice chair. SC Association of Counties excerpts variously list Larry Haynes; Theo Lane; and Charles T. Jennings as Bamberg County council vice chairman in different fragments. The Jan. 5 agenda itself does not identify a sitting vice chairman and only shows the council considering an election, so the current vice chair cannot be definitively confirmed from the materials provided.

Key details remain to be officially documented. The agenda shows the council considered a resolution to set its 2026 schedule, and a later report noted the council voted to move meetings to first Tuesdays at 6 p.m., but the adopted resolution text, the vote date and roll-call tally, and the effective date of any schedule change are not included in the available documents. Residents who want to confirm meeting dates, the finalized schedule, or leadership assignments should review the county’s adopted minutes and official posted resolutions or submit inquiries to the county at info@bambergcounty.sc.gov. The schedule shift could increase public attendance and oversight of county business; watch for the published minutes to confirm how and when the change takes effect.