The CSST is seeking your support and communicate to the City Council you are OK with the ramp and platform. Please read their letter that explains the request in more detail at

http://homesfortmill.com/tega-cay-news/carolina-show-ski-team-needs-your-vote/

The election took place April 19 2011 filling the vacated seat by Larry Harper. There were 674 votes cast in Tega Cay with 214 votes for Chris Larsen which is almost 32% of the votes. Below is the election results.

Ballots Cast:     673

The vote will become official by 10 am Thursday. More on Chris Larsen on a post in last years special election.

See the Vote results at http://seetegacay.com/tega-cay/who-won-tega-cays-special-election-for-the-open-council-seat/

The next big event in Tega Cay is the special election to fill Larry Harper’s vacant city council seat. The ballet has been drafted and voting day in Tega Cay is Tuesday April 19th 2011.

There are  5 candidates that officially registered their candidacy for the council seat with the county elections committee.

I summarized basic info on each candidate below from the Fort Mill Times article by reporter Toya Graham. To see her full article go to the Fort Mill Times

Ralph S Hughes

A resident since 1970, 72, once managed Tega Cay’s golf facilities. Hughes has criticized the city for not doing a good job at running the golf course and allowing the club house restaurant and bar to close. Hughes claims he left the city with three hundred golf members, a good restaurant, good food, good service.

Eddie Davis

Davis, 39 is a 7 year resident of Tega Cay. He ran for a Tega Cay City Council seat six years ago, but lost to Les Conner. Davis is the owner of Business Capital Solutions. Davis wants to make sure Tega Cay stays on the right direction.

Jerry Church

Church, 54, has lived in Tega Cay for approx 11 years. Church is a 8 year member of the city’s planning Commission and has served on the advisory committee for about 18 months said. Church is a chemist for Lubrizol Inc of Charlotte. He claims he doesn’t have an agenda but does believe things can be improved in the city especially trusting the city council.

Chris Larsen

Larsen, 51, is a 15-year resident, and has served with the Tega Cay Police Department. Larsen served as the city’s code enforcement officer for five years. Larsen has run for a council seat as a write in vote in a prior election. He owns his own construction company. Larsen said he respects the current council and would look forward working with them.

Greg Rogers

Rogers, 30, who is the youngest candidate, is a consultant with Tega Cay-based Palmetto Group Consultants. He also serves on the Fort Mill School Board’s strategic planning committee. He also has served for about two years on York County’s economic development board. Rogers believes the city needs a younger adult on the council for diversity.

Since its beginnings in the early 1970′s, many residents of Tega Cay have hoped that there might one day be an elementary school that Tega Cay could truly call its own. While Gold Hill Elementary School has served the children of Tega Cay as a center of educational excellence for many years, many in Tega Cay have longed for a neighborhood elementary school facility that, by its proximity and design, can foster a greater sense of community within our City.

Several months ago, the Fort Mill School District acquired 20+ acres of property along Gold Hill Road, immediately adjacent to the City of Tega Cay. On this property, the Fort Mill School District intends to construct Elementary School #8 – the Tega Cay Elementary School. The proposed facility will be the first two story elementary school structure in the Fort Mill School District and is being designed to accommodate up to 1,100 students. The proposed school site design includes field space and recreation areas as well as significant natural “buffer” areas. One of the most unique features of the proposed site plan calls for an extended driveway area which will enable additional “double stack” staging for the pick-up and drop-off of children. By so doing, the Fort Mill School District intends to help diminish traffic impacts that the new school may introduce to Gold Hill Road. Also unique to the proposed site design are sidewalk and walking trail connection points which will allow parents to walk their children to and from school, if they so desire.

City Staff are currently conducting a study to determine if annexation of the school site into the City is advisable. The findings of this study will be presented to Council in the coming weeks. The Fort Mill School District anticipates that Elementary School #8 will be opened to students in the fall of 2012.

On behalf of the City Council and Staff of the City of Tega Cay, I wish to thank you for your ongoing support of our wonderful community.

Read more about the New Fort Mill Elementary School

Mayor’s State of the City Address – July 4, 2010

Good evening and Happy Birthday Tega Cay!

I have been looking forward to this day with excitement and a nervous anticipation.  This celebration gives me the opportunity to talk with you about our extraordinary city.

I don’t have to tell you that the last few years have been challenging, but despite our hardships, our City is strong. The saying goes “adversity doesn’t build character, it reveals it”.  I believe that in these times Tega Cay’s strong character has not just been revealed, it is what has allowed us to excel. The character of the people in Tega Cay is demonstrated through their willingness to step up and do what’s necessary.  It shows in our volunteers, our staff and our elected officials’ commitment to working as a team, to meet challenges and their desire to keep looking ahead and planning for a great future. It is because of the extraordinary character of our community, we can say, a great city starts here.

I want to share with you some of the exciting things that we’ve accomplished so far this year, and what I believe the future has in store. I want to talk about them in the context of our government; our businesses and of course, our community.

Good Community Starts Here

Over the past few years, we have seen electronic communication explode. This year the City’s website got a new look and we began actively using Facebook, Nixile (an alert system for weather and other citywide emergency information), and of course we continue to use our email list.  Not only is city staff using Facebook, but be sure to check out the Tega Cay Golf Course

Facebook page for course updates and special offers.   I still don’t completely understand Facebook, but fortunately some of our employees do and they want to know if you have joined the City of Tega Cay “group” yet?

What was once the City releasing information is now two way communication?

Not only can we keep our residents informed and educated, we can get feedback from them.  Through the course of a week, a subscriber may receive several messages about:

• Events,
• Council agendas,
• Job postings,
• Request for bids and proposals,
• Road closings
• News about Tega Cay
• And any other interesting things happening in the City.

Good communication builds community!  If you are not yet connected through one of these lines of communication, please go to our website to join us.

As I mentioned before, Tega Cay never lacks for people who will step up when there is a need. This year, the Community Relations Committee was 85% NEW.  Those new members took up the challenge to put this celebration together and have done an amazing job with an extremely complicated first task.  They have worked countless hours, come in on budget, raised new sponsorship and created new features such as the outstanding Carnival of Fun.

Recently, I read that a volunteer hour is valued at $20.86 nationally.  The value of the volunteer hours this weekend alone is over $17,000.  Not counting committee meetings, shopping, planning, or any other function that went into making this weekend possible.  That is one committee for one weekend in this city.  Every function and event in Tega Cay has volunteers, can you imagine the dollar value that?  The human value? – Priceless.

I for one cannot thank the CRC enough for the work they did this weekend and the weeks leading up to it.

I would also like to thank every other committee and volunteer in Tega Cay for what you make possible for your fellow citizens.

Understanding the importance of volunteers in the city, is why one of the first things we did was set up a Volunteer fair, that enabled citizens to understand our city and how it works.  We changed the volunteer appointment process to better accommodate new volunteers on committees.  We are in the planning stages of adding ways for citizens to get involved and understand how the city government works.

Good Business Starts Here

Although development has certainly slowed and the economy continues to lag, we have had our problems to overcome but we are working diligently to address them. Yet, even in the midst of this economic downturn, the business community continues to discover something the rest of us have known for years.  Tega Cay is an amazing community bursting with opportunity.  I am proud to share with you that, while other areas are shedding businesses, at this time, we have four new establishments joining our community in the Stonecrest/Graystone area.  This is a testament to something we residents have long known – Tega Cay is a remarkable community bursting with opportunity.

As of today we are within reach of our budgeted rounds of golf for the year, the greens are beautiful and although I haven’t had time to play, I have heard as recently as yesterday that the course is and I quote “phenomenal”, “one of the best courses in the Charlotte area for the dollar value”.  We have encouraged residents to bring their family and friends from out of town to play our course with the Mayor’s Card, increasing our revenue with OPM (Other people’s money!).  Bryan and his staff continue to work hard to bring our course where it needs to be including hosting an NFL Alumni Golf Tournament [another one coming in the fall] which brings national attention to Tega Cay.  We have also hosted many corporate and charitable events including recently the annual Bank of America Golf Tournament.

We have also sought and met with the Chamber of Commerce to discuss ways of improving mutually beneficial business relationships here on the peninsula and in the Stonecrest area of Tega Cay.

Good Government Starts Here

This year, we have 3 council members in new positions, while I was on council, as your Mayor I have taken on a different role on council.  We also have two new members.  In any new job, statistically, it can be expected for it to take an individual a minimum of 6 months to get comfortable.  We have 60% of our council getting used to a new situation and the other 40% of council and all of staff getting used to a new team.  Change is challenging for anyone and we are working hard to make this transition.  Transitions do not come without bumps and bruises and we are working to reach smooth ground, of course I would hope that none of us reach the point where we are reluctant to present opposing views, I will admit, the path of least resistance may seem easy, but it is not necessarily right!

I can say I have never worked with a group of people more passionate about a common goal:  the future of Tega Cay.  This is evidenced by council voting to go to two council meetings per month until such time as we resolve long standing issues such as the sign Ordinance, the nuisance ordinance and others.

One of the earliest things we did as a new council was hold the FIRST ever Council/Staff retreat to create cross-communication between Elected Officials and Department Heads.  The purpose was to get to know each other and hopefully open avenues of communication.

We have been working a lot over the past 7 months on issues facing the city:

• We held public hearings with the State Public Service Commission to allow citizens to impress upon state regulators the concerns about their water and sewer rates.
• We have also arranged meetings with SC-DHEC to pose questions to the environmental enforcement agency about Tega Cay water service,
• We have met with residents about the sale of city hall. We have had educational meetings about storm water.
• We have obtained additional grant funding (county funds) to conduct large road improvement projects,
• And increased street maintenance funding within the existing budget to support the community.

Overall, the Staff/council/volunteers have managed to secure over $500,000 in grant funding including grants for Croquet, the Fire department, and the above mentioned County funds for road work.   We also took the time to listen to the needs of the community regarding the LPGA.

Nearly all of our elected officials and appropriate city staff have now achieved NIMS Certification status (National Incident Management System) which is required for Federal aid funding in the event of a disaster.

Committee minutes are now appearing on our website as well as most if not all of the council meeting agendas and attachments for residents review prior to council meetings.

We are in the process of seeking cooperative agreements with York County and Fort Mill to reduce operational costs and improve services; you are now able to pay your TCUD bill online, and we have been utilizing youth in summer programs to support City staff in buildings and grounds operations.

Maybe you have or haven’t heard about the property that the FM School district just purchased on the other side of the Tega Cay sign (better known as the McCall property).  The 27+/- acre property will have an elementary school for 1,100 students and for the first time in FM SD history it will be a partial 2 story building.  We have had conversations about the districts interest in the property being annexed into the city generating utility revenue on property we will already be first responders to in the event of an emergency.  This is Annexation that would add revenue without adding excessive burden.

In another first for our growing City, we have started the process of hiring our first two Full time paid fire personnel.  Advertisements have been placed in the newspaper and on the city website and we are already receiving many qualified applications.  The process will continue for the next several weeks and we hope to hire these firefighters by August first, placing two qualified firefighters in the city during the workday for immediate response to local calls.

Of course we are so glad to know that the County is proceeding with Hubert Graham Way, based on current projections, Hubert Graham Way should be completed by 2013 or 2014 depending on the environmental studies required for the project, greatly relieving traffic flow at the Gold Hill Rd & 160 intersection.

One of the key initiatives that I and Council immediately embarked on once taking office was addressing the long term fiscal needs of our community.  Through careful review of the budget, reassignment of some funds and a fiscally conservative approach including budget cuts, the City should have a contingency fund of over $275,000 by the end of this fiscal year, up from approximately $30,000 at the end of last year [$7,000 2 years ago], an increase of over 900% in a YEAR.

At a time when many communities are struggling under changing economic conditions, Tega Cay has actually managed to improve its bond credit rating from an A3 status to A1.  This is no small feat and a testament to the hard work and leadership of our staff.   To preserve our credit rating and ensure our future financial stability, fiscal rating agencies need to see 16% of annual budget in RESERVE – or approximately $800,000 in our case – a goal we are working to reach over the next few years].

I believe in 2010-2011 we will continue to have our eye on the budget, increasing our contingency and serving the city and its residents to the best of our abilities.

It is important, even in these times, to continue planning for and working toward our vision for the future of Tega Cay:  Financial stability and responsible growth.

I commend those on the Council and staff who have made difficult decisions for the right reasons. I look forward to continuing to work with a good elected and staff team as we build our future. There are many challenges ahead but we are ready.

I am optimistic about the future. I am optimistic because people in our community are willing to step up and do what is necessary; because it is through these partnerships that we tackle tough issues; and because we never quit planning for the future of this good community. I believe Tega Cay has a very bright future; and that “a great city starts here.”

Thank you for your commitment to Tega Cay, and thank you for being here today.

Your Mayor,

George

Monday, March 15, 2010

Tega Cay City Hall

Community Room

6:00 p.m.

~ Executive Session ~

- Legal advice regarding TCWS

7:00 p.m.

~ Regular City Council Meeting ~

~ AGENDA ~

1.

Call to Order

Mayor George C. Sheppard

2.

Pledge of Allegiance

Mayor George C. Sheppard

3.

Review of Outstanding Questions

City Manager Grant Duffield

4.

Public Comments

5.

Approval of Minutes

Regular City Council Meeting, February 22, 2010

Mayor George C. Sheppard

6.

Volunteer of the Month

Mayor George C. Sheppard

7.

Special Presentations

Public Safety Presentation

Tega Cay Police Department

8.

Committee Reports

Beautification Committee

Community Relations Committee

Finance Committee

Parks & Recreation Committee

Planning Commission

Public Safety Committee

Public Works Committee

Committee Chairperson/

Staff Liaison

9.

City Manager’s Report

Final Financials for January 2009

NIMS information

TC Golf Course Update

Catawba Park Update

Budget process calendar

ALLTEL Contract renewal

Road Bond

Public forum concerning proposed sale of City Hall Building

SCDHEC public forum regarding TCWS sewer overflows

Grant Applications

Grant Award

Golf Committee request to be a standing committee

New Business

10.

1st Reading, Ord. No. 400, York Electric Coop Franchise Agreement Renewal

City Manager Grant Duffield

11.

1st Reading, Ord. No. 401, Council Meetings Rules of Procedures

City Manager Grant Duffield

12.

Approval of Scott Syzmanski, Chief, Tega Cay Volunteer Fire Department

City Manager Grant Duffield

13.

Proclamation of Appreciation of Ralph Ellingsen

City Manager Grant Duffield

14.

Council Comments

15.

Public Comments

16.

Executive Session (if requested)

17.

Adjournment

John Dervay 432 (48% of votes)

Doug Collins 275 (31% of votes)

Write In Candidate Chris Larsen 193 (21% of votes)

(approx 17% of the registered voters)

(seetegacay.com poll had similar elections results see poll)

The official results will be certified by Thursday morning 10am.

John Dervay is a veteran council member and was on the city council until he lost by 6 votes in last Novembers election. John will be filling George Sheppard’s council seat which became available when George won the Tega Cay Mayor’s seat last November.

Information on John Dervay from his campaign website:

For those who don’t know me, I moved to Tega Cay in 1990, from Richmond, VA, where I was a Division Vice President of a Multi-National Corporation.  After retirement, I agreed to come to work with the City as a part time Code Enforcement Officer in 1996.  Within six months my position became full time, and within the next few years, I became the Zoning Administrator, Secretary to the Planning Commission as well as the Secretary to the Board of Zoning Appeals.

In this capacity, I was involved with numerous City construction projects such as Turner Field, Tega Cay walking trails, our water tower, the 200-foot flag pole (the cell tower), and reconstruction of over 21 of our old roads.  I also administered the Development Agreement with Newland for the Lakeshore project.  These projects, as well as many others completed over the years, are a benefit to each and every one of our citizens.

I love living and serving in Tega Cay and being part of the positive changes.  We’ve grown exponentially in the past ten years, which has created some growing pains.  As most of us know, things that worked well in a small town don’t always work well as a city grows.  I believe we’ve done a lot of things right, and there’s still plenty of opportunity for improvement.  Our staff, volunteers, citizens and council are continually suggesting and implementing ideas, all with the intent to make our city better.  I believe my understanding of ‘before’ is helpful in creating and implementing solutions for the future.  Some new projects I would propose we undertake are:

• Communications – I think we should create a Communications Committee to corral all the good ideas that have come from our citizens regarding communications and start implementing them.
• Fiscal Responsibility – Our budget (which I voted against) is not a proactive budget in a recession.  We’re waiting for bad things to happen and then reacting.  I think we have to have a more conservative budget and build a bigger contingency fund.  I think the new Council should have a budget workshop ASAP and formulate a conservative, proactive general fund budget.
• Tax Increases – No.  Outside money is the key.  We need to create a list of wants for our city and be ready to negotiate these with developers.  Additionally, we need to set up a Grant Committee to help City Staff research opportunities and ensure applications are submitted.

Annexation – We have an Annexation Policy that gives us information to make an intelligent decision. This includes input from all committees, council and residents.  We need a balance of residential and commercial property taxes and commercial income in order to cover the cost of basic services in the city, but the consideration must be made intelligently and in a controlled manner.I

The Special Election day is  Feb. 9 2010.

Dervay, who in November lost his council seat by less than 12 votes to Stephen Perkins, filed Dec. 4, staking a claim for the at-large seat. Collins, 59, filed on Dec. 14, according to a York County Registration and Elections Office official.

Collins, the father of five and grandfather of one, is a Realtor and broker/owner of EDI Real Estate in Tega Cay. Before serving on the city council, Dervay formerly served the city in several roles, including city zoning administrator and code enforcement officer.

Tega Cay Mayor’s Race

Bob Runde – reelectbobrunde.com

Georgie Sheppard – sheppard4mayor.com

Council Candidates

John Dervay -Linked in Profile

Tom Fitzpatrick  – www.elect-Tom.com

Dottie Hersey – No website found

Keen McHugh – No website found

Stephen Perkins – No website found

Katie Shive  - www.katieshive.com

Fort Mill Times article by Toya Graham about each candidate.