FLORENCE, S.C. — Florence City Council on Oct. 12 green-lit a local ordinance that opens monthly face-to-face Citizen Engagement Sessions with the mayor and city manager, giving neighbors a path outside the packed regular meeting agenda.
Sessions would run about an hour and a half. Anyone wanting a slot would contact the clerk office by letter, email or phone before that month ends, and staff would book a 10-minute talk focused only on city services and day-to-day operations.
Hiring disputes and active or threatened court fights are barred from those talks. City Manager Scotty Davis said the format should let staff chase solutions after comments land, and he has not yet posted the first daytime appointment window.
Council members Zach McKay and LaShonda NeSmith-Jackson worried the setup could look like extra red tape. McKay argued officials already take calls; NeSmith-Jackson won language allowing phone requests and clearer reply timelines before the measure advanced.
Mayor Lethonia Barnes framed the sessions as a courtesy, not a wall. Standing council gatherings stay on the second Monday each month at 1 p.m., where speakers may address only open-session agenda items for five minutes after telling the clerk.
The city uses a council-manager charter: a mayor plus six members set policy and hire a manager who runs daily operations.
