Seven members of Greenville County Council violated state law and council's own procedural rules when they rushed the adoption of a significantly amended replacement to Article 3.1 without public debate, according to a letter sent Friday to County Council by Upstate Attorney Michael Martinez.

‍

‍

"As elected representatives for Greenville County, councilmembers have a clear legal obligation to conduct the official business of the County in a public and transparent manner that ensures constituents have an effective voice," Martinez said. "The process employed by County Council that led to the adoption of a substantially amended replacement ordinance to Article 3.1 only after the public hearing violated that obligation and evaded the critical public participation inherent in our democratic process."

Martinez insisted on a motion to reconsider at the next meeting on August 31, 2021 and added that the unlawful procedure must be voluntarily resolved by Council in order to avoid further legal action.

A copy of the letter can be downloaded below.

‍

MEDIA CONTACT

Michael Martinez, Esquire

Upstate Staff Attorney

South Carolina Environmental Law Project

mike@scelp.org or (864) 412-7921