When tax notices arrive in the coming days, Richland County property owners will see lower property tax rates for the second year in a row. County Council and staff coordinated with millage agencies to decrease the tax rate without cutting services. This was done in an effort to assist taxpayersContinue Reading

Staff from Richland County’s EMS team recently were recognized for saving the life of a 17-year-old. EMS staff performed CPR when the teenager went into cardiac arrest.  Cpl. Theresa Douglass, EMT Nathan Miller, Lt. Andrew Fowler and two firefighters from the Columbia-Richland Fire Department were presented with the Phoenix AwardContinue Reading

In response to rising cases of the coronavirus delta variant in the community, Richland County Council has adopted an emergency ordinance requiring face coverings to be worn in school buildings and daycare facilitiesto slow the spread of the disease. As outlined by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,Continue Reading

Multi-agency collaboration aids in thwarting violent criminal activity in central S.C. By W. Thomas Smith Jr. For the past several years, the multi-agency Midlands Gang Task Force (MGTF) in central South Carolina has been aggressively and successfully disrupting and dismantling illegal gangs operating throughout the capital city of Columbia andContinue Reading

For Chanda Cooper, conservation education analyst with the Richland Soil and Water Conservation District (RSWCD), a career path in the environmental field proved to be a natural fit. Cooper was recently recognized by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) for being among the first class of Ernest F. HollingsContinue Reading

A series of in-person events beginning this week will help inform Richland County residents about newly rewritten land development regulations before the new rules are finalized. The rules make up the County’s revised Land Development Code (LDC), a draft of which is available for public review at weplantogether.org. The upcomingContinue Reading

Bill Davis, director of Richland County Utilities, was recently selected to represent South Carolina within a worldwide organization of water industry professionals. Davis will serve as a junior delegate on the Water Environment Federation’s (WEF) House of Delegates (HOD). Following his one-year term, Davis will step into the role ofContinue Reading

Richland County’s Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP) reached a milestone this week, approving more than $5 million in assistance requests. The County still has funding available through ERAP, which can aid renters who have been impacted by COVID-19 and need help paying rent and utility bills. Funds do not haveContinue Reading

Richland County Stormwater Management, in partnership with Columbia Water, is asking residents for help marking local storm drains – and beautifying their neighborhoods in the process. The project is part of the County’s “Drains Aren’t Dumps” campaign. The annual effort aims to highlight the harmful effects pet waste, lawn clippingsContinue Reading