Officials from many of South Carolina’s smaller cities and towns will gather in Columbia on Thursday, August 22, to discuss the issues pertinent to communities of their size, as the Municipal Association of SC brings its 2024 Small Cities Summit to the Hilton Columbia Center. The one-day meeting is for cities and towns with populations of fewer than 3,000 residents.
The major new addition for 2024 is the “Agency Hall,” a lunchtime networking event where local officials can learn about the services of various state agencies. Numerous agencies have indicated they will exhibit:
- SC Rural Infrastructure Authority
- SC Department of Agriculture
- SC Department of Commerce - Business Incentives and Community Development
- SC Department of Commerce - Business Services
- SC Department of Environmental Services
- SC Department of Parks, Recreation & Tourism
- SC Department of Public Health
- SC Department of Transportation
- SC Office of Rural Health
- SC State Guard
- SC Thriving Communities Technical Assistance Center
Other sessions on the agenda will include best practices for budgeting and reporting in small municipalities, and the “Council of Errors,” an interactive mock city council meeting where participants identify the procedural and legal mistakes being made by the council. The last session of the day will feature a panel discussion where representatives from the City of Bishopville, City of Inman and Town of Kingstree discuss economic development successes they have achieved in their communities.
The registration deadline for the Small Cities Summit is Wednesday, August 14.