The city of Bamberg has “a problem with burning” in its city limits and the city’s burning permit has “no teeth” and there is nothing in the code for Police Chief George Morris to write up offenders, Fire Chief Timmie Taylor told Council members at their January meeting Monday night in requesting the city come up with an Ordinance against burning in the city limits.

“I’d like ya’ll to do a study and consider a possible ordinance to stop the burning in the city limits of Bamberg,” Chief Taylor said. Taylor said he is getting calls at all times of night from people who have children with respiratory problems that say they can’t breathe because of people burning leaves. Taylor noted that he called the city of Orangeburg which does not allowing burning except in the case of burning vegetation and food materials in the case of bonfires at the college. Taylor noted that DHEC has expressed an opinion about burning in the open and its effects on the lungs of children and adults.

Mayor McCollum appointed Council members Bo Griffin, Cynthia Summers and Janeth Walker to serve on a committee to study the issue of burning in the city of Bamberg.

Also during Monday night’s meeting parks commissioner Nancy Foster said the city has received several complaints about high school girls abusing play ground equipment at Frog Park and Foster Park which is intended for supervised children only. Foster asked Chief Morris to have officers ride by the parks after school to check for possible abuses. As to the upgrades at the basketball courts at the Ness Sports Complex commissioner Foster reported Rep. Bakari Sellers said the repairs “should be coming” soon and Sen. Brad Hutto needed to sign off on the grant.

Council members approved a request from city basketball league director Craig Walker of an increase of $500 over last year’s request of $1,500 for the basketball program that now has over 200 kids participating. Licensing commissioner Cynthia Summers noted in her report that as of November 14, 45 businesses had not renewed their licenses. “That’s a concern to me,” Summer said in requesting a current list of those businesses that have not renewed their licenses from clerk/treasurer Bruce Watson. In an update on replacing parking downtown Mayor McCollum said city officials met with Rep. Sellers and had a “wonderful meeting, positive” and Sellers should be getting back with the city “in a reasonable time.”