Goose Creek City Council Regular Meeting – September 8, 2026
Goose Creek City Council Regular Meeting – September 8, 2026
The Goose Creek City Council held its regular meeting on Tuesday, September 8, 2026, at 6:00 PM at the Municipal Court, 519 N Goose Creek Boulevard, Bldg. D. Council approved routine minutes, four annexation/zoning ordinances, two resolutions, a public works director appointment, several recreation-related contracts, and a tree-planting contract. The meeting also included one public comment on Flock cameras, an update from the Mayor's Leadership Council, and presentation of a state municipal achievement award.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Cody Coxwell, a Goose Creek resident at 116 Williams Court, spoke against the city's use of Flock safety cameras/automated license plate readers. He said roughly 20 cameras (the Mayor later said the correct number is 12) scan every passing license plate, 99% of plates belong to people not suspected of anything, data is shared with SLED and kept for three years, and SLED's database has logged 42 million plate reads.
- Coxwell cited national and local concerns: Flock's CEO initially denied federal contracts but later admitted Border Patrol was given access without agencies' knowledge; Greenville police faced a $1.9 million lawsuit after wrongly identifying a woman's vehicle as stolen; the Calton County Sheriff's Office audit found 2,700 unauthorized uses and one officer fired; and researchers reported 51 security flaws, 22 CVEs, and a camera hack in under 30 seconds.
- He argued the cameras violate the U.S. and South Carolina Constitutions, noted other jurisdictions had suspended Flock contracts or passed 'protection from mass surveillance' ordinances, and asked Goose Creek to do the same and to push Berkeley County to create oversight policy with retention limits, access controls, and annual auditing.
- Mayor responded that the city uses 12 cameras, not 20; requires a case number before officer access; audits usage regularly; uses cameras mainly for after-the-fact investigations and live only for missing persons or fleeing fugitives; and said personnel who misuse such systems have been prosecuted or fired.
Mayor's Leadership Council - Monthly Report
- Abigail Stevens and Elijah Brown, students at Goose Creek High School, delivered the first Mayor's Leadership Council update of the year. Their August 17 meeting covered check-ins, group photos, and expectations including effort, professionalism, trust, and compromising.
- At the August 31 meeting, they learned about mayor-council government, the role of boards/commissions and staff, city council terms (four years, six members elected at-large), and HR functions such as recruiting, hiring, risk management, compensation, training, and benefits.
- Mayor said the program's goal is for students to understand municipal government and to know more about it than their parents do, noting local government has 99% of the impact on daily life.
Presentations & Proclamations
- Desiree Fergoso, field service representative for the Municipal Association of South Carolina (MASC), presented the Municipal Achievement Award in the public service category to Goose Creek for its therapeutic recreation division. This is the fourth consecutive year the city has received an achievement award.
- The award video highlighted that the therapeutic recreation division nearly quadrupled its programming in two years, began with roughly 10 participants before growing significantly, created Central Creek Park as Berkeley County's first fully accessible and inclusive park, and launched a 'We All Rise' campaign. Mayor praised council support, recreation staff, and the program's regional impact.
Approval of Minutes
- Council approved the minutes of the August 11, 2026 City Council meeting and the August 25, 2026 City Council workshop. One correction was noted and made before the vote. Written minutes were not provided with the source materials, but the transcript records this approval.
Old Business
- Annexation off Berkeley Farms Road and College Park Road (TMS 233-08-03-019 and 233-08-03-053), second/final reading: Approved unanimously.
- Annexation of Liberty Hall Road property (TMS 244-05-01-056) with Village Node (VN) zoning, second/final reading: Mayor explained the property is city-owned. Approved unanimously.
- Zoning map amendment from Planned Development to Planned Development for the Berkeley Farms PD parcels (TMS 233-00-00-057, 233-00-00-081, 233-08-03-024, 233-08-03-018, 233-08-03-043, 233-08-03-035, 233-08-03-017, 233-08-03-020, 233-08-03-021, 233-08-03-054, 233-08-03-055, and 233-08-03-022; +/-36.27 acres), second/final reading: Approved unanimously.
- Zoning map amendment from Conservation (C) to Residential Single Family (RSF) for 120 Matthews Lane (TMS 234-07-05-027; +/-1.30 acres), second/final reading: Mayor said the home was annexed years ago as conservation open space but residents continue to live there; the change makes the zoning appropriate for a home. Approved unanimously.
New Business & Public Hearings
- Resolution designating certain employees as code enforcement officers (introduction/final reading): Approved unanimously. Mayor explained the designation allows officials to issue uniform ordinance summonses.
- Resolution approving the Carnes Crossroads Improvement District annual assessment report and 2026-2027 assessment roll (introduction/final reading): Approved unanimously. Mayor explained the municipal improvement district levy must be approved annually.
- Ordinance repealing parts of Chapter 31 (City Council meetings and procedure) and adopting parliamentary rules under Exhibit A (introduction/first reading): Mayor said the city would adopt a pared-down version of Robert's Rules prepared by MASC and others. No public comment was offered. Council voted to approve; the agenda labeled this item as introduction and first reading, while the transcript records council action to adopt the rules.
Administrator's Report
- Council approved appointing Josh Tronnier as Public Works Director effective October 2, 2026. Mayor thanked retiring director Chuck Denson for more than two decades of service and praised Tronnier's abilities.
- Council approved entering into a design and engineering contract for Phase I of a Public Safety Training Facility with Glick/Boehm and Associates, Inc., the same firm that completed the city's master plan.
- Council approved a 30-year lease with Berkeley County School District for a portion of property next to Foster Creek Park. The lease is restricted to recreational purposes, includes notice requirements for using the school parking lot, and has insurance requirements vetted by the city attorney.
- Council approved executing a letter of intent to USA BMX for construction of a USA BMX-sanctioned BMX facility at Foster Creek Park.
- Council approved a design and engineering contract for the BMX facility with Action Sports Design. The contract is required by USA BMX, is a sole source, and is not to exceed $106,640.
- Council approved a contract with The Greenery for a tree canopy and right-of-way planting project and a rain garden on the city campus. The contract amount is $311,984.57, funded entirely from the city's tree fund, which is funded by developers. A staff member explained a rain garden catches runoff, dries between rains, and is planted with wildflowers.
Mayor's Report & Announcements
- The Mayor responded to the Flock camera public comment (see Public Comments section) and reiterated the city's policies and auditing.
- The Mayor celebrated the therapeutic recreation award, thanked council and staff, and described the future BMX facility as the result of a 10-year council effort to provide sports for children who may not play stick-and-ball sports.
- In place of the absent administrator, staff announced upcoming events and programs, including the Citizens Fire Academy, Boulder Bites, a police department car show, a blood drive, a Backyard Resilience workshop, Danning Amphitheater concerts, a Planning and Zoning Open House, Farmers Market, Cornhole Tournament, Parking Day, Skate Night, a Fall Festival, and Coffee with the Mayor/Chiefs events.
- The Mayor asked residents to support Helping Hands of Goose Creek, which is low on food and funds.
Monthly Department Reports
- August department reports were included in the meeting packet for informational purposes only; no action was taken.
Key Outcomes
- Minutes approved for August 11 and August 25, 2026 meetings.
- Four annexation/zoning ordinances passed on second/final reading.
- Two resolutions passed, including code enforcement officer designations and the Carnes Crossroads Improvement District assessment.
- First-reading parliamentary procedure ordinance was approved, with the agenda describing it as introduction/first reading and the transcript showing council action to adopt.
- Administrative approvals included the Public Works Director appointment, Public Safety Training Facility design contract, BMX school district lease, USA BMX letter of intent, BMX facility design contract, and tree/rain garden contract.
- All votes appeared unanimous, with no audible opposition noted.
Meeting Transcript
Good evening, everyone. Good evening and welcome. I very much appreciate everyone here. We have a lovely looking crowd tonight. Today is uh Tuesday, September 8th. This is our regularly scheduled council meeting. Uh very thankful for your attendance. Uh Pastor Beckwith with Crowfield Baptist Church is going to lead us in prayer. We're going to follow that with a Pledge of Allegiance. Let's pray together. Father, we thank you for this community that you have given to us and for the blessing of living in it together. And Lord, we pray that as we approach this meeting, uh, we would do it as neighbors, uh neighbors uh called to love one another and care for one another and uh consider the needs of one another. And also tonight, Father, as we look upon another anniversary of 9-11, uh, we give you thanks for the first responders in our community uh that serve us so well, and Lord, we pray a special blessing on them this evening, and pray that you would grant in this meeting wisdom and humility uh to those who will speak and lead. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen. Amen. I project the leadership of the United States and the Republic for which the same, nation, and the liberty and justice. Pastor, thank you. I appreciate you sharing those words with us tonight, and I appreciate you being here. Um right now we only have or not right now, tonight we only have one person signed up to speak, and that is Cody Coxwell. Mr. Coxwell, if you'd like to come up to the podium. You got three minutes, and I appreciate it. Okay, perfect. Should be enough copies for everybody. Uh good evening, council members. My name is Cody Coxwell. I live at 116 Williams Court uh in here in Goose Creek. Here tonight to talk about flock safety cameras, the automated license plate readers installed on our roads. About 20 cameras in Goose Creek scan every license plate that passes, uh passes them. 99% of the plates they scan belong to people who aren't suspected of anything. The data goes to SLED, which keeps it for three years. SLUD's database has logged 42 million plate reads. That's a detailed record of where South Carolinians drive, when they drive, and how often. Flock CEO was asked on camera in July of 25 whether his company had any federal contracts. He said no. Three weeks later, investigators forced him to admit Flock had secretly given border patrol an account to access local police cameras across the country without telling any of those agencies. SC has no law that would even make that illegal. This isn't a conspiracy, it's happening in our state. Greenville police utilizing flock cameras wrongly targeted a woman and her daughters, identifying their vehicle as stolen, resulting in a 1.9 million dollar lawsuit. The Calton County Sheriff's Office just next door recently conducted an audit where they found 2700 instances of unauthorized use of the system. One officer has been fired. Security research researchers found flock cameras can be physically hacked in under 30 seconds. They run an operating system. Google stopped updating in 2021. They uh they have 51 security flaws that have been found in Flock's devices with 22 assigned CVEs now in the national vulnerability database. These cameras are not secure. Most Americans pushing back against this mass surveillance argue that it violates the fourth amendment of the U.S. Constitution, and I agree. However, our state constitution is even clearer.
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