As complaints continue to rise over water quality, delayed billing, and infrastructure failures in the Town of Summerton, State Rep. Fawn Pedalino is organizing a public town hall meeting aimed at bringing answers, and accountability, to the community.
The meeting, hosted by the Clarendon County Legislative Delegation, will take place Monday, July 29 at 5:30 p.m. in the Clarendon Hall gym at 1140 Dukes Street in Summerton. Pedalino will be joined by Sen. Jeff Zell and several state and regional agencies. The South Carolina Department of Consumer Affairs, Department of Environmental Services, Municipal Association of SC, Santee-Lynches Regional Council of Governments, and SC Rural Water Association have confirmed attendance. Officials from the Town of Summerton and Clarendon County Water & Sewer have been invited.
Pedalino said she has heard from more than 30 Summerton residents in recent months reporting issues ranging from murky or discolored water to erratic water bills. The goal of the town hall, she said, is to ensure the right people are at the table to listen and help facilitate next steps.
“It's been in the works for the last month and a half,” Pedalino said in an interview with The Manning Times. “Because it is extremely hard to try and get all of these state agencies to agree on a specific date … to just kind of [have] everybody in the community be able to come forward and say, ‘This is what's going on.’”
One such concern involves North Shore Villas, where property manager Sheena Hartfield recently stopped an unexpected $19,182 bank draft from the town’s utility billing. Hartfield, along with other residents, says billing and communication from the town has been unclear and inconsistent.
Pedalino said she hopes officials from the Department of Environmental Services can respond to the water quality concerns and help clarify what recourse residents have. While she does not live on the affected water system, Pedalino said constituents have sent her photos and documentation illustrating longstanding issues.
“I’m not trying to step on toes,” she said. “But if this is a matter of the town being overwhelmed or needing support, then let’s bring in the people who can help. It’s 2025. People should have clean, safe water and a clear understanding of their bills.”
While final details on format are still being determined, Pedalino said residents will likely be allowed to make brief statements or ask questions at the microphone. The meeting may also be recorded to ensure all concerns are documented.
At this time, the Town of Summerton will not be attending the town hall. Rep. Pedalino said she personally extended an invitation to Mayor Keith Bowman and referenced a special-called meeting where the town council reportedly discussed the event, though no public notice of that meeting was issued.
“I did speak to him and invited them, and at this point, I don't think they're coming,” Pedalino said.
The Manning Times confirmed with Mayor Bowman that, as of now, neither he nor members of council plan to attend the town hall, though no reason was given for declining the invitation. Bowman noted that the matter will be discussed further at the next regular council meeting on July 8.
Looking ahead, Pedalino said legislative options are limited while the General Assembly is out of session. However, she is exploring a proviso similar to one introduced by Rep. Bill Hager (R-Hampton) last year, which authorized the state’s Inspector General to conduct a municipal audit.
“Right now, the state doesn’t have authority to step in unless it’s through specific legislation,” she said. “But if these issues continue, that’s a path we can take when session resumes in January.”
Pedalino also expressed interest in future conversations about regionalizing rural water systems to ease the burden on small towns struggling to maintain infrastructure and customer service.
“Something that I'd be interested in, [and] has been in talks across the state and in the legislature, is possibly going to a regional water system where the counties step in and take over a lot of these small towns that seem to be struggling with handling the water systems,” she explained.
Pedalino noted that agency representatives attending the town hall may not have immediate answers to all questions but will be prepared to follow up where necessary.
“Some of them are going to be just listening in because I don't think they realize how many formal complaints have been brought forward,” she said. “But then, the Department of Environmental Services is more than willing to answer the questions that they can at that moment. And if they have to get back to them on certain water quality issues, they will do that as well.”
When asked what she would say to residents who feel their concerns to the town have been ignored, Pedalino was direct.
“That's why we're having this meeting—to get more people involved, to see where we can go from here,” she said. “Again, my hands are tied to a certain extent, but we do know of other avenues that we can take … and if nothing's been addressed come January, then we'll know that that's what we have to do.”
She added, “This is not a Fawn Pedalino versus the Town of Summerton. This is—hey, everyone keeps coming to me. Let me just get the state agencies, because that's the level that I'm at, and see what they can do and how we can partner with [the town] to help them do the best job that they can.”
The event is free and open to the public. Residents are encouraged to attend and bring any documentation related to billing or water quality issues. Updates will be posted on Pedalino’s official social media pages and on manninglive.com.
