EDITORIAL
By: Tracy Sanders, Publisher
tracy@thewoodrufftimes.com
This morning, I reached out to the City of Woodruff for additional information about the upcoming public hearing regarding proposed changes to the Industrial District zoning ordinance.
I did so for one reason: before I told you, our readers, that a public hearing was being held, I wanted to be able to tell you exactly what was being proposed and what was changing.
I knew that simply posting, “There is a public hearing,” would immediately lead to reasonable questions: What is changing? Why is it changing? What does the current ordinance say? What will the new ordinance say?
Those are questions I believe the public should be able to answer before walking into a public hearing.
Among the information I requested was a copy of the current section, a copy of the proposed new section, and, if one already existed, a redlined or comparison version showing the changes.
I was not asking the City to prepare a document specifically for The Woodruff Times. I asked whether a comparison had already been prepared because I believed that, if these changes had gone through the planning process, there might already be a staff document, marked-up draft, or other material outlining what was changing.
The response I received was: “NO. This is not the city’s responsibility.”
I was also told that I could file a FOIA request for the current ordinance and that, if I wanted to see the proposed ordinance, it would be available for review at City Hall.
I am sharing this because I think it illustrates a larger issue that our community needs to talk about.
Public information should not be viewed as something the public has to fight to obtain. And questions from the press—or from citizens—should not automatically be viewed as attacks.
At the same time, citizens have responsibilities, too. We have to be willing to read the information, listen to the facts, ask fair questions and avoid spreading claims that we cannot substantiate. Public officials should not have to operate in an environment where every decision immediately becomes an accusation or conspiracy.
But frustration with public reaction cannot become a reason to provide less information.
In fact, I believe the opposite is true.
When distrust exists, the answer is more information. More explanation. More transparency. Not less.
My goal in asking these questions was not to create controversy. It was to prevent it. I wanted to give readers the facts upfront so that when the public hearing was announced, people would know what was actually being considered instead of filling in the blanks themselves.
That is what The Woodruff Times will continue to do.
We will ask questions. We will seek documents. We will provide context. We will correct information when it is wrong. And we will continue to believe that the people of Woodruff are better served when they have more accurate information—not less.
Information on public hearing.
What: PUBLIC HEARING
Host: City of Woodruff
When: TUESDAY, AUGUST 25, 2026 AT 5:25 P.M.
Where: CITY COUNCIL CHAMBERS ON THE FIRST FLOOR OF CITY HALL LOCATED AT 231 EAST HAYNE STREET, WOODRUFF, SOUTH CAROLINA
PURPOSE: CONSIDERING THE FOLLOWING: 1. TO REPEAL ARTICLE V SECTION VIII (IN, INDUSTRIAL DISTRICT) OF THE CITY OF WOODRUFF, SOUTH CAROLINA, OFFICIAL ZONING ORDINANCE IN ITS ENTIRETY AND TO ADOPT A NEW AND REVISED SECTION VIII (IN, INDUSTRIAL DISTRICT)
