Pickens County may vote on MLK holiday

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County Councilman Dial DuBose said, "It's something we need to do. I think that gives us an opportunity to send a message that we believe in equality."

A Greenville County Council meeting last week ended early after a call for a county King holiday disintegrated into racially charged shouting.

One objection to the holiday in Greenville County has been the estimated $134,000 cost.

Adding a Martin Luther King Jr. holiday in January would cost Pickens County taxpayers $7,722 in overtime paid to employees who would need to work, such as emergency medical personnel or sheriff's deputies, DuBose said. Another estimated $54,292 would be lost in productivity.

DuBose said, "In Pickens County, we have employees capable of picking up the slack. ... The work will get done."

The county wants to avoid the controversy that has engulfed Greenville, Ours said, and also to present Pickens County as a place that values diversity and opportunity.

"Economic development is County Council's No. 1 goal, and it recognizes that diversity is something that is very important to executives who may be considering Pickens County to relocate their facilities," Ours said.

The Pickens County Council will meet at 4:45 p.m. Monday at the county administrative offices at 222 McDaniel Ave.