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CLOSED CAPTIONING PROVIDED BY BUFORT COUNTY.
GOOD MORNING, AND THANK YOU FOR JOINING US TODAY.
UM, AS ALWAYS, WE'RE GONNA GET RIGHT TO IT.
UM, THE AND THE FIRST ORDER OF BUSINESS TODAY, SINCE WE HAVE HAD MANY CHANGES AND THERE'S A COUPLE PEOPLE RUNNING A LITTLE LATE, BUT WE'RE GONNA GO AHEAD ANYWAY.
UM, WHAT WE DO JUST ABOUT EVERY YEAR, UH, ELECT THE NEW CHAIR, VICE CHAIR AND SECRETARY.
UH, THE SECRETARY'S ROLE IS PRETTY MUCH JUST TO SERVE AS PART OF THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE, FOR LACK OF A BETTER TERM.
SO, UH, WE'LL START WITH THE CHAIR AND, UH, ANYONE HAVE ANY NOMINATIONS FOR CHAIR OF SO LOKO FOR THE NEXT YEAR? YES, I NOMINATE YOU
IT'S ONE OF THOSE JOBS THAT
OKAY, SO WE HAVE A, A MOTION AND WE HAVE A SECOND.
UM, NEXT WE HAVE VICE CHAIR AND I HAVE A NOMINATION.
DO I HAVE A THIRD
ANY COMMENTS? ALL IN FAVOR, PLEASE SAY AYE.
AND I JUST, UM, I JUST INFORMED HIM THAT, UM, HE'S GOING RIGHT TO WORK.
'CAUSE FEBRUARY 27TH, I'M GONNA BE WHERE LARRY TUBER IS RIGHT NOW.
SO,
UM, NEXT, UH, IS SECRETARY AND SERVING IN THAT ROLE HAS BEEN, UH, MATT FROM EE.
DO I HAVE ANY NOMINATIONS FOR SECRETARY MATT? AGAIN, I WOULD LIKE TO
UH, IT'S, UH, IT'S A GOOD MIX.
SO WE HAVE ALL PARTS OF THE TWO COUNTIES TOGETHER.
UH, SO WE HAVE A MOTION, WE HAVE A SECOND.
ANY COMMENTS? ALL IN FAVOR, PLEASE SAY AYE.
CONGRATULATIONS, MATT, YOU, YOU HAVE BEEN REELECTED.
UM, NEXT AT THE LAST BOARD MEETING, YOU'LL, EVERYONE WILL RECALL THAT WE ASKED TO GET AN UPDATE ON THE PENNY SALES TAX.
UM, AND, UH, THAT IS BEING PROPOSED FOR THIS YEAR'S REFERENDUM.
AND, UH, WE INVITED, UH, MR. DEAN MOSS, THE CHAIRMAN OF THE CITIZEN TRANSPORTATION ADVISORY COMMITTEE TO GIVE US AN UPDATE ON THAT, UH, POTENTIAL REFERENDUM FOR 2024.
I HAVE SOME HANDOUTS HERE THAT, UH, DEAN BROUGHT FOR THE BOARD.
UM, WE'LL PASS 'EM AROUND FOR, LET 'EM GO AROUND AS FAR AS THEY WILL GO.
AND, UM, IF WE HAVE ANY EXTRAS, PLEASE PASS 'EM TO THOSE IN THE AUDIENCE.
UM, FIRST I APOLOGIZE, I GET A LITTLE COLD, SO I'M, I'M KIND OF HOARSE AND ROUGH HERE.
UM, BUT I UNDERSTAND THAT COUNTY COUNCIL HAS ALREADY TAKEN SOME PRELIMINARY ACTION ON THIS.
SO, UH, I'M GONNA PRESENT YOU WHAT THE COMMITTEE CAME UP WITH, AND, UM, ULTIMATELY SOMETHING WILL OCCUR.
ANYWAY, UH, I CHAIRED THE COMMITTEE.
IT WAS MY PLEASURE TO CHAIR IT, EVEN THOUGH THEY ELECTED ME AND I WASN'T THERE.
UM, I, I CHAIRED THE PREVIOUS ONE, AND, UM, THEY APPARENTLY LIKE THAT.
BUT BASICALLY, WE HAVE A PENNY NOW IN EFFECT IN BEAUFORT COUNTY, UH, WHICH IS THE GREEN PENNY.
AND BASED UPON THE RATE OF, UM, OF, UM, MONEY BROUGHT IN AS A RESULT OF THIS PENNY, UM, IT'S GONNA END WELL BEFORE THE TWO YEARS.
IT'S A, IT'S A TWO YEARS OR A HUNDRED MILLION, WHICHEVER COMES IN FIRST, AND IT WILL END WELL BEFORE THE TWO YEARS.
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THERE WILL NOT BE A SITUATION WHERE WE WOULD HAVE TWO PENNIES GOING AT ONE TIME, IF, IF IN FACT, THIS ONE WOULD WERE TO PASS ROUGHLY 40 PE PERCENT TO 45% OF THIS IS PAID BY VISITORS, UM, TO BEAUFORT COUNTY.AND THOSE VISITORS ARE, ARE TOURISTS OR CONCEIVABLY, THERE ARE FOLKS FROM JASPER COUNTY WHO ARE COMING INTO BEAUFORT COUNTY TO, UM, TO SHOP.
UM, BUT GENERALLY, UM, 40%, 40 TO 45% PAID BY VISITORS.
UM, IMPORTANT TO NOTE, AND I THINK YOU ALL KNOW THIS, THAT, UH, THERE ARE MANY THINGS WHICH THIS TAX WILL NOT APPLY TO.
UM, IT WILL NOT APPLY TO FOOD, FOR EXAMPLE.
SO IT'S DESIGNED IN SUCH A WAY, AND THIS IS TRUE OF, OF AT THE STATE LEVEL, THAT IS DESIGNED TO AVOID IMPACTING, UH, THE, THE REAL NEEDS OF PEOPLE ON PARTICULARLY THOSE ON THE, ON THE LOWER END OF THE, OF THE, UH, INCOME BRACKET.
UM, THE PLAN WE PROPOSE HAS A LOT OF FLEXIBILITY IN IT.
UH, THERE'S A LOT OF WHAT WE CALL, UH, WHAT WE CALL BUCKETS, WHICH ARE COLLECTIONS OF AMOUNTS OF MONEY, WHICH CAN BE USED FOR VARIOUS THINGS, UM, IN VARIOUS CATEGORIES.
UM, BUT THE WHOLE THING IS BASED UPON THE CONCEPT THAT THE CITIES AND THE COUNTY WILL COOPERATE VERY, VERY CAREFULLY ON THIS.
UM, MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT THE COUNTY WILL CONTROL THE MONEY, BUT NONE OF THIS HAPPENS WITHOUT COOPERATION BETWEEN THE COUNTY AND THE CITIES.
SO THAT'S KIND OF WHERE WE START.
BASICALLY, WE RECOMMENDED THAT THEY PREPARE A REFERENDUM BALLOT TO GO ON THE REFERENDUM IN NOVEMBER, UM, ASKING THE ELECTORATE TO APPROVE A PENNY, ONE PENNY SALES TAX FOR 15 YEARS.
AND THAT 15 YEAR SALES TAX, IF APPROVED, WOULD PRODUCE ABOUT $1.65 BILLION IN BEAUFORT COUNTY.
AGAIN, 40%, 45% PAID BY VISITORS.
UM, IT WOULD BE, UH, PROCEEDS WOULD BE SPENT FOR A SERIES OF, UH, CRITICAL TRANSPORTATION ISSUES, TRANSPORTATION OPPORTUNITIES, TRANSPORTATION, UH, REQUIREMENTS.
AND, UM, WE ALSO RECOMMENDED THAT THEY APPOINT AN, AN ADVISORY COMMITTEE, UH, TO HELP, UH, OVERSEE HOW PARTICULARLY THE SECOND PORTION OF THIS ALLOCATION IS SPENT.
UM, THE COMMITTEE HAD SIX MEMBERS, UM, THREE FROM SOUTH OF BROAD, THREE FROM NORTH OF THE BROAD.
MY JOB WAS TO REPRESENT THE TOWN OF PORT ROYAL AND THE CITY OF BEAUFORT.
UM, WHICH I AND I HAVE APPEARED BEFORE BOTH THOSE COUNCILS, UH, TO DISCUSS WHAT WAS SAID.
UM, WE HAD, UH, ONE, ONE PERSON FROM BLUFFTON, ONE PERSON FROM, UH, HILTON HEAD, AND ONE PERSON FROM THE UNINCORPORATED AREAS.
AND IN NORTH OF THE BROAD, WE ESSENTIALLY HAD TWO PEOPLE FROM THE UNINCORPORATED AREAS.
UM, WE LOOKED AT, WE LOOKED AT DIFFERENT SALES TAX OPTIONS.
UH, THERE WERE WERE THREE THAT WE CONSIDERED, UH, EDUCATION CAPITAL PROJECTS, AND TRANSPORTATION EDUCATION WAS LOOKED AT, UM, AT THAT POINT, PRELIMINARILY BECAUSE, UH, THIS WAS BEFORE THE NOVEMBER REFERENDUM VOTE, AND THERE WAS AN EDUCATION REFERENDUM ON THE BALLOT, AND THERE WAS SOME CONCERN THAT THAT EDUCATION REFERENDUM WOULD NOT PASS.
AND IF IT HAD NOT PASSED, I THINK THAT A, WE WOULD'VE HAD AT LEAST A, A SERIOUS DISCUSSION ABOUT WHETHER WE OUGHT TO BRING FORWARD AN EDUCATION PENNY, UH, BECAUSE THOSE DOLLARS ARE, AGAIN, EQUALLY CRITICAL.
AND SO WE, WE MOVED ON TO EITHER CAPITAL PROJECTS OR TRANSPORTATION.
OF THOSE TWO, UM, TRANSPORTATION SEEMED TO US JUST BASED UPON THE LIVES WE LIVE, UH, THAT, UH, WOULD BE THE MOST IMPORTANT.
UH, THEY ARE SO EXPENSIVE THAT IN ORDER TO FIX A LOT OF THE ISSUES THAT WE HAVE HERE, WE NEED TO BE MOVING, UM, NOW AND NOT NOT WAITING INTO THE FUTURE.
SO WE CAME FORWARD AND PROPOSED, WE'RE PROPOSING A TRANSPORTATION REFERENDUM.
UM, CONCEPTUALLY WE BROKE, UH, THE PROPOSED GROUPS OF PROJECTS DOWN INTO TWO PARTS.
THE FIRST IS WHAT WE CALL BIG PROJECTS.
THESE ARE SPECIFIC PROJECTS, UH, DESIGNED TO MEET SPECIFIC NEEDS TO ADDRESS REAL PROBLEMS THAT ARE OUT THERE RIGHT NOW.
UM, AND I'M GONNA GO THROUGH WHAT THOSE ARE.
UM, AND WE RECOMMENDED THAT THREE THAT WE PUT, UH, IN THAT BIG PROJECT CATEGORY, 300 MILLION INTO PROJECTS SOUTH OF THE BROAD AND 175 MILLION INTO PROJECTS NORTH OF BROAD.
UH, AND THEN WE LEFT 175 MILLION KIND OF IN THE BANK FOR FUTURE PROJECTS.
UH, WHEN I MADE THIS PRESENTATION TO THE, TO THE, THE, THE
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PORT ROYAL AND BUFORT, UH, IN BOTH MEETINGS, SOMEBODY SAID, WHAT ABOUT THE THIRD BRIDGE? UH, WHICH HAS BEEN, OF COURSE, IF, IF YOU HAVE BEEN AROUND FOR A WHILE, UH, HAS BEEN A MATTER OF DISCUSSION NORTH OF THE BROAD FOR A LONG TIME.THIRD BRIDGE TO LADIES ISLAND.
UM, BUT THEY HAD A NUMBER OF PEOPLE IN BOTH COUNCIL MEETINGS WHO WERE ADAMANT ABOUT THE NEED TO SPEND MONEY AND GET STARTED ON THE THIRD BRIDGE.
UH, THAT'S NOT A RECOMMENDED PROJECT IN THIS, IN THIS PACKAGE, UM, BUT IT IS, IT IS REFERENCED AS THE KIND OF THING THAT SOME OF THAT, UH, WHAT WE CALL, YOU KNOW, BIG PROJECT UNALLOCATED, $175 MILLION COULD BE SPENT FOR.
UM, THE SECOND PACKAGE IS WHAT WE CALL, UM, PROJECT PROGRAMS. I CALL 'EM BUCKETS.
THERE'S ABOUT NINE, $975 MILLION IN THAT PACKAGE.
UM, AND IT, AND I'LL GO THROUGH EACH OF THE KIND OF, UH, TYPES OF PROJECTS THAT MIGHT BE CONSIDERED HERE.
THEY ARE, UM, THEY'RE UNDENIABLY REQUIRED.
THEY CAN'T REALLY BE DEFINED, A, BECAUSE THEY'RE SMALL, CONCEIVABLY, B BECAUSE THEY HAVEN'T BEEN FIGURED OUT YET.
UH, C BECAUSE MOST OF THEM ARE GONNA BE SCATTERED ALL OVER THE PLACE.
SO, UM, I'LL GET TO THOSE IN SOME DETAIL.
UM, AGAIN, ABOUT $975 MILLION GOING INTO THAT PACKAGE.
UM, OKAY, WE RECOMMEND THIS GO INTO EFFECT FOR 15 YEARS, UM, AND THAT WOULD RAISE ROUGHLY 101.625 BILLION OVER 15 YEARS.
UM, BUT REMEMBER THAT IF WE HAVE THESE DOLLARS, WE HAVE THE ABILITY TO TAKE AND GET STATE DOLLARS AND FEDERAL DOLLARS.
WE CAN MULTIPLY THE AMOUNT OF MONEY WE'VE RAISING LOCALLY BY USING, BY ACCESS TO THE FEDERAL AND STATE MONEY.
UH, AND I THINK THAT THAT'S A REAL, THAT'S A REAL, SOMETHING TO LOOK AT VERY, VERY CAREFULLY.
SO, BIG PROJECTS, WHAT DID WE RECOMMEND? FIRST IS THE TRIANGLE.
UM, ORIGIN BOULEVARD, 1 72 78.
UM, THAT'S A PROJECT THAT'S GONNA HAVE TO BE DONE COOPERATIVELY WITH JASPER COUNTY AND HARVILLE.
UM, WE, WE KNOW WHAT THE PROBLEM IS THERE.
IT'S PRETTY OBVIOUS, UH, THE DEVELOPMENT, CONTINUING DEVELOPMENT OF SUN CITY ACROSS JUN BOULEVARD, AND A WHOLE LOT OF OTHER STUFF THAT'S HAPPENING IN THAT CORRIDOR, UH, IS, IS CREATING PROBLEMS TODAY.
UH, I'VE, I'VE BEEN SUBJECT TO IT AS PROBABLY MANY OF YOU HAVE.
IF YOU'RE COMING SOUTH AND SOMETHING HAPPENS AT THE CORNER OF ARGENT AND ONE 70, TRAFFIC WILL BACK UP ALL THE WAY BACK UP ALMOST ORLAND ON, ON THAT ROAD, AND ALMOST TO THE BROAD RIVER ON THE OTHER ROAD.
SO THAT'S A, THAT, THAT'S AN AREA WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO DEAL WITH.
UM, THE COUNTY DID A PROJECT, UH, UH, WHICH PREPARED WHAT I, WHAT I'LL CONSIDER TO BE PRELIMINARY, UH, ANALYSIS OF OPTIONS AND APPROACHES FOR, UH, IMPROVING REBO ROAD.
UM, AND SO WE'VE ALLOCATED ABOUT $75 MILLION.
THE TRIANGLE GETS ABOUT A HUNDRED MILLION, UH, 75 MILLION TO REBO ROAD.
AND REBO ROAD IS, IN MANY CASES, A SERIOUS ISSUE.
IF YOU COME, IF YOU ARE GOING TO LADIES ISLAND OR COMING FROM LADIES ISLAND, UH, IN THE MORNING AND THE AFTERNOON, PARTICULARLY IF YOU'RE GOING TO LADIES ISLAND, COMING FROM THE PARIS ISLAND, COMING FROM THE SOUTH.
TRAFFIC LITERALLY BACKS UP ALL THE WAY TO PORT ROYAL, UH, TRYING TO TURN RIGHT AND GET ACROSS THAT BRIDGE.
UH, IT'S A, IT'S A REAL ISSUE.
AND THERE ARE LOTS OF OTHER OPPORTUNITIES THERE IN TERMS OF MAKING REBO ROAD, UH, MORE EFFICIENT, MORE ATTRACTIVE, SAFER, UH, BETTER FOR PEDESTRIANS.
THERE'S LOTS OF OPPORTUNITIES THERE.
IT'S VERY DENSELY DEVELOPED, UH, ALONG THE EDGES.
WE'VE GOT HOSPITALS, WE'VE GOT SCHOOLS, WE'VE GOT ALL KINDS OF STUFF THERE THAT NEED TO BE FIGURED OUT.
UM, IN BLUFFTON HIGHWAY 46 IMPROVEMENTS, ABOUT 20, $20 MILLION.
UM, ESSENTIALLY LOOKING AT TWO THINGS.
FIRST, THE EXTENSION OF THE FOUR LANE, ALL THE WAY TO THE JASPER COUNTY LINE.
UM, AND IF, IF, IF YOU'VE BEEN ALONG THERE, THERE'S BEEN WORK DONE ON THERE.
BEAUFORT, JASPER'S DONE A BUNCH OF BIG PIPE WORK ALONG THERE RECENTLY.
UH, SO THAT, THAT IS, THAT'S PROJECT A.
AND PROJECT B IS IMPROVEMENTS IN, UM, IN, UM, LEFT TURN LANES, INTERSECTIONS, ET CETERA, ALONG, UM, 46, GOING TO ONE 70, UH, WITH THE IDEA THAT WE MAINTAIN THE, UH, THE DESIGNATION OF THE SCENIC PARKWAY THAT WE HAVE ON THAT ROAD.
UH, NUMBER FOUR WOULD BE LADIES ISLAND CORRIDOR IMPROVEMENTS.
THIS WAS IN THE 18, UM, PENNY SALES TAX PROJECT FOR ABOUT $40 MILLION.
UH, THAT APPARENTLY, BASED UPON
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WHAT I CAN UNDERSTAND RIGHT NOW, REPRESENTED ABOUT HALF OF WHAT THE ACTUAL COST WAS FOR THAT PRO, THOSE PROJECTS.IT'S A WHOLE SERIES OF PROJECTS DESIGNED TO KIND OF TAKE TRAFFIC AWAY FROM THOSE INTERSECTIONS TO MAKE SURE YOU CAN GET KIDS IN AND OUTTA THE HIGH SCHOOL SAFELY.
UH, THERE'S JUST A NUMBER OF VARIABLES THAT HAVE TO BE DEALT WITH ON THERE.
UH, IT'S CLEAR THAT WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO SPEND A LOT MORE MONEY IN THAT AREA, UH, JUST TO KEEP THE, THE GROWTH ON LADIES ISLAND IS CONTINUING TO GO FAST.
UH, YOU'RE STARTING TO GET MORE GROWTH COMING IN FROM ST.
UM, AND SO IT'S A, IT'S, YOU COMBINE THAT WITH THE TOURISM AND EVERYBODY HEADING OUT TO, TO HUNTING ISLAND, UH, IT'S BECOMING A NIGHTMARE OUT THERE IN TERMS OF, OF TRAFFIC, PARTICULARLY, FOR EXAMPLE, IF THE SWING BRIDGE, UH, BREAKS AND YOU CAN'T GET ACROSS A SWING BRIDGE TO GET INTO BEAUFORT, YOU JUST, YOU'VE CREATED AN INCREDIBLE, INCREDIBLE SPOT.
UM, FIFTH, WE HAVE RECOMMENDED FOR BLUFFTON, UH, MUNICIPAL PROJECTS AT UNDEFINED, 60 MILLION BUCKS.
UM, WE HAVE RECOMMENDED FOR HILTON HEAD MUNICIPAL PROJECTS, GENERALLY, GENERALLY UNDEFINED, BUT UNDERSTOOD TO HAVE A WHOLE LOT, A WHOLE LOT TO DO WITH SEA PINE CIRCLE AND THE ISSUES THAT ARE OCCURRING ON SEA PINE CIRCLE RIGHT NOW AS A PROBLEM.
UM, SO, BUT ANOTHER 60 MILLION BUCKS TO GO THERE.
AND FOR NORTH OF THE BROAD GENERALIZED TRANSPORTATION IMPROVEMENTS FOR BEAUFORT AND PORT ROYAL, UH, AND WITH, WITH OBVIOUSLY THE NEED TO EXPAND BEYOND THOSE, UH, ANOTHER 60 MILLION.
SO THE MUNICIPALITIES GENERALLY GET IN THIS PROCESS, UH, AN ALLOCATED POT OF MONEY THAT'S, THAT IS GOING TO BE AVAILABLE TO THEM, UH, IN DIFFERENT WAYS.
UM, AND THEN AGAIN, AS I SAID, UM, OH, ANOTHER ONE, 60 MILLION TO GO TO HIGHWAY 2 78, PROJECT ENHANCEMENTS.
UM, THOSE ARE GONNA BE CONNECTED WITH THE BRIDGE, UH, IS WHAT MY, MY ENGINEERS HAVE TOLD ME.
BASICALLY, IMPROVEMENTS OF VARIOUS KINDS ON 2 78, UH, AND THEN IMPROVEMENTS ON THE BRIDGE AREA, IMPROVEMENTS ON ACCESS AND EGRESS FROM THAT AREA.
UH, THERE'S, THERE'S, THERE'S A LOT OF WORK LEFT TO BE DONE ON THAT PROJECT, AS WE KNOW.
AND THEN 175 MILLION, UM, FOR FUTURE PROJECTS.
UH, THIS IS A 15 YEAR PROPOSAL, SO WHATEVER WE THINK WE'RE DEALING WITH TODAY, WE CAN GUARANTEE THAT WE WILL BE DEALING WITH SOMETHING DIFFERENT 10 YEARS FROM NOW AND 15 YEARS FROM NOW.
SO, UH, IT IS, IT'S A SIGNIFICANT, SIGNIFICANT, UM, ATTEMPT.
UH, AT LEAST OUR PROPOSAL IS TO GET, GET WITH THE FACT THAT, UM, THESE, THESE PROBLEMS ARE NOT GONNA GET LESS.
UM, JUST, JUST LOOKING AT, AT DEVELOPMENTS THAT I KNOW ARE BEING PROPOSED RIGHT NOW, UM, IN JASPER COUNTY PARTICULARLY, UH, WHETHER YOU'RE, WHETHER YOU'RE GOING UP, UM, TOWARD RIDGELAND, UH, OR WHETHER YOU'RE GOING OUT TOWARD 95, UM, AND, AND JUST MORE STUFF, MORE STUFF, MORE STUFF, WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO DEAL WITH IT BECAUSE IT, THOSE FOLKS AREN'T JUST GONNA STAY IN JASPER COUNTY.
THEY'RE GONNA WANT TO COME TO BEAUFORT ONE, ONE WAY OR THE OTHER, AND TO BEAUFORT COUNTY.
SO THOSE ARE THE BIG PROJECTS.
UM, WE HAVE A SERIES OF, UM, UH, LET'S SEE.
LEMME PUT THESE THINGS IN THE WRONG PLACE.
WE HAVE, UM, UH, WHAT WE CALL PROJECT PROGRAMS AND AMOUNTS, MASS TRANSIT, ABOUT A HUNDRED MILLION DOLLARS.
UM, IF WE'RE GONNA, IT'S, IT'S HARD TO IMAGINE, UH, A SERIOUS, SERIOUS, SERIOUS MASS TRANSIT PROGRAM JUST BECAUSE OF THE WAY PEOPLE LIKE TO BE IN THEIR CARS, UH, AND TRAVELING AROUND.
BUT WE HAVE TO TRY TO GET THERE.
UH, IF WE CAN MOVE PEOPLE INTO MASS TRANSIT AND GET THEM OUTTA THEIR CARS, IT'S GONNA MAKE EVERYTHING EASIER AS WE GO DOWN THE ROAD.
UM, THIS ALSO INCLUDES FERRIES.
UM, WE'VE LOOKED AT THE CONCEPT, WE DIDN'T LOOK AT IT VERY DEEPLY, BUT THE CONCEPT OF, UH, OF A FAST FERRY COMING FROM BEAUFORT, PORT ROYAL AREA TO HILTON HEAD, UH, YOU CAN PROBABLY DO IT IN 20 MINUTES BASED UPON THE TECHNOLOGIES THAT ARE OUT THERE FOR FERRY SERVICE RIGHT NOW.
UH, I MEAN, SO THERE ARE SOME REAL OPPORTUNITIES HERE THAT WE, WE, AT A MINIMUM, WE NEED TO BE LOOKING AT CAREFULLY.
WHETHER WE SPEND A BUNCH OF MONEY BUILDING THEM, THAT'S ONE THING, BUT WE OUGHT TO LOOK AT 'EM VERY HARD.
UM, WE HAVE ANOTHER 250 MILLION IN SAFETY, SAFETY AND TRAFFIC FLOW, UH, SAFETY IMPROVEMENTS ALONG ROADWAYS, INTERSECTIONS TO INCLUDE PEDESTRIAN ACCOMMODATIONS, ET CETERA.
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AGAIN, THESE POTS ARE, THESE BUCKETS ARE, ARE AN AMALGAM OF THINGS.AND IF, IF THERE'S A PROJECT THAT, UH, THAT THE TOWN OF BLUFFTON HAS THAT CAN FIT INTO ONE OF THESE THINGS, AND THEY OUGHT TO GO SAY, THIS IS WHAT WE WANNA DO, AND THERE'S, YOU KNOW, A HUNDRED, $250 MILLION THERE THAT WE CAN UTILIZE TO DO THESE KINDS OF THINGS, UH, EMERGENCY EVACUATION AND RESILIENCY, UM, WE ARE, WE'RE CONTINUING TO GROW.
UH, RIGHT NOW, THE ROADS OUTTA HERE ARE GENERALLY NOT GETTING ANY BIGGER.
AND, UM, SO THIS IS ONE OF THESE AREAS WHERE, UH, AT SOME POINT, COUNSEL IS GONNA HAVE TO DECIDE, UH, HOW, HOW CLOSELY IT, IT WANTS TO WORK WITH JASPER, HAMPTON AND COL IN TERMS OF IMPROVING, UH, THE ROADS THAT PEOPLE WILL BE USING IF THEY EVACUATE THIS COUNTY, UH, IN THE EVENT WHEN THEY, WHEN THEY, WHEN THEY DO NOT, IF THEY DO, WHEN THEY DO IN THE EVENT OF A SERIOUS HURRICANE.
UH, WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO LOOK AT THAT STUFF PRETTY CAREFULLY.
UM, UM, ONE EXAMPLE THAT, UM, I I LIKE TO USE FOR PEOPLE THAT FITS INTO THIS CATEGORY, IN MY OPINION, AND MANY OF, MANY OF YOU MAY KNOW WHERE WARSAW ISLAND IS, UH, MANY OF YOU MAY NOT.
IT'S ON BETWEEN LADIES ISLAND AND HILTON HEAD, BASICALLY, UM, LADIES ISLAND AND ST.
UM, RIGHT NOW AT A SERIOUS HIGH TIDE, THERE IS ANYWHERE UP TO SIX INCHES OF SALT WATER ON THE ROAD GOING TO THAT ISLAND.
SO IF YOU'RE DRIVING, IF YOU LIVE THERE AND YOU'RE HAVING TO GO BACK AND FORTH TO WORK, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE SPLASHING SALT WATER UP, YOU KNOW, ONTO THE BOTTOM OF YOUR VEHICLE.
THERE'S PROBABLY SIX OR SEVEN, MAYBE MORE ROADS LIKE THAT OUT ON, UH, ON ST.
UH, THEY MAY BE, I'M NOT, I'M NOT AWARE OF ANY DOWN HERE, SOUTH OF THE BROAD, BUT THERE PROBABLY ARE.
I KNOW WE'VE GOT SOME UP IN, IN THE BURTON AREA AS WELL.
SO THESE ARE ISSUES THAT EVENTUALLY WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO COME TO GRIPS WITH.
UM, PAVEMENT RESURFACING AND PRESERVATION, 180 MILLION.
UM, RIGHT NOW IN BEAUFORT COUNTY, UH, I CAN'T REMEMBER, UH, UH, UH, MR. CHAIRMAN OR ALICE, YOU MAY REMEMBER HOW MANY UNPAVED, UH, DIRT ROADS THAT THE COUNTY OWNS.
NOT, NOT NOT DIRT ROADS THAT ARE PRIVATE, BUT DIRT ROADS THAT THE COUNTY OWNS.
UH, AS A GENERAL STATEMENT, EVERYBODY WANTS THOSE, ALL THOSE PEOPLE THAT LIVE ON THOSE ROADS WANT THEM PAVED.
WE'VE BEEN GETTING ABOUT THREE DONE A YEAR, BUT IN THE NUMBER WE HAVE OUT THERE IS IN THE FORTIES, I MEAN, 40 OR 50 ROADS.
UM, SO WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO DEAL WITH THE FACT THAT AT SOME POINT, WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO KEEP DOING THIS.
WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO BE REPAVING THESE ROADS.
THE OTHER KEY PART OF IT IS IF, IF WE CAN, IF WE CAN INVEST IN THE PRESERVATION OF, UH, OUR, OUR ASPHALT ROADS BEFORE THEY GET TO THE POINT THAT THEY HAVE TO BE REPAVED, WE CAN EXTEND THE LIVES OF THOSE ROADS BY MULTIPLE YEARS.
AND SO IT, IT'S A, IT'S, THESE ARE DOLLARS WHICH WOULD BE INVESTED, COUNTY ROADS, CITY ROADS, STATE ROADS, UM, NOT PRIVATE, BUT IF THEY'RE, IF IT'S PUBLIC, IT'S ELIGIBLE, AND WE SHOULD BE WORKING TO, TO GET THOSE KINDS OF THINGS DONE.
UM, PATHWAYS, UH, 180 MILLION, UH, IN THE 18 REFERENDUM, WE APPROVED, I THINK 10 MILLION FOR PATHWAYS.
UM, WE'VE SPENT A LITTLE BIT OF THAT RIGHT NOW.
UM, I'M BUILDING A SPANISH MOSS TRAIL, SO I'M, I'M KIND OF ATTUNED TO THAT KIND OF THING.
BUT, UM, THE COUNTY, UH, HAS PRODUCED A EXCELLENT, UM, PATHWAY MASTER PLAN, UH, FOR BEAUFORT COUNTY.
AND, UM, WE, WE, WE SEE THIS AS A WAY TO GET THESE KINDS OF THINGS DONE.
UH, WE DO RECOMMEND THAT, UH, THAT THERE WERE, I FORGET HOW MANY PROJECTS WERE LISTED IN THE APPROVED, UH, IN, IN THE 18 REFERENDUM.
THERE ARE A LOT OF 'EM, UM, WAY BEYOND THE, OUR ABILITY TO PAY FOR 'EM WITH THAT MONEY.
BUT WE, OUR ATTITUDE IS, UH, THAT WE OUGHT TO BE FOCUSING ON GETTING THOSE DONE, OR AT LEAST RUN THROUGH A, A, A PRETTY INTENSE ANALYSIS TO MAKE SURE WE KNOW, UH, WHAT WE'RE DOING.
AND IF THE ONES THAT ARE ON THAT LIST MAKE ARE THE ONES WE SHOULD BE DOING, WE SHOULD DO THOSE FIRST.
UM, SO, AND THEN FINALLY, TRANSPORTATION TECHNOLOGIES, ACCESS ROADS, UM, THE AMOUNT OF ENERGY, THE AMOUNT, THE AMOUNT OF ELECTRONIC ENERGY WE, WE CAN BE SPENDING, UH, ON THESE INTERSECTIONS IS SIGNIFICANT.
AND WE HAVEN'T, WE, WE'VE NOT DONE, WE'VE NOT EVEN SCRATCHED THE SURFACE ON OUR ABILITY TO MANAGE, UH, STOPLIGHTS AND STOPLIGHT TRAFFIC SO
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THAT IF THERE'S NO CARS COMING, THE LIGHT DON'T TURN RED.YOU KNOW, YOU JUST, YOU KEEP IT GREEN UNTIL YOU GOTTA TURN IT RED.
THERE'S ALL KINDS OF STUFF LIKE THAT.
UM, AND THEN ANOTHER 85 MILLION FOR GREEN BELTS.
GREEN BELTS ARE AN ALLOWABLE EXPENDITURE UNDER THE TRANSPORTATION REFERENDUM.
UH, AND SO OUR RECOMMENDATION WOULD BE ANOTHER 85 MILLION, UH, WHICH IS THEN EFFECTIVELY TURNED OVER TO THE GREEN PENNY TASK FORCE, UH, FOR ITS USE.
SO THOSE BASICALLY ARE THE POTS, BUT IT, IT, IT'S, IT'S, IT'S IMPORTANT TO THINK ABOUT THOSE.
IF, IF, IF, AND I, AND I SAY THIS PRINCIPALLY TO THE MAYORS AND MANAGERS AND, UM, THAT, UM, THESE ARE BROAD DEFINITIONS.
AND SO IF THERE'S A PROJECT THAT CAN FIT IN THERE THAT YOU CAN MAKE FIT IN THERE, THEN THAT'S WHAT YOU WANNA DO.
YOU KNOW, I MEAN, IT, IT, IT, THERE'S ENOUGH FLEXIBILITY HERE.
UH, COUNCIL COUNTY COUNCIL WILL, UM, OVERSEE THE EXPENDITURES.
UH, THEY'LL BE IN CHARGE OF THE MONEY.
AND SO, AGAIN, COME BACK TO MY FIRST POINT, WORKING WITH THEM WORKING TOGETHER, UM, I THINK IS A CRITICAL, CRITICAL PART OF THIS PROCESS.
UH, I'VE BEEN DOING THIS IN THIS COUNTY NOW FOR ALMOST 40 YEARS, UH, AND I'VE SEEN EXAMPLES OF GOOD RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN THE COUNTY COUNCILS AND THE MUNICIPALITIES.
AND I'VE SEEN EXAMPLES OF HORRIBLE RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN THE COUNTY COUNCILS AND THE MUNICIPALITIES.
AND WE REALLY HAVE TO FOCUS ON GOOD RELATIONSHIPS.
UM, WE DO RECOMMEND THE CITIZENS OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE.
WE WERE REALLY INSPIRED BY THE SCHOOL BOARD'S, UH, COMMITTEE THAT THEY PUT TOGETHER.
AND, UM, SO WE ARE RECOMMENDING SOMETHING LIKE THAT SEVEN MEMBERS, UH, THAT COUNCIL WOULD SELECT, UH, TO KIND OF SERVE AS A, AS A BOUNCING BOARD, PARTICULARLY FOR THESE, FOR THESE, YOU KNOW, UNNAMED PROJECTS.
THE, THE, THE, THE BUCKETS OF MONEY.
UM, AND, UM, WE RECOMMEND THAT, UH, REVENUE BONDS BE ISSUED, UH, AND THAT, UM, WE, WE UTILIZE THESE GREEN SPACE DOLLARS, UH, AS WE CAN TO REDUCE LONG-TERM, LONG-TERM DEMAND FOR, FOR HIGHWAY SPACE.
UH, AND WE DO NEED A MASS TRANSIT MASTER PLAN.
WE DO NOT HAVE ONE IN BEAUFORT COUNTY.
WE DON'T HAVE A, A REAL OVER OVERSIGHT COUNTYWIDE TWO COUNTYWIDE MASTER PLAN.
'CAUSE THAT'S WHAT IT'S GOTTA BE.
IT'S GOTTA BE BOTH JASPER AND BEAUFORT COUNTIES, UH, LOOKING AT HOW WE'RE MOVING PEOPLE AROUND, UM, AND HOW QUICKLY EXAMPLE, A NUMBER OF PEOPLE SAY WE NEED A LITTLE TROLLEY SERVICE THAT JUST RUNS IN BEAUFORT, UH, FROM BEAUFORT OVER TO LADIES ISLAND AROUND DOWN BACK TO PORT ROYAL AND BACK TO BEAUFORT.
JUST A LOOP RUNS ALL THE TIME SO THAT YOU CAN GET ON THE, ON IN ONE SPOT AND GET OFF IN ANOTHER SPOT AND DO YOUR SHOPPING, AND THEN GET HOME.
MS. CHAIRMAN, THAT'S THE EXTENT OF MY PRESENTATION.
I'D BE HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS.
WHAT WE'LL DO IS OPEN IT UP TO, UH, THE BOARD FIRST FOR QUESTIONING AND THEN THE PUBLIC.
UH, BUT BEFORE WE DO THAT, UH, WE'VE HAD, UH, SOME NEW ARRIVALS SINCE WE STARTED, AND I'D LIKE TO WELCOME TO THE BOARD, MAYOR PHIL KRUMER.
WELCOME MAYOR, AND CONGRATULATIONS ON, ON YOUR, UH, NEW CHALLENGE FOR THE NEXT FOUR YEARS.
SO THE BOARD IS SITTING AT THE TABLE HERE.
ANY QUESTIONS FOR MR. MOSS? MR. CHAIRMAN, I HAVE A QUESTION, UH, IF I MAY.
MR. MOSS, THIS IS DANNY LUCAS FROM JASPER COUNTY.
YOU MENTIONED, UH, THE REQUEST FOR PERHAPS A MASTER PLAN FOR, UH, TRANSIT.
WAS THAT, UH, DID I HEAR YOU SAY THAT WOULD BE, UH, HOPEFULLY FOR BEAUFORT COUNTY AS WELL AS JASPER COUNTY? I DON'T SEE HOW YOU CAN AVOID THAT.
I THINK, UH, WE ARE SO INTERRELATED IN TERMS OF PEOPLE MOVING BACK AND FORTH BETWEEN THESE TWO COUNTIES.
UH, WE AN ENORMOUS AMOUNT OF LABOR, UM, COMING OUT OF JASPER COUNTY INTO BEAUFORT COUNTY.
WORKERS ARE MOVING BACK AND FORTH ALL THE TIME.
THERE'S ALL KINDS OF REASONS TO DOING THAT.
SO YES, I BELIEVE THAT YOU'VE GOTTA HAVE A WELL THOUGHT OUT MASTER PLAN FOR BOTH COUNTIES.
ANYONE ELSE? I HAVE A, I HAVE A COUPLE.
UM, FIRST OF ALL, THE 1.65 BILLION OVER 15 YEARS, THAT'S LIKE $110 MILLION A YEAR.
ISN'T THAT A LOT HIGHER THAN, THAN PREVIOUS? IS THAT AN ANTICIPATED GROWTH? I THOUGHT WHAT, WHAT'S THE CURRENT RATE OF COLLECTION ON ONE ON A PENNY? 80? I COULD BE WRONG.
[00:30:01]
PENNY WAS JUST DONE.IT WAS ESTIMATED TO BE A HUNDRED, AND IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE MADE UP WITHIN THE YEAR, I THINK.
SO I THINK THEY'RE USING THAT AS THEIR BASIS.
SO, UM, IF YOU LOOK AT THE GREEN PENNY'S GONNA BE DONE IN A LESS THAN A YEAR, AND IT'S GONNA GENERATE THE A HUNDRED MILLION.
AND THEY USE LIKE A, I THINK IT'S, I DON'T KNOW IF THE MICROPHONE, I THINK Y'ALL USED, I THINK IT WAS LIKE A 3% GROWTH ESTIMATE EACH YEAR BASED ON THAT TO, SO IF IT'S A MILLION NOW, THEN IT GROW 3% EACH YEAR.
SO IT MAY BE 1,000,005 BY THE TIME THAT IT GETS TO THE END.
IT'S A LOT HIGHER THAN I THOUGHT.
UM, WHO, WITH THIS COMMITTEE, WHO SETS THE PRIORITIES? SO THERE'S, THERE'S 16 THINGS THAT ARE LISTED HERE, AND WHO WOULD SET THE PRIORITIES? UH, WHAT COMES FIRST? WHAT COMES SECOND? WELL, I THINK, I THINK FROM THE BIG PROJECT STANDPOINT, THE, THE CONCEPT IS THAT, UM, THE TRIANGLE PROJECT, UH, REBO ROAD 46, UM, VERY SPECIFIC PROJECTS NEED TO MOVE AS QUICKLY AS YOU CAN.
LADIES ISLAND IMPROVEMENTS NEED TO MOVE AS QUICKLY AS YOU, AS YOU CAN GO.
SO YOU'RE LOOKING AT, LOOKING AT A BOND ISSUE, UH, UH, TO YOU, ONCE YOU GET THIS APPROVED, YOU GO TO THE BOND MARKET AND YOU, YOU BORROW, YOU KNOW, A HUNDRED MILLION, $200 MILLION AND GET GOING.
UM, IN TERMS OF THOSE OTHER PROJECTS, UM, I THINK THAT, I THINK THAT ESSENTIALLY THEY'LL BE, THEY'LL BE FILLED, THOSE POTS, IF YOU WILL, CAN BE FILLED OVER A PERIOD OF TIME.
BUT I THINK, I THINK, I MEAN, I THINK, I THINK THAT'S AT THIS POINT ON THE BIG PROJECTS, I THINK IT'S COUNTY COUNCIL'S RESPONSIBILITY TO FIGURE OUT WHAT THE PRIORITIES ARE.
SO THAT'S YOUR, THAT WOULD BE THE RECOMMENDATION OF THE COMMITTEE, BUT ONCE IT PASSED, THEN THERE'S GOT TO BE SOME ENTITY WHO WILL, WHO WILL MAKE THAT DECISION.
JOE, IS THAT COUNTY COUNCIL'S RESPONSIBILITY? I THINK IT'S GOING TO BE A COMBINATION OF THE COUNTY COUNCIL'S RESPONSIBILITY WITH COOPERATION AND COORDINATION OF THE MUNICIPALITIES AND THE CITIZENS COMMITTEE THAT IS GOING TO HAVE THE OVERSIGHT.
UM, ONE OF THE, UM, QUESTIONS THAT I, I, I KNOW HAVE I'VE HEARD AROUND REGARDING PAST REFERENDUMS AND PAST TRANSPORTATION IS THAT IT, THERE'S SOME PROJECTS THAT HAVEN'T HAPPENED EVEN FROM THE LAST ONE, ONE PENNY.
WILL THERE BE A SCHEDULE ONCE THE PRIORITY'S SET, WILL THERE BE A SCHEDULE, OKAY, THIS HAS GOTTA BE DONE BY X PERIOD OF TIME, BECAUSE WITHOUT A SCHEDULE, IT COULD JUST HANG OUT THERE FOREVER, RIGHT? RIGHT.
AND AGAIN, I'M NOT, I GOT DRAGGED IN HERE TO, TO DO THIS, TO DO THIS.
SO I'M, I'M NOT, I'M, I'M NOT, UH, YOU KNOW, ON, ON THE ENGINEERING STAFF OR ANYTHING ELSE.
AND, AND, AND I DON'T WORK FOR THE COUNTY.
SO, UH, MY ATTITUDE WOULD BE THAT, AGAIN, THOSE ARE, THOSE ARE PRIORITIES AND SCHEDULES THAT NEED TO BE DONE BY, UH, THE STAFFS, UH, PRINCIPALLY, UH, COUNTY ENGINEERING STAFF WORKING WITH THE ENGINEERING STAFFS AND, AND STAFFS OF THE MUNICIPALITIES.
UH, IT'S, IT'LL, IT'LL TAKE SOME TIME TO FIGURE THIS STUFF OUT.
BUT IF THEY WORK TOGETHER, UH, I THINK THAT, UH, THERE ARE REAL, REAL OPPORTUNITIES HERE.
I, I THINK I'M, I MAY NOT BE ASKING THE RIGHT QUESTION, BUT THESE QUESTIONS MAY BE ASKED BY THE ELECTORATE AND BEFORE, YOU KNOW, THEY, THEY MAY BE INTERESTED IN THESE QUESTIONS BEFORE THEY DECIDE WHETHER TO VOTE YES OR NO.
SO THEY, I THINK THERE, THERE ARE ISSUES AND I GUESS IT SHOULD BE DIRECTED TO COUNTY COUNCIL, YOU KNOW, THAT SHOULD BE TAKEN INTO CONSIDERATION AS YOU PRESENT THIS TO THE PUBLIC.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS FROM THE BOARD BEFORE I TURN IT TO THE PUBLIC? I DO.
UM, YOU, YOU, YOU MADE MENTION EARLIER, WHICH, WHICH I THINK IS OF THE UTMOST IMPORTANCE ABOUT THE FUNDING FROM DOT IN THE STATE.
UM, WE'RE DOING THIS BECAUSE WE WANT TO CONTROL OUR OWN ROADS AND OUR, AND OUR FUNDING, BUT THERE IS A PLETHORA OF MONEY AT THE STATE LEVEL THAT THAT NEEDS TO GO INTO THESE PROJECTS.
BUT I JUST WANNA MAKE CERTAIN THAT THAT'S NOT GONNA BE PUT TO THE SIDE AND NOT, YOU KNOW, THE EFFORTS AREN'T GONNA GO INTO IT TRYING TO GET THOSE FUNDS BECAUSE IF WE CAN GET MATCHING FROM SOME OF THE STATE OR FEDS, LIKE YOU SAID, IT WILL EXPAND OUR FUND FOR A LOT LONGER.
UM, AND THAT'S ONE OF THE OTHER QUESTIONS THAT'S COMING AROUND IS WHY ARE WE NOT, YOU KNOW, GOING TO THE STATE? SO AS YOU GO FORWARD WITH THE PUBLIC INFORMATION, THAT'S GONNA BE ONE OF THE OTHER CONVERSATIONS THAT NEEDS TO BE HAD.
[00:35:01]
THAT THERE'S AN UNDERSTANDING THAT WE'RE TRYING TO CONTROL OUR FUTURE AND NOT LEAVE IT UP TO SOMEBODY ELSE.THAT IS QUITE EVIDENT FROM WHAT HAPPENED WITH THE BRIDGE PROJECT.
WE WERE ABLE TO GO TO THE SIB AND SAY, WE HAVE $80 MILLION IN HAND AS A RESULT OF OUR REFERENDUM WITH THIS KIND OF MONEY IN THE NEXT REFERENDUM, WE CAN GO BACK TO THEM.
AND WE LOOK VERY GOOD BECAUSE WE HAVE SKIN IN THE GAME.
AND THAT'S THE ONLY WAY THE STATE IS GONNA FUND ANYTHING IS IF YOU HAVE SKIN IN THE GAME.
BUT FOR OUR, FOR THE GENERAL PUBLIC, FOR THE COMMUNICATION PIECE, THAT IS UTMOST IMPORTANCE.
AND EVERYBODY SHOULD KNOW, UH, COUNTY COUNCIL LAST NIGHT TOOK THE FIRST ACTION, THE FIRST READING OF THE ORDINANCE TO CREATE THE REFERENDUM.
WE DID HAVE FOUR AMENDMENTS TO THAT.
IT'S A VERY LENGTHY DOCUMENT THAT HAS TO BE SPELLED OUT.
THE FOUR AMENDMENTS WERE, UH, AS A RESULT OF SOME CONVERSATIONS, WE DID REMOVE THE WORD IN THE DOCUMENT REIMAGINE WHEN WE WERE TALKING ABOUT REBO ROAD.
WE DID SPECIFY THE DOLLAR VALUE FOR BONDING UP TO $650 MILLION FOR BONDING.
WE DID INCLUDE SPECIFICALLY THE RECOMMENDATION FOR THE CITIZENS ADVISORY COMMITTEE.
AND WE DID INCLUDE THE FACT THAT BECAUSE IT IS A COUNTY REFERENDUM, THE FUNDING FLOWS THROUGH THE COUNTY.
SO THOSE WERE THE FOUR AMENDMENTS.
OUR, ON FEBRUARY THE SIXTH, WE WILL HAVE THE SECOND READING AND THE PUBLIC HEARING ON THIS.
WE NEED TO MOVE AS FAST AS WE POSSIBLY CAN SO THAT WE CAN DO THE EDUCATION, LIKE YOU'RE SAYING, LETTING THE PEOPLE KNOW AS MUCH SPECIFICITY AS WE POSSIBLY CAN, UH, AND AS MUCH, UH, EDUCATION AS WE CAN POSSIBLY DO WITHIN THE GUIDELINES OF, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE TO EDUCATE HOW TO ADVOCATE.
JOE, WAS THE, UH, WAS THE DOLLAR AMOUNT AS RECOMMENDED BY THE COMMITTEE? $1.625 BILLION OVER 15 YEARS? YES.
EVERYBODY KNOWS THAT IT IS GOING TO TAKE THAT LONG AND THAT AMOUNT OF MONEY FOR US TO CATCH UP AND BE WHERE WE WANT TO BE WITH THE ROAD SYSTEMS AND EVERYTHING THAT'S IN THE RECOMMENDATION.
MIKE, UH, JUST TO ANSWER, MAYOR PERRY, WE, THE BUFORD JASPER, CITY OF HARDY WILL SENT AN EMAIL TO, OR EMAIL A LETTER TO SECRETARY HALL ABOUT THE TRIANGLE PROJECT IN 2 78, IMPROVEMENTS FROM 95.
SO WE'RE TRYING TO GET THEM ON BOARD, SO SHE WAS WELL AWARE OF IT.
JUST LOOSELY THERE, THERE'S SUPPORT.
THE ONLY QUESTION I HAVE TO THE, TO THE CHAIR IS, UH, THE SUCCESSOR FAILURE OF A LOT OF THESE ISSUES ARE BASED UPON PUBLIC AWARENESS AND EDUCATION.
IS THE COUNTY GONNA DO ANYTHING TO DO SOME TYPE OF PUBLIC AWARENESS EDUCATION CAMPAIGN ON THIS? ABSOLUTELY.
UM, WE GOT SUED THE LAST TIME WE DID THIS, SO WE HAVE TO BE VERY CAREFUL ABOUT EDUCATION VERSUS ADVOCATION.
WE WILL DO THAT IN COOPERATION WITH THE MUNICIPALITIES.
UH, THERE ARE GROUPS WITHIN OUR MUNICIPALITIES, WITHIN OUR COUNTIES THAT ARE CHOMPING AT THE BE TO ASSIST US IN ENSURING THAT WE LET EVERYBODY KNOW THAT NUMBER ONE, THIS IS A SALES TAX.
NUMBER TWO, WE'RE CHANGING ONE PENNY FOR ONE PENNY.
THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO INCREASE.
NUMBER THREE, THAT ONE GOES AWAY AT THE END OF THIS YEAR, DECEMBER 31ST, 2024.
IT IS EITHER WE COLLECTED A HUNDRED MILLION DOLLARS OR THE TIME IS UP, WE FEEL WE'RE GONNA COLLECT IT BEFORE THE END OF DECEMBER, BUT IT'LL ROLL BACK TO THE 6% UNTIL MAY OF 2025, BECAUSE IT TAKES THAT LONG BETWEEN THE REFERENDUM APPROVAL WHEN THE STATE ROLLS OUT EVERYTHING, THEY REDO EVERYTHING.
SO THERE IS GOING TO BE A LAG THERE.
DENNY, UM, DO YOU, UH, WHAT ARE THE PROSPECTS FOR JASPER COUNTY? I UNDERSTAND JASPER COUNTY LOSES ITS 1% TRANSPORTATION SALES TAX FROM 2016.
[00:40:01]
SO THE SAME ISSUES, UH, DOES IT LOOK LIKE JASPER COUNTY WILL, WILL FOLLOW SUIT AND HAVE A REFERENDUM AS WELL? YES, SIR.IT DOES APPEAR THAT THAT WILL BE THE CASE.
UH, JASPER COUNTY AND RIDGELAND AND HARDY, UH, SAT DOWN SOME MONTHS AGO AND DISCOVERED THAT WE HAVE ABOUT $500 MILLION IN REQUEST FOR ROAD IMPROVEMENTS.
THIS IS OVER AND BEYOND THE ALLOCATIONS THAT WOULD NORMALLY BE EXPECTED FOR THE DOT.
SO THE POINT IS THAT WE HAVE A TREMENDOUS, UH, NEED FOR REPAVING, UH, PAVINGS AND EXPANSIONS OF, OF ROADWAYS, IN FACT, UM, SO MUCH SO THAT WE'RE, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT DEVELOPMENT IMPACT FEES, UH, FOR TRANSPORTATION, STARTING WITH DEVELOPMENT IMPACT FEES, AND THEN MOVING ON FROM THERE.
SO YES, THERE'S BEEN SERIOUS CONSIDERATION AND CONVERSATION ABOUT THE NEED FOR CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS FOR TRANSPORTATION.
ANYONE, STEVEN? UH, JUST TO GO ALONG WITH THE DOT QUESTION THAT WAS ASKED IN DISCUSSION, UM, I WOULD JUST REMIND EVERYBODY ABOUT LATS BECAUSE ALL THESE PROJECTS THAT THEY'RE LOOKING AT ARE ON THE LONG TERM PLAN FOR LATS, AND THAT'S THE KEY TO GETTING THE STUDIES DONE.
THEY'VE GOT THE FUNDING AND GETTING THE FUNDING FROM THE STATE IS MAKING SURE THAT WE KEEP THOSE PRIORITIES IN PLACE.
SO I THINK WE'RE ALL MEMBERS OF THAT.
JUST MAKING SURE THAT WE'RE MAKING THE, MAKING SURE THOSE THINGS, THE PRIORITIES FOR LATS ARE LINING UP WITH THE PRIORITIES FOR WHAT WE'RE LOOKING TO FUND.
SO, AND, AND I THINK, AND THIS GOES BACK TO ALAN'S QUESTION, AT SOME POINT, HAVING SOME SORT OF JOINT MEETING WITH BOTH DELEGATIONS, BOTH THE BUFORT AND, AND THE BEAUFORD JASPER DELEGATION PROBABLY NEEDS TO HAPPEN SOONER RATHER THAN LATER.
AND I THINK IT WOULD BE GREAT IF, IF DOT COULD COME INTO THE PART OF THAT DISCUSSION AS WELL, JUST TO, TO HAVE THEIR INPUT TO KNOW WHERE WE STAND AND WHAT WE THINK, ESPECIALLY WITH THE NEW SECRETARY COMING IN.
UM, THINGS WILL CHANGE ANYONE ELSE FROM THE BOARD BEFORE I OPEN IT UP TO THE PUBLIC? OKAY.
WE HAVE A LARGE AND DISTINGUISHED PUBLIC.
UH, WOULD ANYONE LIKE TO ASK QUESTIONS REGARDING THE POTENTIAL REFEREND BACK OVER THERE SET UP? SO YOU HAVE ONE? IS THAT SET UP? YEAH, YEAH.
I'M, WELL, SO AT THE MANY THINGS I'VE BEEN ATTENDING WITH OUR SPECIAL ELECTION, UM, CANDIDATES, I'VE HEARD COMMENTS FROM A LOT OF PEOPLE ABOUT THE PENNY.
THEY'RE, THEY'RE VERY CONFUSED WHAT IT MEANS, LIKE JOE SAID, BUT THEY SAID, WHY WOULD WE SUPPORT THIS WHEN WE HIT RUTS AND BUMPS ON LEFT PARKWAY? IT'S GONNA BE A POINT OF CONTENTION TO SAY, WHY ARE WE GONNA SPEND THIS PENNY WHEN WE CAN'T EVEN TAKE CARE OF THE ROADS WE HAVE? SO I WOULD ADDRESS THAT WITH JARED AND MAYBE COUNTY COUNCIL ON GETTING THAT HELP.
UM, I WROTE IT TODAY AND I DIDN'T THINK THERE WERE BUMPS UNTIL I WROTE IT, AND WE GOT A LOT OF COLLEAGUES IN, IN THE STANDS, BROUGHT THAT UP MANY TIMES.
BUT, UM, OTHER THAN THAT, NOW I CAN ADVOCATE AND EDUCATE.
SO JUST TO COME, WE MAY NEED YOU AS AN ADVOCATOR TO THAT POINT.
WE DISCUSSED THE BLUFFTON PARKWAY LAST NIGHT AND HAVE A PLAN TO ADDRESS SOME OF THAT.
AND PEOPLE THOUGHT, WELL, YOU KNOW, WHY DO, WHY ARE THERE SOME HOLES IN THERE? IT'S ONLY TWO YEARS OLD.
SAID, UH, WAIT A SECOND, ADD ANOTHER TWO ON THERE.
IT'S OVER 20 YEARS OLD, AND IT IS REACHED ITS LIFE EXPECTANCY FOR THE ROADWAY.
ANYONE ELSE FROM THE PUBLIC? YES, SIR.
I'D LIKE TO KNOW WHAT, UH, JASPER COUNTY IS DOING TO EDUCATE THE CITIZENS OF, UH, JASPER COUNTY, UH, ABOUT THIS PENDING TAX.
SO WE HAVE A, JOE WAS MENTIONING WHAT THEY'RE DOING IN BEAUFORD COUNTY.
WHAT DOING IN JASPER COUNTY? ANYONE TO ANSWER THAT? OR YOU WANT, UH, MIKE TO ANSWER THAT? MIKE CAN GO AHEAD AND ANSWER THAT, BUT LOOK, SO FAR WE HAVEN'T GOTTEN TO THAT.
WE ARE SCHEDULING A MEETING, UH, WITH, UH, RIDGELAND JASPER COUNTY AND HARDY.
WE'RE TRYING TO COORDINATE THE DATES NOW TO ANSWER THOSE VERY QUESTIONS.
SO WE, WE HAVEN'T MET TOTALLY AS COUNSELS
[00:45:01]
IN YET.IS THAT THE RIGHT ANSWER? YES, THAT'S IT.
ANYONE ELSE FROM THE PUBLIC? YES, PLEASE.
TAYLOR LA FROM JASPER WATER AND SEWER.
JUST LIKE TO TAKE THE OPPORTUNITY WITH ALL THE MUNICIPALITIES AND PARTNER AGENCIES REPRESENTING HERE.
PLEASE KEEP YOU FROM JASPER IN MIND WHEN YOU START PLANNING SOME OF THESE PROJECTS.
THIS IS A GREAT OPPORTUNITY FOR COLLABORATION AND COORDINATION WITH OUR CAPITAL PROJECTS PLAN.
UH, I THINK, FOR EXAMPLE, REBO ROAD IS A GREAT OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO COLLABORATE ON STEWART PROJECT, SO THANK YOU SO MUCH.
AND, AND FOR THE BOARD, IF YOU RECALL, WHEN WE WERE DISCUSSING THE 2024 AGENDA ITEMS, WE WANT TO, UH, HAVE PRESENTATIONS FROM THE UTILITIES IN THE FIRST SIX MONTHS OF THIS YEAR.
SO WHEN WE GET TO THE AGENDA, THE AGENDA DISCUSSIONS, WE CAN, UH, WE CAN TAKE THAT IN MIND.
UH, DAVE KIMBALL OF LOW COUNTRY BIKE WALK ADVOCATES.
WHAT'S THE CURRENT STATUS? YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT THE TRIANGLE, UH, FOR PROVIDING, UH, BICYCLE, UH, PATHWAYS OR ENHANCEMENTS AS THE TRIANGLE IS REBUILT AND OR ONE 70, THAT'S ALL PART OF THE FUTURE DESIGN.
WE KNOW THAT THE TRIANGLE IS FOUR THREE ROWS, 2 78, 1 70, AND ARGENT BOULEVARD.
IT HASN'T BEEN FULLY DESIGNED AS YET.
WE KNOW WE HAVE TO EXPAND THOSE ROADS IN THOSE AREAS.
WE'RE DOING SOME INTERMEDIATE SHORT TERM SOLUTIONS ON ONE 70.
ONCE THE TRIANGLE PROJECT COMES IN, THEN YOU DESIGN THE WHOLE PROJECT AND TAKE INTO ACCOUNT HOW DO WE ALSO HAVE PATHWAYS ALONG THOSE ROUTE? THANK YOU.
UH, VIA LATS, LATS WAS THE ONLY THING THAT'S BEEN PLANNED.
MASTER PLAN IS THE ONE 70 CARTER FROM 4 62 TO 2 78.
THE REST OF THE TRIANGLE HAS YET TO BE DESIGNED.
AND, AND LIKE WE DISCUSSED, IS THERE A TIMEFRAME SORT OF TABLE FOR DESIGNING THE MASTER PLAN FOR THE TRIAD? WELL, FIRST THING IS PASSING THIS REFERENDUM.
WITHOUT THE MONEY, THERE WILL BE NO DESIGN.
THEN I JUST WANTED TO ASK, UM, AND WE TOUCHED ON THIS IN A MEETING THE OTHER DAY, AND, UH, SO FOR CLARITY, BUT, AND I MENTIONED LOW HANGING FRUIT LIKE SIGNALIZATION, YOU KNOW, WHERE YOU SYNCHRONIZE 'EM.
UM, THE ACCESS MANAGEMENT PLAN THAT HAS BEEN TALKED ABOUT FOR A WHILE NOW FOR THE PARKWAY AND 2 78, UH, AND AN ASPHALT REPLACEMENT, WHICH MAYOR PERRY WAS KIND OF TOUCHING ON A MINUTE AGO.
IS THEIR FUNDING ALREADY SET ASIDE FOR SOME OF THIS THROUGH THE IMPACT FEES? YES.
SO THESE ITEMS WOULD START TO TAKE PLACE PRIOR TO ANY MAJOR INITIATIVE THAT IT, IT IT'S INDEPENDENT OF THE MAJOR, THE MAJOR INITIATIVE, YES.
IF, IF YOU DRIVE DOWN ONE 70, AS MOST OF US DO, YOU SEE THAT THERE ARE SIGNS UP, THEY'RE COVERED IN PLASTIC THAT WILL TALK ABOUT ROAD CONSTRUCTION AND YOU SEE THESE ORANGE PIPES COMING OUT OF THE GROUND, ALL OF THAT HAS BEEN DONE AS PART OF THE SIGNALIZATION THAT'S GOING TO TAKE PLACE ON ONE SEVEN.
ANYONE ELSE? OKAY, MR. MOSS, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR AGREEING TO, UH, THIS WAS VERY INFORMATIVE AND VERY HELPFUL.
AND THANK EVERYONE ON YOUR COMMITTEE FOR, FOR THEIR SERVICE IN, IN GETTING THIS TOGETHER.
UM, NEXT AND FINALLY, WE WANT TO TALK ABOUT OUR, UH, AGENDA ITEM FOR FEBRUARY AND BEYOND, UH, THERE, 'CAUSE THERE HAVE BEEN A COUPLE OF SUGGESTIONS AT THE LAST MEETING.
UM, WE SAID THAT THE, THE BOARD ASKED FOR A UPDATE ON WHAT WE TOUCHED ON TODAY, THAT GREEN SPACE PENNY, HOW MUCH HAS BEEN COLLECTED, WHAT IT'S GONNA GO FOR.
UM, SO, AND, UM, THERE HAS BEEN AN ALTERNATE SUGGESTION PUT FORTH BY, UM, CHAIRMAN PASSMAN.
[00:50:01]
SO BEFORE WE DISCUSS WHAT WE'D LIKE TO SEE AND OH, AND ALSO WHAT WE SAID LAST TIME, THAT STARTING IN MARCH, IN ADDITION TO THE 30 YEAR PRIORITIES THAT, UH, CHAIRMAN PASSMAN TALKED ABOUT, THAT, THAT'S WHEN WE WOULD START INVITING THE UTILITIES TO COME IN AND GIVE US AN UPDATE.SO THAT'S WHAT WE DISCUSSED THE LAST TIME.
JOE, I'M GONNA TURN IT OVER TO YOU TO, UM, TO BRIEFLY, UH, PRESENT TO THE BOARD YOUR SUGGESTIONS THAT YOU EMAILED ME.
I, I THINK TWO THINGS CAN BE DONE.
I THINK THE GREEN SPACE PENNY CAN BE DONE.
UH, WITHOUT TAKING UP FULL TIME.
I HAVE PROPOSED, UH, ITEMS IN FEBRUARY, MARCH, APRIL AND MAY AROUND THE REFERENDUM.
UH, I WANT TO TALK ABOUT AN IDEA, A PUZZLE TO BE PUT TOGETHER BY ALL OF US.
THE REFERENDUM IS THE NEXT BIG THING, BUT INCLUDED IN THAT NEXT BIG, BIG THING IS OUR VISION OF THE FUTURE.
WHAT'S IT GONNA LOOK LIKE? HOW FAR OUT SHOULD WE GO? BECAUSE IF WE DO NOTHING, THE FUTURE IS GOING TO DETERMINE US.
WE HAVE A CHANCE TO, TO TAKE THE QUALITY OF LIFE THAT WE HAVE AND MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS OF HOW WE WANT TO KEEP THAT QUALITY OF LIFE.
SO I HAVE PUT TOGETHER A PRESENTATION THAT COULD BE DONE IN FEBRUARY.
NOT THAT ACTION WOULD BE TAKEN AT THAT MEETING, BUT IT'S GOING TO BE ONE OF THOSE THINGS THAT I HOPE YOU WALK AWAY AND GO, HMM, I DIDN'T THINK OF THAT.
AND THEN COME BACK AND WE START TO PRIORITIZE.
WHAT DO WE WANT TO DO? AS IT WAS SAID BEFORE, WHAT ARE GOING TO BE THE PRIORITIES? WE HAVE POSSIBLY $1.625 BILLION WORTH OF PROJECTS THAT CAN BE DONE OVER THE NEXT 15 YEARS.
HOW DO WE PRIORITIZE THEM? WELL, IF IT'S A LOOK DOWN THE FUTURE, WE MAY SAY, BASED UPON WHAT WE BELIEVE THE PRIORITY SHOULD BE, THIS IS THE ORDER WE WANT TO TAKE THEM IN.
SO THAT WOULD BE FEBRUARY, MARCH.
WE'RE GOING TO, YOU KNOW, YOU'D HAVE A HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT AT THE END OF THE FEBRUARY MEETING THAT YOU'LL GO BACK TO YOUR VARIOUS CONSTITUENTS AND START TALKING ABOUT THIS, BECAUSE THIS IS A REGIONAL APPROACH THAT WE HAVE TO HAVE.
WHATEVER WE DO IS GOING TO AFFECT OUR ENTIRE REGION.
AND ON TOP OF THAT, STARTING NEXT YEAR, I 95 BEGINS TO BE WIDENED.
THAT IS GOING TO HAVE A DRAMATIC IMPACT OVER TIME ON US.
SO IN MARCH, WE CAN COME TO PRIORITIES, AND THEN WE START MEETING WITH OUR DELEGATION BECAUSE THERE THEY WILL BE IN SESSION, THEY WILL BE FINALIZING THE BUDGET.
HERE'S OUR OPPORTUNITY TO TELL THEM WHAT WE NEED.
AND THEN APRIL, WE'VE GOT PRIORITIES SET, WE'VE MET WITH OUR DELEGATIONS.
WE'RE STARTING TO ROLL OUT THE INFORMATION FOR THE PUBLIC BECAUSE BY THEN WE WILL HAVE DETERMINED ALL OF THE ASPECTS OF THE REFERENDUM.
AND THEN MAY IT IS, OKAY, WHAT ARE, WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO FOR THE CITIZENS IN HILTON HEAD? WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO IN YEEE? WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO HERE, THERE AND EVERYWHERE? HOW, HOW DO WE DO IT WITH JASPER COUNTY, OUR PARTNER IN JASPER COUNTY? THOSE KINDS OF THINGS.
SO THAT'S WHAT I'M PROPOSING THAT WE DO OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL MONTHS.
SO, UH, THE BOARD HAS TO, I'M GONNA ASK THE BOARD TO DECIDE WHAT THEY WANT TO, TO DO.
UM, I THINK THE PRESENTATION THAT I'VE SEEN FROM JOE ON HIS 30 YEAR VISION, WE'LL NEED A WHOLE MEETING.
SO TO TRY TO SCHEDULE SOMETHING IN THERE AND KEEP TO AN HOUR, I THINK IS UNREALISTIC.
DO YOU WANT TO, UM, WHAT DO WE WANNA SEE IN FEBRUARY, MARCH? UM, LET'S GET A COUPLE OF MONTHS OUT OF THE WAY.
[00:55:01]
ORIGINALLY WANTED TO HAVE AN UPDATE ON THE GREEN PENNY.PERHAPS WE COULD, UH, DO THAT AND ALSO GET ONE OF THE UTILITIES IN.
WE PROBABLY COULD FIT THAT IN AN HOUR FOR FEBRUARY IF YOU WANT.
UH, OR WE COULD BRING IN JOE, WHO WE ORIGINALLY SCHEDULED FOR MARCH AND HAVE HIM COME UP TO, UM, UH, FEBRUARY.
AND LET'S OPEN IT UP FOR DISCUSSION WHAT THE BOARD WOULD LIKE TO SEE FOR NEXT MONTH.
SO, UM, I APPRECIATE EXACTLY WHERE YOU'RE GOING WITH THAT, WHAT'S HAPPENING IN THE LOW COUNTRY BASIS.
UM, I LIKE THE IDEA OF, OF UNDERSTANDING WHERE WE'RE WITH THE GREEN SPACE, WHO'S MADE, WHAT'S BEING CONSIDERED, HOW THAT ALSO AFFECTS THE REST OF YOUR PRESENTATION.
THREE MONTHS, BECAUSE THAT GOES HAND IN HAND WITH, UM, HOW THAT OUR TRANSPORTATION.
SO, YOU KNOW, PUTTING THEM TOGETHER.
I UNDERSTAND IT WOULD BE, BUT I THINK IT, IT'S A LIMITED TIME WE HAVE, UH, TO HAVE THESE DISCUSSIONS AND FOR US TO HAVE OUR INPUT INTO AS WELL.
AND I THINK THAT MIGHT A LITTLE BIT HIGHER AT THE MOMENT THAN THE UTILITIES.
ANYONE ELSE? SO, MAYOR PERRY'S SUGGESTION IS THAT WE HEAR JOE'S PRESENTATION IN FEBRUARY AND ALSO SCHEDULE, AND WE'LL HAVE TO DO THAT THROUGH YOU, JOE.
UH, A AN UPDATE ON THE GREEN PENNY, THE COLLECTION RATE AND, AND THE PRIORITIES, WHAT HAS BEEN DONE.
UM, AND, UH, YOU'RE GONNA HAVE TO KEEP HIM, KEEP YOUR THUMB ON SO THAT HIS FIRST PRESENTATION IS 30 MINUTES.
SO YOU GOT, YOU GOTTA, YOU GOTTA TAKE CARE OF HIM.
OKAY? UH, ANY, IS EVERYBODY OKAY WITH THAT OR ANY OTHER ALTERNATE SUGGESTIONS? AGENDA? THANK YOU.
UM, AND THE NEXT MEETING IS IN HARDY V.
ANY OTHER COMMENTS BEFORE WE ADJOURN? WE'RE WRITING IT.