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CLOSED CAPTIONING PROVIDED BY BEAUFORT COUNTY IS MIKE MOORE.
I'M THE, UH, BEAUFORT COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR.
I'M A RESIDENT OF BUFORT COUNTY, AND I'M, UH, REALLY, UH, LOOKING FORWARD TO WORKING WITH YOU.
I WANNA WELCOME YOU HERE TO OUR FIRST MEETING OF THE TRANSPORTATION ADVISORY COMMITTEE.
WITH THAT, UM, IF YOU WOULD ALL RISE AND PLEASE JOIN ME IN THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE, PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TWO FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, AND TO THE REPUBLIC WHO, WHICH IT STANDS, ONE NATION UNDER GOD, THE INDIVISIBLE, WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL.
THANK YOU, FO A NOTIFICATION, PUBLIC NOTIFICATION.
THIS MEETING HAS BEEN PUBLISHED, POSTED, AND DISTRIBUTED IN COMPLIANCE WITH SOUTH CAROLINA.
WILL CONFIRM WITH THE CLERK TO COUNSEL MS. SARAH BROCK.
NEXT, UH, ITEM FOUR, APPROVAL OF AGENDA.
IF I COULD HAVE A MOTION, UM, FROM THE FLOOR AND A SECOND TO, UH, APPROVE THE AGENDA.
ALL IN FAVOR, PLEASE RAISE YOUR HANDS.
WELL ONCE AGAIN, UH, COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR, MIKE MOORE.
UM, IT'S A PLEASURE TO WELCOME YOU ALL HERE.
LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING WITH YOU.
UM, FIRST I'D LIKE TO RECOGNIZE TWO OF OUR COUNCIL MEMBERS WE HAVE HERE WITH US TONIGHT.
WE HAVE, UH, MS. ALICE HOWARD, OUR COUNCIL CHAIR.
ANY COMMENTS OR, OH, JUST WANNA SAY THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR
UM, WE THINK WE HAVE TRANSPORTATION ISSUES.
AND, UM, I, Y'ALL HAVE A, A HARD JOB.
UH, WE ALSO HAVE OUR, OUR COUNCIL VICE CHAIR, MS. TAB, TABER.
ANY COMMENTS TAB? I KNOW YOU, I JUST WANNA SAY I'M REALLY EXCITED ABOUT THIS BECAUSE I LIVE IN
NEXT, I'D LIKE TO RECOGNIZE AND INTRODUCE SOME OF OUR STAFF WHO ARE GONNA BE WORKING WITH YOU ALL, UM, GOING FORWARD.
UM, SO FIRST OFF, WE HAVE, UH, MR. JARED FRA.
MANY OF YOU MAY BE FAMILIAR WITH HIM.
HE'S OUR, UH, ASSISTANT COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR FOR INFRASTRUCTURE AND OUR TRANSPORTATION, UH, PROGRAMS. UH, UH, INTRODUCED HER EARLIER, BUT OUR CLERK TO COUNCIL IS HERE WITH US TONIGHT.
UH, SARAH BROCK, SHE AND HER TEAM WILL BE, UM, TAKING THE MINUTES, UM, FROM, FROM OUR MEETINGS AND, AND POSTING THE AGENDA AND WORKING WITH US THERE.
WE ALSO HAVE MR. BRIAN HOLBERT, OUR COUNTY ATTORNEY, WHO HAVE A FEW COMMENTS FOR YOU HERE SHORTLY.
WITH THAT, UH, IF YOU'D LIKE TO GO AROUND AND STARTING, SIR, WITH YOU, MR. KLEIN, IF YOU'D LIKE TO INTRODUCE YOURSELF AND, UM, FOR THE GROUP.
HELLO, I'M JOSEPH KLEIN FROM NORTHERN BEAUFORT COUNTY, UH, RECOMMENDED BY COUNCILMAN GERALD DAWSON, DISTRICT ONE, LIFELONG RESIDENT OF BEAUFORT COUNTY.
I SERVED AS A COUNCILMAN FOR ABOUT 20 YEARS AND A MAGISTRATE FOR ALMOST 20 YEARS.
SO YOU PROBABLY SEE MY PICTURES IN SOME OF THE PICTURES.
RON WALL, UH, IT'S GOOD TO BE HERE.
I, UH, SERVED ON THE PRIOR COMMITTEE A FEW YEARS AGO, UH, FOR A REFERENDUM.
AND, UM, IT'S A PLEASURE TO BE HERE AND, UH, LEND ANY EXPERIENCE AND EXPERTISE THAT I HAVE GAINED OVER THE YEARS TOWARD THIS EFFORT.
I'VE, UH, LIVED IN BEAUFORT ALL MY LIFE.
I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO SERVING ON THIS COMMITTEE.
WE'VE GOT SOME SUBSTANTIAL TRANSPORTATION CHALLENGES, AND WE REALLY NEED THIS TO BE A SUCCESSFUL REFERENDUM.
LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING WITH YOU ALL.
HI, MY NAME'S ELIZABETH SANDERS WITH DISTRICT FOUR.
I, UM, HAVE BEEN WITH DOT FOR NINE YEARS, UH, AT THE BEAUFORT COUNTY, S-C-D-O-T, UM, FOR NINE YEARS.
SIX OF THOSE BEING THE RESIDENT MAINTENANCE ENGINEER.
AND, UH, CURRENTLY IN, UM, CIVIL, UM, CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT WITH DAVIS AND FLOYD.
UM, ALMOST COMING UP ON 20 YEARS WITH AS A BEAUFORT COUNTY RESIDENT.
UH, I'M IN DISTRICT FIVE, AND, UH, I LIVE AT CAMP ST.
MARY'S AND WE ARE GREATLY IMPACTED BY HIGHWAY ONE 70 AND WHAT'S GOING ON WITH HIGHWAY ONE 70 AND 4 62.
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AND, UH, THIS IS MY SECOND TIME ON THE COMMITTEE, SO HOPEFULLY WE CAN GET SOMETHING DONE THIS TIME.I, UH, MANAGED TO SOLVE ALL MARYLAND TRANSPORTATION PROBLEMS FOR 44 YEARS.
I WAS ON THE, UH, SOUTH CAROLINA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION.
I'M STILL ON THE, UH, COUNTY TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION, AND I BELIEVE THIS IS MY FOURTH TIME, I THINK, ON ONE OF THESE COMMITTEES, IF I'M NOT MISTAKEN.
SO I'M LOOKING FOR A LOT OF SUCCESS, A LOT OF INPUT, AND I LOVE BEING HERE.
I'M, UH, BILL RICKETT, DISTRICT SEVEN.
AND THANKS TO COUNCILMAN CUNNINGHAM WAS NOT HERE FOR ASKING ME TO JOIN THIS COMMITTEE.
I'LL RESERVE WHETHER I WANT TO THANK HIM FOR THAT LATER OR NOT.
UM, BEFORE, UH, MY WIFE AND I RETIRED HERE 11 YEARS AGO.
I LIVE IN BLUFFTON, UH, 15 YEARS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATION IN BUCKS COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA.
WE WORK VERY CLOSELY WITH PENNDOT AND OTHER ORGANIZATIONS TO WORK ON HIGHWAY AND ROAD IMPROVEMENTS.
UH, AND, UH, IT WAS QUITE A JOB BECAUSE YOU THINK TRAFFIC'S BAD HERE, SUBURBAN, PHILADELPHIA'S EVEN WORSE.
YOU PROBABLY DON'T REMEMBER ME.
UM, BUT ANYWAY, UM, UM, I GREW UP IN BUFORD AND HAVE LIVED HERE ALL MY LIFE, PRETTY MUCH OTHER THAN COLLEGE.
AND, UM, I LIVE IN BLUFFTON AND I'VE ATTENDED MANY LATS MEETINGS IN THE LAST TWO YEARS AND BEEN ACTIVE WITH, UH, IN COUNCIL, BOTH, UH, BEAUFORT COUNTY AND THE TOWN COUNCIL IN GREEN SPACE FOR THE LAST TWO YEARS.
AND THIS IS MY FIRST TIME TO SERVE ON A COMMITTEE, SO I'M VERY HAPPY TO HOPEFULLY BE OF HELP AND HOPEFULLY WE CAN PASS A GOOD REFERENDUM THIS TIME.
UH, MOUNT HARDIN, A NATIVE CAROLINIAN, MOVED TO BLUFFTON IN 2002.
I WAS ASKED BY COUNCILMAN MARK LAWSON, UH, IF I WOULD BE INTERESTED SERVING ON THIS COMMITTEE.
AND, UH, WE OBVIOUSLY ALL KNOW WE HAVE SOME UNIQUE CHALLENGES THROUGHOUT THE COUNTY WITH, GIVEN THE AMOUNT OF GROWTH WE'VE, UH, WE'VE HAD.
UH, I AM IN THE, UH, HOME BUILDING AND DEVELOPMENT BUSINESS.
UH, SO I'VE BEEN, BEEN A BIG PART OF THAT GROWTH.
BUT I LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING WITH EVERYBODY.
HI, I AM JENNIFER ERICKSON FROM DISTRICT 11.
UM, I WAS A RESIDENT OF SEA PINES AND A BOARD OF DIRECTORS, UM, PERSON AS WELL.
UM, WE JUST RECENTLY MOVED TO LEMINGTON AND, UM, I LOOK FORWARD TO BEING ABLE TO HELP AND STEER AND DO WHAT WE CAN IN ORDER TO MOVE THINGS FORWARD.
MY NAME IS GRADY WOODS AND I'M REPRESENTING THE CITY OF BEAUFORT.
UH, I LIVE ON REBO ROAD, JUST DOWN THE WAY HERE.
I HAVE A SHORT COMMUTE, BUT IT'S ALWAYS INTERESTING TURNING AND OUTTA MY DRIVEWAY.
AND IF ANYBODY'S DRIVEN REBO ROAD, YOU KNOW WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT.
I'M AN ARCHITECT, UH, FOR 33 YEARS, REGISTERED IN MULTIPLE STATES.
I'VE SERVED, UM, 16 YEARS ON ORIGINAL TOWN COUNCIL.
I'VE BEEN IN BUFORT NOW SINCE 2021, AND ALSO SERVING ON THE HISTORIC DISTRICT REVIEW BOARD.
I LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING WITH EACH OF YOU.
I'VE NOTICED A LOT OF THESE NAMES AND I'VE, UM, DON'T HAVE BACKGROUND NECESSARILY IN TRANSPORTATION, BUT HAVING SERVED, LIVED ON HILTON HEAD, LIVED IN CHARLESTON, I UNDERSTAND THE PROBLEMS. I I COMMUTE FROM BLUFFTON OR TO BLUFFTON, SOMETIMES IN THE MORNING AT NINE, AT NINE O'CLOCK, NINE AT EIGHT O'CLOCK.
YOU WANNA WAIT TILL AFTER 10 O'CLOCK TO GET THROUGH THE, THE TRAFFIC LAW 1 74 62.
IT'S, IT'S, IT IS LONG OVERDUE.
WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO DO SOMETHING.
UH, GARY FREEMAN, UH, FROM THE TOWN OF PORT ROYAL, UH, NOMINATED BY THE TOWN COUNCIL FOR THIS SPOT.
AND I APPRECIATE THEIR NOMINATION FOR THIS.
UH, MY BACKGROUND IS CIVIL ENGINEERING.
I'VE BEEN PRACTICING 30 YEARS, UH, SOME IN THE STATE OF ALABAMA AND THE REST HERE.
UH, SO IN SOUTH CAROLINA, FORWARD TO SERVING ON THE COMMITTEE.
UM, TRANSPORTATION IS KIND OF IN MY WHEELHOUSE, SO THANK YOU.
UM, I HAVE BEEN NOMINATE OR APPOINTED BY THE TOWN OF BLUFFTON.
I LIVE IN HISTORIC BLUFFTON, UM, RAISED THREE CHILDREN, BORN AND RAISED IN BLUFFTON.
AND I'M A TRUE SOUTH CAROLINIAN, BUT I MOVED HERE IN 90, NO, IN 81.
UM, I'VE SERVED 16 YEARS AS MAYOR, FOUR YEARS ON COUNCIL.
I TWO HAVE BEEN PART OF THESE COMMITTEES, BUT NEVER ON A COMMITTEE.
'CAUSE I WAS AN ELECTED OFFICIAL.
AND I JUST LOVE THE VIBE IN THE ROOM.
I THINK EVERYONE HERE HAS THEIR BEST INTEREST OF BEAUFORT COUNTY, AND I LOOK FORWARD TO BEING PART OF THIS.
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I'M GLEN STANFORD.UH, I PRACTICED LAW IN ATLANTA FOR ABOUT 40 YEARS.
GOT INVOLVED IN GOVERNMENT, WORKED IN THE RURAL AND CRITICAL LANDS PROGRAM.
I SERVED SIX YEARS ON THE TOWN COUNCIL, UH, OF HILTON HEAD ISLAND.
UH, I SERVED WITH MY FRIEND LISA HERE, UH, ON THE LATS COMMITTEE FOR THAT FULL SIX YEARS.
SO I LOOK FORWARD TO BEING ABLE TO IMPLEMENT SOME OF THE EXPENSE THAT EXPERIENCE WE'VE HAD THERE IN MAKING THIS BETTER.
THIS IS A REAL CHALLENGE BEFORE ALL OF US.
UM, AND I HOPE WE CAN MOVE IT FORWARD.
AND, UH, LASTLY, A COUPLE STAFF MEMBERS.
WE WANNA MAKE SURE WE HAVE HANNAH NICHOLS IN THE BACK HERE.
SHE'S TYPING, BUT SHE'S OUR PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICER, SO SHE'LL BE OUR PRIMARY CONTACT FOR PUSHING INFORMATION OUT FROM THE MEETINGS AND SO FORTH.
AND IF YOU'D LIKE TO INTRODUCE YOUR OTHER STAFF MEMBERS, HANNAH.
I'M JOINED TONIGHT BY CHLOE G, LOOKING FOR INTERVIEWS.
IT'S DIFFICULT TO ESCAPE HANNAH WITHOUT GETTING INTERVIEWED AT SOME POINT OR ANOTHER.
SO, BUT ANYWAY, UM, THANK YOU ALL FOR THE INTRODUCTIONS.
UM, CONTINUING ON, WE'RE GONNA COME TO DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES.
UM, MR. HALBERT WILL COME UP AND GIVE SOME, UH, TIPS ON THAT.
BUT BEFORE, I JUST HAVE A FEW THINGS I WANT TO SAY.
UM, MENTIONED WHEN, UM, COUNCIL VOTED, UM, TO CONFIRM THE MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEE.
I MADE SOME REMARKS AT THAT TIME, AND I'D LIKE TO MAKE THOSE HERE.
JUST SO YOU ALL HEAR, UM, HOW I EXPLAIN THIS TO COUNCIL DURING MY ADMINISTRATOR'S REPORT.
SO, AS YOU ALL KNOW, THERE WAS A RESOLUTION PASSED BY COUNTY COUNSEL.
UH, I BELIEVE JARED'S GONNA PASS THOSE OUT THAT, UH, HAS THE, ESSENTIALLY THE MARCHING ORDERS FOR THE, UH, COMMITTEE TONIGHT AND GOING FORWARD.
BUT, UH, UM, THIS IS AN IMPORTANT ROLE BECAUSE WE'RE GONNA ENSURE THAT, UM, THE, THE TRANSPORTATION, UH, REFERENDUM, 'CAUSE ULTIMATELY THERE'LL HAVE TO BE AN ORDINANCE PASSED THAT'S THREE READINGS IN A PUBLIC HEARING TO PUT A MEASURE ON THE BALLOT IN THE FALL IN NOVEMBER.
AND YOU ALL PLAY THE KEY PART OF THAT IN WHAT PROJECTS ARE GONNA BE ON THE REFERENDUM QUESTION.
SO COUNCIL'S CREATED THIS CITIZEN LED, UM, COMMITTEE, THE ATTACK, UH, TO DEVELOP RECOMMENDATIONS ON THE PROJECT LIST, THE TAX AMOUNT AND LENGTH OF TIME THE TAX WILL BE COLLECTED.
UH, THIS COMMITTEE WILL PLAY A KEY ROLE IN BRINGING COMMUNITY VOICE TO THE TABLE THROUGH PUBLIC INPUT AND DISCUSSION, INCREASING TRANSPARENCY AND ACCOUNTABILITY IN HOW POTENTIAL PROJECTS ARE CONSIDERED, AND DELIVERING A CLEAR, WELL-SUPPORTED RECOMMENDATION THAT COUNCIL CAN REVIEW, REFINE, AND ULTIMATELY USE TO SHAPE THE REFERENDUM PACKAGE.
SO THE, THE T THE COMMITTEE'S PURPOSE AND SCOPE T IS CHARGED WITH SUBMITTING RECOMMENDATIONS TO COUNTY COUNCIL THAT INCLUDE A PRIORITIZED LIST OF PROPOSED TRANSPORTATION PROJECTS, THE AMOUNT OF SALES TAX TO BE COLLECTED, AND THE DURATION OF THE COLLECTION PERIOD.
UM, THE PROJECTS ARE EXPECTED TO FOCUS PRIMARILY ON ROAD WIDENINGS INTERSECTIONS AND SAFETY IMPROVEMENTS AND RESURFACING AND PAVING PROJECTS.
UH, COUNTY STAFF MENTIONED JARED AND HIS ENGINEERING TEAM AND EXISTING ON-CALL ENGINEERING SUPPORT, WHICH WE HAVE TWO FIRMS FOR THAT, UH, WILL HELP THE COMMITTEE BY PROVIDING PROJECT INFORMATION COST ESTIMATES.
AS YOU KNOW, IT'S AN IMPORTANT PART OF ANY REFERENDUM THAT WE HAVE ACCURATE COST ESTIMATING, SO THAT THOSE TWO FIRMS WILL BE ASSISTING IN, IN PROVIDING THAT THOSE COST ESTIMATES.
THAT WOULD GO INTO THE, UM, THE BALLOT QUESTION.
YOU KNOW, THE COMMITTEE HERE, WE HAVE 15 MEMBERS, UH, ALL RESIDENTS OF THE COUNTY.
UH, WE HAVE EACH OF THE 11 COUNTY COUNCIL DISTRICTS REPRE REPRESENTED, AS WELL AS ONE APPOINTEE FROM EACH OF THE FOUR MUNICIPALITIES.
AS AN IMPORTANT NOTE, UH, THERE ARE NO ELECTED OR APPOINTED OFFICIALS TO SERVE.
AND, UH, EACH COUNTY COUNCIL MEMBER AND EACH MUNICIPAL MAYOR NOMINATED ONE REPRESENTATIVE AND SUBMITTED THE APPOINTMENT TO THE CHAIR OF COUNTY COUNCIL.
AND THAT WAS VOTED ON AT, UH, THIS PAST COUNCIL MEETING WERE THE EXPECTATIONS.
UM, COMMITTEE MEMBERS SHOULD EXPECT TO ATTEND AND PARTICIPATE IN THE TAC MEETINGS, DISCUSSION BASED IN COLLABORATIVE, UH, REVIEW PROJECT INFORMATION SUPPORTING MATERIALS, HELP HOST AND OR PARTICIPATE IN COMMUNITY INPUT MEETINGS TO HEAR TRANSPORTATION PRIORITIES FROM RESIDENTS ACROSS THE COUNTY.
THAT'S THE IMPORTANT ROLE THIS COMMITTEE IS GONNA HAVE, IS GETTING THAT COMMUNITY INPUT AND CONSIDER REQUESTS FROM COUNTY MUNICIPALITIES AND EVALUATE THE PROJECTS WITHIN THE CATEGORIES AND WORK AS A TEAM TO PRIORITIZE PROJECTS AND RECOMMEND A BALANCED, FEASIBLE PROGRAM.
UM, IT IS A SHORT, UH, TERM FOCUS COMMITTEE.
IF YOU LOOK AT THE CALENDAR, WHICH WE'LL TALK ABOUT LATER, THERE'S NOT A LOT OF TIME FOR THIS.
UM, BUT WE, IT'LL BE AN AGGRESSIVE SCHEDULE, BUT WE THINK IT'S, UM, IT'S CERTAINLY SOMETHING THAT
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CAN BE ACHIEVED.AND STAFF IS, IS HERE TO SUPPORT YOU ALL IN THIS EFFORT.
UM, WE'LL GO OVER THE MEETINGS, BUT WE'RE LOOKING AT ANYWHERE BETWEEN EIGHT TO 10 EVENING MEETINGS, ANYWHERE BETWEEN AN HOUR AND A HALF TO TWO HOURS EACH, APPROXIMATELY 15 TO 20 TOTAL HOURS OVER THREE MONTHS.
THAT'S AT LEAST OUR GOING IN EXPECTATION.
SOME OF YOU HAVE BEEN HERE BEFORE, AND YOU PROBABLY CAN VOUCH FOR HOW THE ACCURACY OF THAT.
SO WE HAVE OUR FIRST MEETING NOW.
AND WITH ALL THAT SAID, THERE'S ANY QUESTIONS FOR ME, I'LL TURN IT OVER TO OUR COUNTY ATTORNEY, UH, PROVIDE YOU ALL WITH ADVICE ON YOUR ROLES AS, UH, COMMITTEE MEMBERS.
AND IT MAY BE FOR THE ATTORNEY.
CAN THIS COMMITTEE ADVOCATE AND EDUCATE? I KNOW ELECTED OFFICIALS CAN ONLY EDUCATE, BUT WILL WE BE ABLE TO ADVOCATE FOR THIS? I BELIEVE THE COMMITTEE WILL BE ABLE TO ADVOCATE AND I THINK POST PROJECT AS WELL, RIGHT? BECAUSE THEY'RE, THEY'RE NOT ELECTED OFFICIALS OR APPOINTED OFFICIALS.
SO YES, YOU WOULD BE ABLE TO ADVOCATE AND I THINK THAT'S AN IMPORTANT DISCUSSION POINT BECAUSE YOU ALL WILL BE PART OF THE PROCESS.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? OKAY, BRIAN.
WHEN I ASKED JARED, UH, WHY I WAS UNDER DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES, HE SAID IT WAS BECAUSE IT WAS HIS DUTY TO TELL ME THAT IT'S MY RESPONSIBILITY TO TALK TO YOU ABOUT ETHICS, FOIA AND ROBERT'S RULES OF PROCEDURE.
SO THAT'S WHY IT'S UNDER DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES.
MIKE REALLY TOLD YOU WHAT THE REAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES ARE THAT ARE SPELLED OUT IN THE RESOLUTION THAT WAS ADOPTED.
I'LL START BY SAYING THAT, UH, MOST COMMITTEES, UH, THAT HAVEN'T ADOPTED FORMAL WRITTEN RULES OF PROCEDURE USE ROBERT'S RULES OF PROCEDURE TO GUIDE THEM THROUGH THE PROCESS.
RECENTLY, A COUPLE MONTHS, WELL LAST MONTH, UH, COUNTY COUNCIL ORIGINALLY OR UH, DECIDED TO ADOPT THE SOUTH CAROLINA ASSOCIATION OF COUNTIES RULES OF PARLIAMENTARY PROCEDURE AS THEIR PRIMARY SOURCE AND ROBERT'S RULES AS THE SECONDARY SOURCE THAT FOLLOW THEIR ADOPTED RULES OF PROCEDURES.
SO THEY HAVE ADOPTED RULES OF PROCEDURES, AND THEN THEY USE THE SOUTH CAROLINA ASSOCIATION OF COUNTY'S RULES OF PROCEDURES.
AND THEN IF IT'S NOT COVERED THERE, THEY FALL BACK TO ROBERT'S RULES OF PROCEDURES.
I WOULD ENCOURAGE THE COMMITTEE TO DECIDE WHICH RULES PROCEDURE THEY WANT TO ADOPT.
UH, PROBABLY NOT ENOUGH TIME TO WRITE YOUR OWN RULES OF PROCEDURES.
SO IT'S EITHER GONNA BE SOUTH CAROLINA ASSOCIATION OF COUNTIES, ROBERT'S RULES, OR BOTH MY COUNTY COUNCIL DID.
I WILL, UH, HAND OUT SOME FOLDERS WITH THE HANDOUTS.
JARED ALSO TOLD ME THAT I HAD FIVE MINUTES TO TALK TO YOU ABOUT FOIA AND ETHICS, UH, AND I TOLD HIM IT WAS NORMALLY A, UH, TWO HOUR CLASS ON EACH SUBJECT, BUT I THINK I COULD WRAP IT UP IN FIVE TO 10 MINUTES, UH, TO GET US, UH, MOVING ON WITH THE, UH, OH, SHE'S CLOCKING ME.
UM, THE FIRST THING I'LL SAY IS THAT MUNICIPAL ASSOCIATION HAS PUT OUT A, UH, EFFECTIVE AND A VERY GOOD PUBLICATION ON HOW TO CONDUCT EFFECTIVE, UH, PUBLIC MEETINGS.
AND I'LL GIVE A COPY TO THE CHAIR AND VICE CHAIR THAT YOU'LL ELECT LATER ON JUST TO USE AS A REFRESHER OF GUIDANCE.
I KNOW THERE'S A LOT OF PUBLIC EXPERIENCE IN HERE, AND THAT'S WHY I FEEL LIKE I CAN GO THROUGH, UH, THE FOIA AND THE ETHICS, UH, MATERIALS VERY QUICKLY.
THE FIRST THING TO TALK ABOUT IS FOIA.
UH, IT ADDRESSES PUBLIC MEETINGS, WHICH WERE A PUBLIC MEETING RIGHT HERE, AND PUBLIC RECORDS.
IT'S IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT PUBLIC MEETINGS IN, UH, EVERY STATE IN THE, UH, UNITED STATES IS AN OPEN MEETING.
UH, IT'S CALLED A SUNSHINE LAW.
SO YOUR MEETINGS ARE OPEN MEETINGS, BUT THERE ARE TIMES WHERE YOU CAN CLOSE THE MEETINGS, AS MOST OF YOU KNOW, WELL KNOW, AND THAT'S CALLED AN EXECUTIVE SESSION.
BUT YOU HAVE TO HAVE A VOTE, UH, TO GO INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION AND STATE THE SPECIFIC PURPOSE OF AN EXECUTIVE SESSION.
PROBABLY THE ONLY REASON OUT OF THE SIX THAT ARE LISTED IN THE STATE STATUTE FOR REASONS TO GO TO EXECUTIVE SESSION FOR THIS COMMITTEE, WOULD BE ONE, TO RECEIVE LEGAL ADVICE IF SOMETHING AROSE WHERE YOU THOUGHT YOU NEEDED SOME LEGAL ADVICE, OR TWO, IF YOU ARE GIVEN THE AUTHORITY TO, UH, GO INTO A CONTRACT PROCESS TO CONTRACT FOR LIKE A CONSULTANT OR SOME OTHER EXPERT, THEN THERE MAY BE A NEED FOR THAT.
I REALLY DON'T EXPECT EITHER ONE WILL COME INTO PLAY DURING THE COUPLE MONTHS THAT YOU'RE IN SESSION, BUT IN CASE THAT WOULD BE IT.
UM, AND SPECIFIC PURPOSE TO GO IN THERE, AS I'M SURE MAYOR OR FORMER MAYOR SKA AND, UH, COUNCILMAN STAFFORD ARE WELL AWARE AND THE OTHER MEMBERS THAT HAVE SERVED ON COUNCILS.
OKAY? SO PUBLIC MEETINGS ARE OPEN TO THE PUBLIC.
UM, YOU ALSO HAVE TO REMEMBER THAT PUBLIC RECORDS, EVERY
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DOCUMENT THAT YOU, UH, USE IN CONDUCTING YOUR BUSINESS HERE, UM, DURING YOUR MEETINGS OR PREPARING FOR YOUR MEETINGS, IS POTENTIALLY A PUBLIC RECORD AS WELL.WHY DO I SAY THAT? WELL, THERE'LL PROBABLY BE SOME EMAIL COMMUNICATIONS BETWEEN CERTAIN MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEE.
YOU HAVE TO REMEMBER, AND SEVERAL OF US HAVE LEARNED THIS VERY CAREFULLY OR LEARNED IT VERY WELL, THAT YOU HAVE TO BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU SAY BECAUSE DON'T SAY ANYTHING IN AN EMAIL OR WRITTEN CORRESPONDENCE THAT YOU DON'T WANNA SEE ON TV OR IN THE NEWSPAPER.
ALRIGHT? 'CAUSE THEY CAN FO YOU AND REQUEST YOUR RECORDS.
ALL RIGHT? IN ADDITION, WHEN YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT, UH, YOUR PUBLIC RECORDS, WRITTEN COMMUNICATIONS, YOU NEED TO KEEP ALL OF THOSE RECORDS AND THEY'RE ACCESSIBLE BECAUSE THE PRESS OR THE PUBLIC CAN SUBMIT A FOYER REQUEST TO REQUEST YOUR RECORDS.
THAT INCLUDES YOUR EMAIL COMMUNICATIONS RELATED TO THE BUSINESS HERE THAT YOU SEND TO OTHER COMMITTEE MEMBERS OR TO STAFF.
SO THEY CAN BE SUBJECT TO FOIA.
SO YOU NEED TO KEEP THAT IF YOU GET A REQUEST FOR YOUR RECORDS.
WE TREAT ALL REQUESTS AS A FOYER REQUEST.
AND IT'S IMPORTANT THAT, YOU KNOW WHEN THE REQUEST CAME IN, UH, NORMALLY WE LIKE TO GET THAT REQUEST IN WRITING BECAUSE IT STARTS A CLOCK ONCE YOU GET THAT REQUEST, WHETHER IT'S ORAL OR IN WRITING, ALRIGHT? MOST RECORDS HAVE TO BE PRODUCED WITHIN 10 DAYS.
UH, YOU HAVE TO TELL THEM THAT WE'VE GOT THEM, WE'LL PROVIDE THEM TO YOU, OR IF IT'S OLDER THAN TWO YEARS, 20 DAYS.
SO WE HAVE A VERY SHORT TIMEFRAME TO OBTAIN THE RECORDS, REVIEW THEM AND RELEASE THEM.
AND WHEN WE RELEASE THEM, THEY'RE ALL GONNA BE RELEASED UNLESS THERE'S SOMETHING SPECIFIC TO THE STATUTE THAT ALLOWS US TO EXEMPT THAT INFORMATION.
UNFORTUNATE COMMENTS, UH, WHERE YOU SAY SOMETHING THAT YOU WOULD REGRET TO BE SAID IN PUBLIC IS NOT A REASON TO REDACT THAT.
SO BE CAREFUL AGAIN WITH WHAT YOU SAY.
I HAVE GIVEN YOU A LETTER THAT TALKS ABOUT EMAIL COMMUNICATIONS.
AND WHILE WE'RE ON THE EMAIL COMMUNICATIONS, IT'S IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT FOIA REQUIRES THAT ALL PUBLIC MEETINGS BE NOTICED TO THE PUBLIC.
YOU HAVE TO POST AN AGENDA AT LEAST 24 HOURS IN ADVANCE TO SAY WHAT'S GONNA OCCUR, WHERE IT'S GOING TO OCCUR.
IT HAS TO BE POSTED ON A BULLETIN BOARD AT YOUR MEETING LOCATION AND ON THE WEBSITE, IF YOU HAVE ONE IN ADDITION TO POSTING THAT NOTICE, WELL, YOU HAVE TO BE CAREFUL OF WHAT YOU'RE GONNA POST ON THE AGENDA.
YOU HAVE TO FOLLOW THAT AGENDA WHEN IT'S POSTED.
YOU CAN AMEND AN AGENDA, UM, IF NECESSARY.
UH, THE LAW CHANGED TO ALLOW THE AMEND THE AGENDA TO BE AMENDED, UH, ABOUT 10 YEARS AGO, 2016, 2017, TO WHERE YOU CAN AMEND THAT NOW.
BUT IT REQUIRES A TWO THIRDS VOTE TO AMEND AN AGENDA.
AND IF IT'S GONNA BE A FINAL ACTION, WHICH I DON'T THINK THERE'S GONNA BE ANY FINAL ACTIONS FROM THIS COMMITTEE, BUT IF IT IS A FINAL ACTION, YOU ALSO HAVE TO HAVE EXIGENT CIRCUMSTANCES IF THE PUBLIC HAS BEEN NOTICED, AND IT'S NOT ON THE AGENDA, BUT YOU ARE ALLOWED TO AMEND THE AGENDA.
BUT YOU HAVE TO STICK TO THE AGENDA AS IS PUBLISHED AND FOLLOW THAT AGENDA AND DISCUSS ONLY THE TOPICS ON THAT AGENDA.
ANY QUESTIONS ON THAT IN THAT REGARDS? NO.
SO I'VE ALSO GIVEN YOU A MEMO THAT TALKS ABOUT, UH, BEING A PUBLIC BODY AND FOIA, UH, AND DOCUMENTS.
AND ALONG WITH THAT IS A QUORUM.
EVERYBODY KNOWS WHAT A QUORUM IS, I BELIEVE IN THIS ROOM HERE.
AND THAT'S A, UH, SIMPLE MAJORITY OF THE PUBLIC BODY.
SO WHENEVER THERE'S A QUORUM, UH, YOU CAN MEET AND YOU CAN, UM, DISCUSS MATTERS UNDER, UM, YOUR SUPERVISION OR JURISDICTION.
ANYTHING RELATED TO THE ADVISORY TAX COMMITTEE YOU CAN DISCUSS THAT SHOULD ONLY BE WHEN THERE'S A PUBLISHED MEETING THAT'S BEEN PROPERLY NOTICED WITH AN AGENDA.
BUT IF YOU GET TOGETHER IN A CHANCE MEETING OR VIA EMAIL DISCUSSION, THAT COULD ALSO BE A PUBLIC MEETING.
BUT IT WOULD BE IN VIOLATION OF FOIA IF IT WASN'T PROPERLY NOTICED.
THAT'S WHY YOU HAVE TO USE CAUTION WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT THE EMAILS AND YOUR COMMUNICATIONS.
'CAUSE IF YOU SEND AN EMAIL TO ALL OF THE MEMBERS AND THEN SOMEONE AND YOU PROVIDE INFORMATION THAT YOU WANNA DISCUSS AT YOUR NEXT MEETING, AND PEOPLE START REPLYING WITH COMMENTS, YOU'RE DISCUSSING THE PUBLIC BUSINESS OUTSIDE THE PROPERLY NOTICE MEETING THERE.
SO YOU HAVE TO BE CAREFUL IN THOSE COMMUNICATIONS.
YOU CAN SEND INFORMATION TO YOUR FELLOW MEMBERS FOR WHAT WANNA TALK.
JUST DON'T REPLY TO EVERYBODY.
IT'S PROVIDING INFORMATION THAT YOU WISH TO DISCUSS IN A PROPERLY NOTICE MEETING.
YOU START TO GET INTO QUESTION AS FAR AS IS IT A PUBLIC MEETING AND ARE YOU IN VIOLATION OF FOIA? LET'S JUST AVOID THAT ISSUE AS FAR AS THAT.
NOW FOR HERE, YOU HAVE 15 MEMBERS.
IT TAKES EIGHT MEMBERS FOR YOU TO CONDUCT YOUR MEETING OR BUSINESS, A MINIMUM OF EIGHT MEMBERS.
SO WHAT DOES THAT MEAN? YOU, IF YOU HAVE A SOCIAL GATHERING OR A CHANCE MEETING OF EIGHT MEMBERS OUT IN THE HALLWAY TO WHERE YOU'RE DISCUSSING AN ISSUE, YOU'RE NOT IN THE OPEN PUBLIC FORUM
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WITH THE, UH, IN THE PROPER PLACE FOR DISCUSS THAT BUSINESS.YOU SHOULD NEVER HAVE EIGHT MEMBERS TALKING ABOUT THAT ISSUE OR ANY OF THOSE ISSUES.
NOW, THAT DOESN'T MEAN THAT EIGHT MEMBERS CAN'T BE, UH, OUT IN THE HALLWAY TALKING ABOUT SOME ORDINANCE THAT COUNCIL'S GONNA TALK ABOUT, NOT RELATED TO THIS COMMITTEE.
THAT'S OKAY, BECAUSE THAT'S NOT BUSINESS BEFORE THIS COMMITTEE.
ANY QUESTIONS ON THAT? YES, MA'AM.
COULD IT BE LESS THAN EIGHT? COULD IT BE LIKE SIX? YOU COULD HAVE A COUPLE OR UP THE, YOU COULD HAVE SEVEN MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEE TALKING ABOUT AN ISSUE.
IT'S STILL BEST TO AVOID HAVING LARGE GROUPS TALK ABOUT THAT.
KEEP IT IN GROUPS, SMALL GROUPS WOULD BE MY RECOMMENDATION.
SO WE TALKED ABOUT THE QUORUM.
WE TALKED ABOUT THE PUBLIC MEETINGS.
AND ANY GET TOGETHER IS A PUBLIC MEETING, WHETHER YOU CALL IT A COMMITTEE MEETING, WHICH THIS IS AN ADVISORY COMMITTEE, A WORK SESSION OR TASK FORCE.
THEY'RE ALL STILL PUBLIC BODIES, SO YOU HAVE TO GIVE THEM NOTICE AND GO WITH THAT.
SO YOU CAN'T CREATE A SUBCOMMITTEE AND THINK YOU'D HAVE TO COME COMPLY WITH FOIA.
YOU WOULD STILL HAVE TO COMPLY WITH FOIA FOR THE QUORUM OF THAT SMALL SUBCOMMITTEE.
OKAY? UM, I'VE GIVEN YOU A COPY OF A, UH, UM, DOCUMENT THAT I PUT TOGETHER THAT GIVES YOU THE QUICK HIGHLIGHTS, FOIA AT A GLANCE THAT GIVES YOU THE MAIN KEY POINTS THAT YOU CAN LOOK AT AT YOUR LEISURE.
UH, IT TALKS ABOUT THE KEY TOPICS WE JUST WENT OVER REAL QUICK.
UH, THERE'S ALSO BEHIND THAT, UH, A DOCUMENT THAT MASC PUT OUT, UH, 10 YEARS AGO, UH, THAT HAS SIMILAR POINTS.
BUT WHAT'S IMPORTANT WITH THAT IS ON PAGE TWO, THERE'S A FLOW CHART THAT TELLS YOU WHEN AND HOW YOU CAN AMEND AN AGENDA IF THE NEED COMES UP TO AMEND AN AGENDA.
BUT, UH, JARED OR SARAH WILL HAVE THE PROPER KNOWLEDGE AND GUIDANCE TO WALK YOU THROUGH THAT IF THAT ISSUE ARISES DURING THAT TIME.
IN ADDITION TO THAT, I'VE GIVEN YOU A SLIDE PRESENTATION THAT YOU CAN LOOK THROUGH VERY QUICKLY ON FOIA THAT GOES THROUGH EACH OF THE KEY POINTS ON FOIA.
AND THEN WHAT'S MOST IMPORTANT IS TO KNOW THAT YOU'RE ALL PUBLIC MEMBERS BY SERVING ON THIS COMMITTEE.
SO WHAT DOES THAT MEAN? WELL, THAT MEANS THAT THE STATE ETHICS STATUTE APPLIES TO EVERY MEMBER, UH, IN THIS ROOM, UH, WHILE YOU'RE SERVING ON THIS COMMITTEE.
SO YOU HAVE TO BE CONSCIOUS OF THE STATE ETHIC CODE.
AND I'VE GIVEN YOU A GENERAL OVERVIEW AS PART OF YOUR PACKET THAT TALKS ABOUT THE STATE ETHICS RULES THAT ARE MOST APPLICABLE TO YOU.
OR THE MOST IMPORTANT THING TO TAKE AWAY IS YOU'RE VERY FORTUNATE IN THAT YOU DON'T HAVE TO FILE A STATEMENT OF ECONOMIC INTEREST BY SERVING ON THIS BOARD.
THE ONLY TIME YOU HAVE TO, UH, FILE ANYTHING RELATED TO ECONOMIC INTEREST IS IF YOU WERE ASKED TO SPEAK AT A SPEAKING, ENGAGE AGENCY OR ENGAGEMENT SOMEWHERE, AND THEN THEY PAID YOU FOR YOUR EXPENSES LIKE YOUR GAS TO TRAVEL THERE, OR IF YOU STAYED AT A HOTEL OVERNIGHT, UH, THINGS OF THAT NATURE, THEN YOU WOULD HAVE TO REPORT THAT TO THE COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR, IS ALL YOU WOULD HAVE TO DO.
YOU DON'T HAVE TO FILE IT WITH THE STATE, YOU JUST REPORT TO THE COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR.
BUT IT'S IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT IF YOU WERE TO SPEAK OUT OF STATE, IF SOMEONE ASKED YOU TO COME SPEAK ABOUT THE TOPIC THAT YOU'RE HERE FOR ON THE COMMITTEE OUT OF STATE, LIKE IN GEORGIA, SAVANNAH, WHAT DID YOU COME AND TALK TO THEM, TO THEM ABOUT HOW YOU'RE PROCEEDING WITH YOUR COMMITTEE, THE THINGS YOU DID AND WHAT YOU RECOMMEND.
YOU WOULD NEED PERMISSION AHEAD OF TIME FROM THE COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR PRIOR TO BEING REIMBURSED FOR ANY EXPENSES LIKE YOUR TRAVEL THERE OR YOUR HOTEL, THINGS OF THAT NATURE.
UM, IT'S ALSO IMPORTANT TO KNOW THAT AS A PUBLIC MEMBER, YOU CANNOT ASK FOR OR RECEIVE ANYTHING OF VALUE, UH, IN REGARDS TO, UM, PERFORMING YOUR TASKS ON THIS COMMITTEE.
SO IF SOMEONE CAN'T OFFER TO GIVE YOU, UH, ANYTHING OF VALUE OF, UH, ECONOMIC INTEREST FOR YOU TO PERFORM YOUR DUTIES, UH, WHAT IS SOMETHING OF ECONOMIC INTEREST? ANYTHING OF $50 OR GREATER IN VALUE, UH, IS WHAT YOU HAVE TO BE CONCERNED ABOUT.
YOU'RE ALSO PROHIBITED FROM RECEIVING GIFTS, UM, FOR DOING YOUR DUTIES HERE.
THEY CAN'T GIVE YOU MONEY OR NOTES OR FORGIVE A DEBT OR, UH, A GIFT OR ANYTHING.
UH, ANYTHING OF VALUE YOU CAN'T RECEIVE WHAT IS SOMETHING OF VALUE.
IT'S SPELLED OUT IN THE HANDOUT I'VE GIVEN YOU.
BUT, UH, MOST IMPORTANTLY IT'S, IT ANYTHING OF VALUE WITH THE EXCEPTION OF IT CAN BE $10 OR LESS FOR A PROMOTIONAL OR MARKETING ITEM.
UH, SOMETHING INFORMATIONAL IS WHAT THAT IS.
IF THAT PROMOTIONAL, UM, ITEM IS WORTH MORE THAN $10, YOU CAN'T RECEIVE THAT.
'CAUSE THAT'S SOMETHING OF VALUE.
THAT'S A 10,000 FOOT, UH, LEVEL.
LOOK AT THE ETHICS AND THE FOIA, UH, AND THE ROBERT'S RULES.
UM, BUT I'M HAPPY, HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS THAT YOU MIGHT, MIGHT HAVE AT THIS TIME OR IF YOU HAVE DURING THE COURSE OF YOUR TIME ON THE COMMITTEE.
OH, ALSO, IF YOU HAVE A, YOU THOUGHT YOU WERE GONNA GET ME OUTTA HERE, DIDN'T YOU? UH, IF THERE IS A CONFLICT OF INTEREST, YOU HAVE TO, UH, THIS IS JUST GONNA BE A RECOLLECTION FOR ALL OF YOU, BUT YOU HAVE TO IDENTIFY THE CONFLICT OF INTEREST.
[00:30:01]
INTEREST FORM THAT WILL LEAVE WITH THE CLERKS THAT THEY HAVE WHERE YOU IDENTIFY THE CONFLICT, UM, AND YOU DESCRIBE IT, AND THEN YOU HAVE TO PROVIDE THAT TO THE CHAIR OF THE COMMITTEE, AND THEN THE CHAIR WILL ENSURE THAT IT'S ATTACHED TO THE MINUTES, UH, FOR THE MEETING.OKAY? ANY QUESTIONS ON CONFLICTS OF INTEREST? UH, ANYBODY HAS, THERE'S A GOOD, UH, SPELL OUT OF WHAT THE CONFLICTS OF INTEREST ARE AND WHEN YOU HAVE TO DECLARE THAT IN THE HANDOUT THAT I GAVE YOU THERE, THAT DISCUSSES THAT.
UH, NEXT WE'VE GOT, UM, JARED WHO WILL COME AND PRESENT YOU ALL A, UH, HISTORY OF THE SALES TAX REFERENDUM HERE IN BEAUFORT COUNTY.
NOW THAT WE'RE ALL SCARED TO ACT OR DO ANYTHING WITH FOIA, UH, OR ETHICS COMMISSION, I GET TO FOLLOW UP WITH GOOD NEWS.
UH, AND BRIAN, THAT'S, HE JUST HAS THE MATERIAL TO PRESENT.
SO IT'S NOT BRIAN FOR BEING SCARED, IT'S JUST THE MATERIAL.
I JUST WANT TO TELL EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU, UM, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU.
LIKE Y'ALL ARE REALLY YOUR WILLINGNESS TO, TO VOLUNTEER AND BE A PART OF THIS COMMITTEE IS, IS SOMETHING THAT DON'T TAKE FOR GRANTED NEITHER MYSELF NOR MIKE OR ANY OF THE STAFF OR COUNCIL.
SO FIRST OF ALL, THANK YOU FOR THAT.
WHAT I'M ALSO EXCITED TO SEE IS A LOT OF FAMILIAR FACES.
UM, THOSE THAT HAVE SERVED ON PREVIOUS COMMITTEES.
UM, I'VE HAD THE PLEASURE OF SERVING ON TWO OTHER, NOT SERVING ON THE COMMITTEE, BUT WORKING ALONGSIDE TWO OTHER COMMITTEES.
UM, I'M HOPEFUL THAT THIS, THIS TIME WE END UP WITH A BETTER, UH, RESOLUTION.
I WON'T TELL YOU MY RECORD, UM, BUT
UM, AND AS WE TALK TONIGHT, I WANT TO GIVE A LITTLE BACKGROUND OF WHAT WE'VE DONE HERE AT THE COUNTY, NOT JUST AT MY TIME, BUT OVER THE LAST 25 OR 30 YEARS, SO THAT WE ALL KIND OF HAVE LEVEL PLAYING GROUND.
UM, SOME PEOPLE ARE PROBABLY A LITTLE BIT MORE FAMILIAR WITH THOSE THAT HAVE SERVED ON LATS, THAT'S OUR, OUR REGIONAL PLANNER FOR THE AREA, NOT JUST BEAUFORT COUNTY, BUT BEAUFORT AND JASPER COUNTY.
UM, AND EVERYBODY, I'M THOROUGHLY IMPRESSED WITH THE, UH, THE LINEUP THAT WE HAVE HERE TO SERVE LIKE, UH, A LOT OF GOOD, UM, HOME GOOD RESOURCES AND COULDN'T BE MORE PROUD TO BE A PART OF THAT.
SO, LIKE I SAID, BEAUFORT COUNTY HAS A REALLY STRONG HISTORY IN LOCAL OPTIONS SALES TAX, AND IT'S THAT HISTORY OF INVESTING IN OUR OWN COMMUNITY AND IN OUR OWN INFRASTRUCTURE.
AND THAT'S WHAT WE MUST LEAN INTO AS WE MOVE FORWARD.
UM, GOING INTO THIS HOPEFUL REFERENDUM, HOWEVER, BEFORE WE GET THERE, I KNOW WE'VE HEARD SOME PEOPLE FROM PHILADELPHIA AND MARYLAND, WAS IT CRAIG? UM, BUT I WANTED TO PAINT THE PICTURE OF WHAT, HOW BEAUFORT COUNTY FITS IN WITH A GREATER, WITH A GREATER UNDERSTANDING AND THE BROADER UNDERSTANDING OF THE STATE OVERALL.
SO, SOUTH CAROLINA, DOT, UM, THEY HAVE A CONSTRUCTION PROGRAM OF $6.7 BILLION.
IT SOUNDS IMPRESSIVE AND IT IS IMPRESSIVE, ESPECIALLY CONSIDERING THAT JUST 10 YEARS AGO, UH, IT WAS A LITTLE LESS THAN A, IT WAS AROUND A BILLION DOLLARS.
SO IN SIX YEARS OR 10 YEARS, THEY'VE INCREASED 700% THE AMOUNT OF, UM, MONEY THAT THEY'RE IN INVESTING INTO THE, THE STATE INFRASTRUCTURE DETS ROADS.
HOWEVER, AS YOU CAN GUESS, IT'S NOT ENOUGH.
AS WE DRIVE AROUND, AS WE HAVE POTHOLES, AS WE HAVE A AGING INFRASTRUCTURE, AS WE HAVE ROADS THAT NEED EXPANSION, UM, WE ALL FEEL THAT AND THERE'S A GAP THERE.
THE INTERESTING THING, DOT, AND IF I GET THE OPPORTUNITY TO GO TO A LOT OF DOT CONFERENCES, SO I CAN QUOTE ALL THE STUFF THAT ELIZABETH KNOWS WELL, BUT DOT IS, UH, HAS 40 OVER 41,000 MILES OF ROADWAY AND OVER 8,000 BRIDGES, WHICH CREATES THE FOURTH LARGEST SYSTEM IN THE UNITED STATES NOW, BE IT, SOUTH CAROLINA IS THE 10TH, SMALLEST STATE THE ENTIRE COUNTRY.
SO WE'VE GOT THE FOURTH LARGEST SYSTEM WITH THE 10TH SMALLEST STATE.
UM, COLLECTIVELY WE'VE HAD A VERY LOW FUEL TAX.
UH, IT WAS ESTABLISHED IN THE EIGHTIES AS 16.87 CENTS OR SOMETHING THEREABOUTS.
AND IT WAS NOT INCREASED FOR ABOUT 30 YEARS UNTIL 2018.
AT THAT TIME, THEY DID A 12 CENTS SALES TAX THAT WAS PHASED IN 2 CENTS A YEAR.
[00:35:01]
UH, PHASED IN IN 2024, WHICH IS THE REASONING WHY YOU SEE THAT SURGE OVER THE LAST DECADE.THAT'S BECAUSE OF THAT SALES TAX.
UM, BUT AS YOU CONFIGURE, UH, LIKE I SAID, THERE'S A GAP THERE AND THERE'S JUST NOT ENOUGH PEANUT BUTTER TO SPREAD ACROSS THE, THE BREAD THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE STATE.
SO WHAT DOT HAS DONE A REALLY GOOD JOB OVER, THEY'VE CREATED, I THINK THEY'RE IN YEAR EIGHT OF A 10 YEAR PLAN, AND THEY HAD FOUR PRIORITIES.
AND THOSE PRIORITIES INCLUDE BRIDGES, INTERSTATE, WIDENINGS, SAFETY PROJECTS, AND RESURFACING OUT OF THAT LIST, UH, WE IN BEAUFORT COUNTY DO NOT HAVE ANY INTERSTATES.
SO WE'RE ONE OF THEIR FOUR PRIORITIES THAT THEY'RE SPREADING THE PEANUT BUTTER, WE'RE NOT EVEN IN THAT BUCKET OUT OF OUR BRIDGES.
UM, ALBEIT THE 2 78 BRIDGE, WHICH WE'LL TALK ABOUT A LITTLE BIT LATER.
OUR BRIDGES, ESPECIALLY FOR OUR COASTAL COMMUNITY, ARE IN RELATIVELY GOOD HEALTH.
SO WE'RE NOT SEEING A LOT OF INVESTMENT FROM BOT ON OUR BRIDGES WITHIN OUR COUNTIES.
BUT THE OTHER TWO BUCKETS, UH, RESURFACING AND SAFETY, WE ARE SEEING THOSE INVESTMENTS EQUALLY AS THROUGHOUT THE REST OF THE STATE.
HOWEVER, AS FAR AS SAFETY GOES, WHAT WE THINK IS MAYBE A, A SITUATION THAT COULD HAVE SOME SAFETY IMPROVEMENTS, IT MAY NOT RACK AND, UH, IT MAY NOT LINE UP AS HIGH AS SOME OF THE OTHER SAFETY ISSUES ACROSS THE STATE.
WHEN YOU COMPARE OUR SIGNAL AND STOPLIGHT TO A SIGNAL AND STOPLIGHT IN GREENVILLE COUNTY, IT MAY NOT COMPARE AS FAR AS THE NUMBER OF ACCIDENTS.
AND SO THAT'S HOW DOT RATES SAFETY.
UM, THEY, THEY USE A LOT OF DATA-DRIVEN ANALYSIS.
SO IT'S IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND THAT.
AND IT'S SPECIFICALLY IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND THAT IN LIGHT OF SALES TAX.
SO IN THE 1990S, UP UNTIL THE 1990S, THE LOCAL COUNTIES AND MUNICIPALITIES, BUT COUNTIES SPECIFICALLY DIDN'T HAVE A LOT OF TOOLS IN THE TOOLBOX TO ADDRESS LOCAL IMPACTS.
AND SO IN THE NINETIES, THERE WAS A FLURRY OF, OF LAWS THAT WERE PASSED BY GENERAL ASSEMBLY, AND ONE OF THEM WAS A SALES TAX FOR OUR TRANSPORTATION SALES TAX THAT WAS PASSED IN 1995.
UH, SINCE THEN, THERE'S BEEN SEVERAL MORE THAT HAVE PASSED, AND THERE'S A TOTAL OF SEVEN OR EIGHT WITH THE LATEST ONE BEING GREEN SPACE THAT WE'RE WE'RE FAMILIAR HERE WITH BEAUFORT COUNTY.
ALL THAT SAID IS, UM, THERE'S, THERE'S A LOT OF NEED IN THE COMMUNITY AND THROUGHOUT THE STATE, THERE'S NOT ENOUGH FUNDING.
AND IT MAY BE DIFFERENT THAN HOW THINGS WERE DONE IN PHILADELPHIA OR MARYLAND, BUT THAT'S OUR CURRENT STATUS AND WE DON'T HAVE A LOT OF OPPORTUNITY OR FLEXIBILITY WITHIN THIS ROOM TO CHANGE THOSE PARAMETERS.
THE ONLY PARAMETERS THAT WE HAVE TO BE ABLE, AND THE TOOLS THAT WE HAVE IN OUR TOOL BILL TO WORK ON IS THE LOCAL OPTION, SALES TAX, TRANSPORTATION, SALES TAX, AND IT'S A VERY POWERFUL TOOL GIVEN THE STRONG TOURIST INFLUX THAT WE HAVE.
SO, UM, PER CAPITA, WE HAVE THE THIRD STRONGEST SALES TAX COLLECTION RATE THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE STATE, ONLY BEHIND CHARLESTON AND HORRY COUNTY.
SO, UM, WE ARE ONE OF THE LARGER COUNTIES, BUT OUR SALES TAX IS EVEN LARGER THAN SOME OF THE OTHER LARGE COUNTIES.
SO A VERY STRONG SALES TAX IN BEAUFORT COUNTY, AND IT'S A TOOL THAT WE CAN USE TO INVEST IN OUR COMMUNITY.
SO WITH THAT, 1995 WAS WHEN SALES TAX WAS ESTABLISHED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY.
CAN ANYBODY GUESS, UM, IF YOU'VE BEEN IN OTHER, OTHER, UH, SALES TAX COMMITTEES, YOU'RE NOT ALLOWED TO, TO, UM, TALK ON THIS QUESTION, BUT CAN ANYBODY GUESS FIRST, HOW MANY SALES TAXES PROGRAMS THAT BEAUFORT COUNTY HAS HAD? OVERALL SHOUT, THIS IS THE OPEN DIALOGUE SESSION.
ANY GUESS SOMEBODY'S GOTTA TALK.
SO WE HAVE HAD A TOTAL OF THREE, THREE TRANSPORTATION SALES TAX SINCE 1995 OVER THE LAST 20 OR 30, 31 YEARS.
UM, DOES ANYBODY, CAN ANYBODY GUESS WHEN THAT FIRST SALES TAX OCCURRED? 2000 AND ON MEMORY, 2009.
ANY OTHER GUESSES? ALL RIGHT, WE'RE GONNA BE HERE A LONG TIME AND I'M GONNA BE AT A LOT OF THESE MEETINGS, SO WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO GET A LITTLE FRIENDLIER AND, AND TALK TO ONE ANOTHER.
ALL RIGHT, ANY LAST GUESSES BEFORE I 1998.
YES INDEED, JOEY, YOU'RE RIGHT.
I THINK YOU'VE SEEN ONE OF THOSE.
BUT 1998 IS OUR FIRST SALES TAX.
AND AT THE TIME, AGAIN, IT GOT PASSED IN 95, WE ACTUALLY WENT OUT AND DID ONE IN 96, IT
[00:40:01]
FAILED.AND 1998 IT PASSED, AND IT WAS THE FIRST SALES TAX TRANSPORTATION SALES TAX PASSED IN THE ENTIRE STATE.
SO WHAT I WANT YOU TO KNOW ABOUT THAT IS BEAUFORT COUNTY IS A TRAILBLAZER.
WE, WE SET THE PATH FOR THE ENTIRE STATE TO USE THIS TOOL.
UH, THIS HAPPENED AGAIN MORE RECENTLY.
OUR, OUR HERITAGE SHOWED BACK UP IN 2022.
UM, SOME OF YOU WERE ON A COMMITTEE, WE WERE TALKING ABOUT TRANSPORTATION SALES TAX COUNCIL DECIDED TO SAY NO FOR NOW, BUT NOT FOREVER ON TRANSPORTATION AND SHIFTED TO GREEN SPACE.
UH, SENATOR DAVIS HAD JUST AUTHORIZED OR AUTHORED AND GOT APPROVED THAT THE STATE HOUSE, THE GREEN SPACE SALES TAX IN MAY OF 22.
AND, UH, COUNCIL VOTED TO MOVE FORWARD ON A TWO YEAR A HUNDRED MILLION DOLLARS.
SO ONCE AGAIN, FIRST IN THE STATE TO EXECUTE A NEW TOOL IN THE TOOLBOX.
SO THAT'S AN IMPORTANT CONCEPT FOR US TO KNOW ABOUT OURSELVES AND WHO WE ARE AT BEAUFORT COUNTY.
SO OUR OTHER TWO SALES TAXES, THE NEXT ONE WAS IN 2006, SO YOU'RE CLOSE THERE, AND IT WAS FOR SIX YEARS AND $152 MILLION.
UM, THIS ONE WAS PRETTY ROBUST.
I'LL TALK ABOUT SOME OF THE PROJECTS IN JUST A SECOND.
AND THEN LASTLY, AND MOST RECENTLY IS 2018.
THIS ONE WAS A FOUR YEAR, $120 MILLION SALES TAX.
AGAIN, I'LL HIT THOSE PROJECTS IN A SECOND.
SO IN 1998, UM, HOW MANY PEOPLE, BY SHOW OF HANDS, I HEARD A FEW THAT HAVE BEEN HERE A WHILE, BUT HOW MANY PEOPLE LIVED HERE IN 1998? WE'VE GOT 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 6 PEOPLE LIVED IN THE AREA.
I, I GREW UP, UH, AND CONTINUE TO LIVE.
I LIVE IN WALTERBORO, SO I'M CONSIDERING MYSELF PART OF THAT HAND RAISE.
IT'S PRETTY LOCAL CONSIDERING, UM, THE POPULATION THAT WE HAVE.
SO IN, IN 1998, UM, IF YOU RECALL GETTING FROM BEAUFORT TO BLUFFTON LOOKED A LOT DIFFERENT.
BLUFFTON IN ITSELF LOOKED A LOT DIFFERENT.
UH, I THINK IT WAS THE NICKEL PUMPER AND A FOUR-WAY STOP THAT WAS ABOUT IT.
UM, AND I REMEMBER IN MY TIME, UM, IN THAT TIMEFRAME GOING TO HILTON HEAD AND THE FIRST ROUNDABOUT, I REMEMBER RIDING IN THE CAR TO GO INTO A BASKETBALL GAME.
MY MOM DRIVING AROUND THAT FOR THREE TIMES, TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO GET OFF THE CIRCLE
SO WE DIDN'T, WE JUST STAYED AWAY FROM HILTON HEAD.
BUT ALL THAT TO SAY IS, UH, AT THAT TIME IN 1998, PEOPLE SAT IN THE ROOM JUST LIKE THIS AND MADE A DECISION TO BRING SOMETHING TO COUNCIL.
AND COUNCIL BROUGHT THAT TO FRUITION TO PUT IT ON A REFERENDUM, TO PUT TOGETHER A TWO YEAR $40 MILLION PROGRAM THAT HELPED FUNDED 13 MILES OF WIDENING OF SC ONE 70.
THAT INCLUDED THE WIDENING OF THE BROAD RIVER BRIDGE AND THE LEMON ISLAND BRIDGE.
IMAGINE TODAY DRIVING FROM BEAUFORT TO BLUFFTON OR BLUFFTON TO BEAUFORT ON A TWO LANE ROAD.
JUST SIT THERE AND THINK, I MEAN, THAT IN ITSELF IS COMICAL DRIVING ON THAT ROAD.
YOU'VE ALREADY TAUGHT, UM, MS. TABER, NICK, ABOUT THE PAINS OF GETTING IT BACK AND FORTH TO SUN CITY.
UH, IF THAT WAS TWO LANES AND PEOPLE LIKE YOU AND PEOPLE LIKE COUNCIL AT THAT TIME DIDN'T MAKE THAT TOUGH DECISION, OUR WORLD AND OUR COMMUNITY WOULD BE VASTLY DIFFERENT.
THE PRESSURES THAT WE FEEL TODAY, WE THINK WE HAVE BAD TRAFFIC.
IMAGINE THAT BACK THEN WITH THE POPULATION THAT WE SEE.
ALL THAT TO SAY IS THAT'S THE LEVEL OF COMMITMENT THAT IT TAKES TO INVEST IN OUR COMMUNITY.
AND SALES TAX IS THAT TOOL FOR IT.
UM, SO THAT'S THE BRIDGE THERE.
THE BROAD I, THE BROAD RIVER BRIDGE ON THE LEFT, 2006, UM, THERE WAS A MULTITUDE OF PROJECTS THAT, UM, IF YOU WEREN'T HERE IN 2006, YOU DIDN'T KNOW THESE PROJECTS EXISTED.
THIS IS THE WORK THAT ANOTHER COMMITTEE AND ANOTHER COUNCIL VOTED ON, AND THEN THE GENERAL PUBLIC SAID YES TO, AND IT MADE A TREMENDOUS DIFFERENCE.
SO I ALREADY TALKED ABOUT ONE 70, THAT WAS THE FIRST 13 MILES, BUT THE NEXT FOUR MILES WERE WIDENING FROM 2 78 TO SC 46.
THE TRAFFIC CIRCLE, THAT WAS TWO LANES THAT GOT WIDENED INTO FOUR LANES IN 17 NORTHERN BEAUFORT COUNTY UP AT GARDENS CORNER.
IT WENT FROM 21 WHERE THE GARDENS CORNER EXIT IS THAT FLYOVER, THAT ROUNDABOUT ALL THE WAY BACK TO THE COS AND COUNTY LINE, SIX MILES OF WIDENINGS FROM TWO LANES TO FOUR LANE.
AT THE TIME WHEN THAT TOOK PLACE, THAT WAS THE MOST DEADLIEST STRETCH OF ROAD IN THE ENTIRE NATION.
THERE HAD BEEN A SCHOOL BUS ACCIDENT OF NAVY, UM, NAVY SOLDIERS THAT WERE COMING DOWN TO PARIS ISLAND AND THEN GOT IN A CRASH.
AND THE WHOLE BUS, EVERYBODY ON THE BUS HAD HAD DIED IN THE CRASH, UM, AMONGST MANY OTHER ACCIDENTS IN IN THAT AREA.
[00:45:01]
SO SIR, WASN'T EVERYBODY, IT WASN'T EVERYBODY, IT WAS, IT WAS STAND CORRECTED.IT WAS, IT WAS A TRAGIC ACCIDENT, TO SAY THE LEAST.
BUT, UM, AND THERE WAS MANY OTHERS, UH, NOT JUST IN THAT ACCIDENT, BUT OTHER ACCIDENTS ALONG THAT STRETCH.
BUT THAT WAS THE, UM, THE REASONING BEHIND THAT, THAT WINDING PROJECT.
SO THERE WAS COUNTY BEAUFORT COUNTY SALES TAX FUNDS FROM 2006 INVESTED WITH DOT FUNDS TO MAKE THAT WIDEN IMPOSSIBLE.
IN 2 78 DOWN BACK SOUTH, THERE WAS FIVE MILES OF WIDENING.
SO THE FIRST SECTION OF 2 78 HAD ALREADY BEEN WIDENED FROM MOSS CREEK BACK TO SIMMONS V.
AND THERE WAS SALES TAX FUNDS FROM SIMMONS V BACK TO ONE 70.
SO WHEN YOU CROSS, UM, IF YOU'RE ON 2 78, HEADED FROM I 95 TO HILTON HEAD HEADED EAST, AND YOU CROSS ONE 70, THAT SECTION OF ROAD RIGHT THERE HAS MORE VEHICLES PER DAY THAN I 95, 60 5,000 CARS A DAY PAST THAT ONE SECTION OF ROAD.
IMAGINE THAT IF THAT WAS FOUR LANES, NOT SIX LANES LIKE IT IS, UM, WE WERE ABLE RECENTLY THROUGH SOME A JOINT EFFORT BETWEEN DOT AND THE COUNTY AND ARPA FUNDS WITH, WITH HARDY V.
AND UM, I'M THINKING I'M MISSING ONE OTHER, BUT THERE WAS THREE OR FOUR FUNDING THAT WAS MADE, THE RECENT IMPROVEMENT THERE AT THE INTERCHANGE TO MAKE IT A LITTLE BIT EASIER RIGHT THERE.
THAT WAS THE BANDAID PROJECT TO WHAT IS EVENTUAL SOME FUTURE IMPROVEMENTS.
SO, UM, A COUPLE OTHER THINGS.
I WON'T HIT 'EM ALL, BUT A COUPLE OTHER THINGS.
SO ON THE RIGHT IS THE PICTURE, THAT'S THE SECOND BRIDGE TO LADIES ISLAND.
SO THERE WAS A SINGLE TWO LANE BRIDGE AND A WHOLE NOTHER TWIN BRIDGE WAS ADDED.
PROBABLY NOT THE BEST PICTURE WITH A WRECK
AND ADDITIONAL TWO MILES OF WIDENING ON SC 1 28 OLD SAVANNAH HIGHWAY BETWEEN PARISH ISLAND GATEWAY AT PARKERS BACK TO ROBERTS MALLS ONE 70 JUST BEFORE THE BROAD RIVER BRIDGE.
ALL THAT WAS IN THE 2006 SALES TAX.
AND THEN, UM, THE BLUFFTON FLYOVER PARK, PARK, BLUFFTON PARKWAY FLYOVER, THE CONNECTION AT THE END OF THE, THE BLUFFTON PARKWAY.
IT WAS ON THE BEGINNING, BEGINNING PICTURE THAT TIES IN THE 2 78 BRIDGE RIGHT BEFORE YOU GET TO HILTON HEAD.
ALL THAT WAS SALES TAX FUNDED.
NOW, WE WERE SUCCESSFUL IN GETTING SOME STATE AND FEDERAL FUNDS ALONG THE WAY, BUT THAT'S WHAT IT TAKES IN ORDER TO ATTRACT THOSE OTHER FUNDS.
YOU'VE GOTTA HAVE, YOU CAN'T GO FISHING WITHOUT ANY BAIT ON YOUR HOOK.
YOU'RE NOT GONNA GET ANY FISH.
SO THE, THE FISHING IN THIS REALM IS LOCAL MONEY, AND THAT'S HOW YOU CAN GO AND PAIR IT WITH STATE AND FEDERAL MONEY ALSO.
UH, LASTLY UP NORTH IS ENHANCEMENT IN LOCAL.
SO THOSE ARE CAPACITY AND SAFETY PROJECTS, BUT ALSO SAFETY AND CONNECTIVITY.
SO THE LAST PROJECT, AND THIS IS AN IMPORTANT PART OF 2006, WAS THE BOUNDARY STREET PROJECT THERE ON THE LEFT.
AND 2006, DOES, DOES ANYBODY RECALL HOW MANY YEARS WAS THAT SALES TAXES? I SAID IT EARLIER, BUT Y'ALL REMEMBER WHAT IT WAS? SIX, SIX YEARS.
SO SIX YEARS, THAT WOULD BE 2012.
SO THIS PROJECT, BOUNDARY STREET GOT STARTED IN 2015, THREE YEARS AFTER THE COLLECTION HAD ENDED, IT DID NOT GET COMPLETED UNTIL 2019.
SO SEVEN YEARS AFTER THE COMPLETION.
NOW, DOES THAT MEAN THAT THE BOUNDARY STREET PROJECT WAS UNSUCCESSFUL? DOES THAT MEAN THAT WE WEREN'T PROMISED? WE DIDN'T PROMISE WE DIDN'T DO WHAT WE SAID WE WERE GONNA DO WITH THE SALES TAX AND THE MONEY? NO, NONE OF THAT.
ALL THAT MEANS IS BIG INFRASTRUCTURE, COMPLICATED PROJECTS TAKE A VERY LONG TIME TO DELIVER 2000.
UH, THE, THE PROJECT STARTED IN 2008 ON BOUNDARY STREET, AND IT TOOK 11 YEARS TO DEVELOP AND DELIVER AND I HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE THE PROJECT MANAGER.
I WASN'T WORKING FOR BEAUFORT COUNTY.
UM, AND EVERY TIME WE STUCK A SHOVEL IN THE DIRT, WE HIT A PIPE IN A UTILITY.
IT WAS JUST A EXTREMELY CHALLENGING PROJECT FOR THE SHORT MILE AND A HALF STRETCH THAT WE IMPROVED.
AND THEN MOVING FORWARD, UH, CONTINUING ON SAFETY AND CONNECTIVITY IN OUR LATEST SALES TAX 2018, UH, THERE WAS THREE PROJECTS, ONE OF THEM BEING PATHWAYS.
SO PATHWAYS, UH, WE HAVE A BEAUTIFUL, UH, COMMUNITY THAT WE LIVE IN AND ENJOY.
AND THIS IS AN ENHANCEMENT TO BE ABLE TO HAVE, UM, THE OPPORTUNITY TO OPEN SPACE IN THE, IN, NOT THIS PAST WEEKEND, BUT MOST OF THE TIME GOOD WEATHER TO ENJOY OUTSIDE.
AND SO THAT WAS A ELEMENT IN OUR 2018 SALES TAX.
[00:50:01]
ANYBODY KNOW THOSE PROJECTS? NOT Y'ALL.ANYBODY KNOW THE PROJECTS FROM 2018? THAT WAS, I DIDN'T MENTION IT WAS FOUR YEARS.
$120 MILLION, THREE MAIN PROJECTS.
COME ON GUYS, Y'ALL HELP ME OUT HERE.
Y'ALL STILL GET TO BE QUIET BECAUSE Y'ALL KNOW A LOT OF THESE ANSWERS.
CAN ANYBODY JUST GIMME ONE MAJOR PROJECT? ISN THAT SOMETHING ABOUT LADIES ISLAND? LADIES ISLAND, YES, THAT'S THE MA THAT WASN'T THE ONE I WAS THINKING OF, BUT LADIES ISLAND.
SO THERE'S A SERIES OF PROJECTS ON LADIES ISLAND, UM, THE, THE MAIN INTERSECTION AT 21 AND 8 0 2 AMONGST OTHER STUFF, UM, THE 24 PATHWAYS THAT I JUST MENTIONED RIGHT THERE, THAT WAS $10 MILLION AND THERE WAS ONE $80 MILLION PROJECT THAT NOBODY'S MENTIONED YET.
ENTRANCE TO THE TOWN OF HILTON HEAD, YES, THE US 2 78 CORRIDOR PROJECT.
SO, UM, THOSE WERE THE THREE PROJECTS AND, AND WE'RE IN A PROCESS OF DELIVERING EACH AND EVERY ONE OF THOSE PROJECTS.
HOWEVER, UM, WE'VE HAD THIS LITTLE THING CALLED, UH, WELL, FIRST OF ALL, 2018.
THIS GOES BACK TO THE HEARTBEAT AND THE STRENGTH OF OUR, OUR TOOL IN OUR TOOL BELT.
SO OUR COLLECTION, FOUR YEARS, 120, QUICK MATH, THAT'S $30 MILLION A YEAR.
WELL, WE COLLECTED THAT $120 MILLION IN TWO AND A HALF YEARS.
SO QUICK MATH ON THAT MEANS WE ALMOST DOUBLED IT.
SO WE WERE COLLECTING 50 TO $60 MILLION OVER THE 30 MILLION THAT WAS ANTICIPATED.
SO A VERY STRONG COMPARED TO 1998 WHEN WE WERE COLLECTING 20 MILLION.
NOW, 2018, 20 YEARS LATER, WE'RE COLLECTING THREE TIMES THAT $60 MILLION A YEAR, UH, A VERY STRONG ONE PENNY TO INVEST IN OUR COMMUNITY.
HOWEVER, UM, IT'S, IT'S NOT A, YOU JUST RING THE BELL AND IT ENDS.
SO, UM, WE SAID IT ENDED AND, AND RETAILERS KEPT COLLECTING A LITTLE BIT.
SO THERE WAS SOME OVER COLLECTION, OVER COLLECTION BY 26 AND A HALF MILLION DOLLARS.
SO TOTAL WE COLLECTED 146 AND A HALF MILLION DOLLARS ON THE 2018 PENNY.
WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO GET ALL THE PROJECTS DONE WITH $146 MILLION.
HOWEVER, WE HAD THIS LITTLE THING CALLED COVID THAT CREATED A PERIOD OF HYPERINFLATION AND THE COST OF MILK, UH, WAS $3 AND 30 CENTS AND IT'S GONE TO $4.
AND IF ANYBODY HAS TO DO THE SHOPPING, THE GROCERY SHOPPING IN YOUR HOUSE, YOU CAN ATTEST TO THAT.
IT COSTS WAY MORE TO GO TO THE GROCERY STORE THESE DAYS.
HOWEVER, THAT 21% INCREASE IN INFLATION IS NOTHING COMPARED TO THE CONSTRUCTION, UH, RATE OF INFLATION.
SO THE RATE COST OF INFLATION ON OUR 2 78 BRIDGE, AND I'LL TALK ABOUT THE SPECIFICS OF THIS, BUT WE HAD $80 MILLION INTO A $300 MILLION BRIDGE, 292 BILLION.
AND OVER THAT PERIOD OF TIME, THE COST INCREASED TO $488 MILLION.
SO THAT IS THE REASON, ONE OF THE REASONS I'LL TALK ABOUT OTHERS, WHY WE DON'T HAVE THE, THE BRIDGE, UM, AS FAR ALONG AS WE WOULD HELP.
SO BECAUSE OF THE OVER COLLECTION AND BECAUSE OF THE INFLATIONARY PRESSURES, UH, COUNCIL HAD TO MAKE SOME DECISIONS.
SO LAST YEAR, TWO YEARS AGO, WE SAT IN A SIMILAR ROOM AND SAID ONE OF THE WAYS WE'RE GOING TO OVERCOME THE SHORTFALL IN FUNDING OR THE HYPE MEET THE HYPERINFLATION WAS TO PROPOSE ANOTHER SALES TAX TO FIRST, UH, FULLY FUND THOSE PROJECTS AND THEN LOOK AT FUTURE PROJECTS.
SO THEY PUT TOGETHER A COMMITTEE LIKE THIS.
UH, IT WAS BROUGHT TO THE VOTERS IN NOVEMBER OF 2024, AND UNFORTUNATELY IT DID NOT PASS.
AND BECAUSE IT DID NOT PASS, THEN WE HAD TO FIGURE OUT, OKAY, WELL WE GOTTA DO SOMETHING WITH THE MONEY AND DELIVER THE PROJECTS THAT WE SAID, WE JUST AREN'T GONNA BE ABLE TO DELIVER ALL OF THEM.
SO THEY SPENT THE SPRING AND INTO SUMMER COUNCIL DID, UM, TALKING THROUGH AND WORKING THROUGH THIS, AND WE PROVIDED THEM INPUT AND, AND COST ESTIMATES AND THEY CAME AWAY.
AND I HAVE THIS, I'LL GIVE IT TO EACH OF YOU GUYS IN A SECOND, THE RESOLUTION THAT IS REFLECTIVE OF THIS AND THE REPRIORITIZED PROJECTS.
SO WHAT EXACTLY ARE WE GOING TO DO WITH THE $146 MILLION? SO TO CATCH YOU GUYS UP ON THE STATUS OF THOSE PROJECTS, THIS IS, THIS IS THE, UM, PRIORITIZED LIST.
SO THE LADIES ISLAND CORRIDOR AT THE INTERSECTION, INSTEAD OF DOING THE ENTIRE CORRIDOR AND WIDENING EVERYTHING FROM THE LADIES ISLAND OR FROM THE WOODS MEMORIAL BRIDGE ALL THE WAY OUT PAST WALMART, WE'RE LOOKING AT SPECIFIC AREAS.
SO WE'RE GONNA ADDRESS THE INTERSECTION SPECIFIC AT 8 0 2 AND 21.
THAT'S THE MAIN, UM, THOROUGHFARE THERE AND MAKE DUAL LEFT TURNS WITH THE AVAILABLE SPACE THAT WE HAVE.
SO THERE'S A, UH, DIRT ROAD NOW THAT CONNECTS BEHIND
[00:55:01]
PUBLIX, AND SO THAT ROAD WILL BE PAVED AND WE'LL DO SOME ROUNDABOUT IMPROVEMENTS AND BRING THAT ROAD UP TO 21 SUNSET AND MILLER.UM, THERE IS PLANS FOR SOME INTERSECTION IMPROVEMENTS THAT GOT REFINED DOWN TO RESURFACING AND A, UM, A MINOR INTERSECTION IMPROVEMENT VERSUS THE LARGER INTERSECTION IMPROVEMENT, AS WELL AS SOME SPEED CONTROL.
AND THEN THE WIDENING SECTION, UM, SINCE MOST OF THAT SECTION'S ALREADY FOUR LANES, THE WIDENING WAS JUST LIMITED DOWN TO RIGHT NEAR WALMART.
AS YOU'RE DRIVING THAT AREA, IT NEXT DOWN TO TWO OR THREE LANES.
AND SO THE WIDENING WILL GO THROUGH THAT INTERSECTION ALL THE WAY PAST WALMART AND THEN NECK DOWN.
AND THEN LASTLY IS THE MIDDLE SCHOOL ENTRANCE.
THE MIDDLE SCHOOL ENTRANCE TODAY IS AT A, AT A ANGLE, A SKEWED INTERSECTION, AND WE'RE GONNA BRING THAT OUT TO A NEW INTERSECTION AT GAY, THE OTHER ROAD I MENTIONED EARLIER.
SO IT ALIGNS PERPENDICULAR AND THEIR SAFE INGRESS AND EGRESS TO THE MIDDLE SCHOOL, THE PATHWAYS, UM, WE WERE UNABLE TO FUND ALL 24 PATHWAYS, SO THEN WE HAD TO PRIORITIZE THOSE PATHWAYS.
THIS IS THE PRIORITIZE LIST AND A LOT OF THESE PROJECTS, UM, ARE, ARE IN DEVELOPMENT.
AND I'LL SHARE THAT IN JUST A SECOND.
SO ALL OF THE PATHWAYS, THIS IS THE HARD THING ABOUT THE PATHWAY PATHWAYS ARE SIMPLE PROJECTS, RIGHT? THEY'RE JUST A PATHWAY.
THEY'RE, THEY'RE SHOULDN'T BE THAT HARD.
WHY DON'T YOU HAVE 'EM DONE? THAT'S ONE OF THE QUESTIONS WE GET ALL THE TIME, EACH ONE OF THE PATHWAYS.
UM, AS I MENTIONED EARLIER, DOT OWNS 41,000 MILES A ROAD.
MOST OF THAT MEANS 90% OF THE ROADS YOU DRIVE ON IN BEAUFORT COUNTY ARE DOT OWNED.
MOST OF THESE ROAD THESE PATHWAYS ARE ALONG A DOT ROAD, BUT THERE'S NOT ENOUGH AVAILABLE RIGHT OF WAY.
SO WE'VE GOTTA GO BUY A RIGHT OF AWAY AND WE'VE GOTTA BUY A RIGHT AWAY ACROSS EACH PROPERTY OWNER THAT THIS, THIS TRAVERSES DOWN.
SO MOST OF THESE PATHWAYS HAVE ABOUT 10 TO 30, SOME OF THEM 70 TRACKS OF LAND THAT WE HAVE TO PURCHASE.
AND EVERYBODY LOVES A PATHWAY, BUT NOT EVERYBODY LOVES A PATHWAY IN FRONT OF THEIR HOUSE.
AND SO NEGOTIATION WITH EACH AND INDIVIDUAL.
TO PUT THIS IN RESPECT, UH, OR IN UM, PERSPECTIVE FOR YOU, MOST OF THESE PATHWAYS HAVE MORE RIGHT OF WAY ACQUISITION THAN THE $300 MILLION, 2 78 BRIDGE.
THUS THAT'S HOW INTENSE THESE PROJECTS ARE.
THEY SEEM REALLY SIMPLE ON THE OUTSIDE, IT'S JUST A EIGHT FOOT, 10 FOOT PATHWAY, BUT, UM, THEY, IT IS REAL QUICK TO GET 'EM DESIGNED.
UM, PERMITTING TAKES A LITTLE WHILE, BUT THEY ALL GO AND LIVE IN PURGATORY FOR A WHILE TO GO THROUGH THE RIGHT OF WAY ACQUISITION PHASE.
AND THAT'S WHERE MOST OF OUR PROJECTS ARE AT THE MOMENT.
UM, WE HAVE A FAIR AMOUNT, WE HAVE TWO THAT ARE IN CONSTRUCTION AJOY RIGHT NOW, PRESENTLY, UM, DOWN NEAR BLUFFTON AS WELL AS DEPOT ROAD.
WE'RE ABOUT TO HAVE 'EM, RIBBON CUTTING ON DEPOT ROAD OFF OF SPANISH MOSS TRAIL HERE, JUST A SHORT WAYS AWAY.
AND THEN, UM, THE REST OF THEM ARE MOSTLY 60 70% DESIGN.
THAT'S WHERE WE GO TO RAWAY CONSTRUCTION.
AND UM, A FEW OF THEM ARE COMING OUT.
WE HAVE, UM, ALL OF THEM ARE HOPEFUL THAT THEY WILL BE OUT OF RIGHTWAY CONS RIGHT AWAY ACQUISITION BY THE END OF THIS YEAR.
SO THIS IS THE COMMENT THAT WE GET A LOT LIKE, WHEN ARE YOU GONNA BE DONE? WHAT ARE, WHAT'S THE STATUS? UM, WE'RE HOPEFUL THAT MOST OF THEM WILL BE READY TO GO TO CONSTRUCTION IN 27, AND WE'RE CONFIDENT EVERYTHING THAT'S ON THIS SCREEN, WHICH DOES NOT INCLUDE THE BRIDGE, BUT EVERYTHING THAT'S ON THIS SCREEN WILL BE COMPLETED BY 2028.
AND THAT'S AN IMPORTANT NOTE AS YOU GUYS START YOUR DISCUSSION, IS, UM, THAT WON'T HAPPEN BEFORE NOVEMBER, 2026.
I AM TELLING YOU GUYS THE GOOD WORD, AND IT'S YOUR RESPONSIBILITY AND HOPEFUL TO SPREAD THE, THE GOSPEL THAT THIS IS THE STATUS THAT THE MONEY, UM, IS.
WE HAVEN'T SPENT ALL THE MONEY.
IT'S SITTING THERE IN THE COUNT.
WE HAVEN'T SPENT ALL THE MONEY BECAUSE WE HAVEN'T GOT TO CONSTRUCTION.
SO THOSE ARE THE ELEMENTS THAT ARE IMPORTANT FOR YOU GUYS TO KNOW ON THE STATUS OF THAT.
REAL QUICKLY, AND I'LL FINISH UP ON 2 78.
SO THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF TALK ON 2 78, AND GLEN, YOU'RE VERY INTIMATELY FAMILIAR WITH THIS, BUT TO CATCH THE REST OF THE ROOM UP, UM, WE STARTED WORKING ON THE BRIDGE IN 2017 INTO 2018.
SO WE'VE BEEN WORKING ON THE FOR EIGHT YEARS NOW.
UM, WE'RE ONLY ABOUT 30% IN THE DESIGN FOR A MYRIAD OF FACTORS.
UM, BUT ONE OF THE FACTORS IS THE COST THAT WE TALKED ABOUT.
WE HAD A PROJECT COST OF $300 MILLION.
IT WAS FULLY FUNDED, BUT THE PROJECT HYPERINFLATION, UM, INCREASED FASTER THAN WE HAD.
SO WE HAD A DECISION 0.1, WE DECIDED TO PUT IT ON THE REFERENDUM IN 24 TO HELP FUND THAT GAP AND THEN TALK BACK WITH OUR FUNDING AND
[01:00:01]
STRATEGIC PARTNERS TO SEE IF THEY WOULD MEET UP WITH THE REMAINDER GAP.AND WE HAD A, WE HAD A HANDSHAKE CONVERSATION THAT THAT WAS IF WE COULD DO PASS THE SALES TAX, THAT THEY WOULD COME TOGETHER ON THE OTHER HALF, HOWEVER, THE SALES TAX DID NOT PASS.
SO THEN WE'VE GOT A, A RESPONSE THAT SAID, HEY, YOU GUYS, Y'ALL DIDN'T PASS YOUR SALES TAX.
NOW TELL US HOW YOU'RE GONNA MAKE UP THE $200 MILLION DIFFERENCE.
SO COUNCIL HAD TO MAKE SOME DECISIONS ALONG WITH THE TOWN OF HILTON HEAD TOGETHER, WHAT DO WE DO NOW? AND THE DECISION THAT WAS MADE, SENATOR DAVIS PROPOSED, UH, A GOOD PLAN THAT ENDED UP BEING THE PLAN WAS LET'S BUILD A BRIDGE WITH THE MONEY THAT WE HAVE.
IT WON'T BE THE BRIDGE THAT WE STARTED OUT WITH.
OUR GOAL WAS FOUR AND A HALF MILES OF CORRIDOR IMPROVEMENTS, OUR SIX LANE BRIDGE WITH PEDESTRIAN ACCOMMODATIONS.
UM, BUT WHAT WE'RE ONLY, WHAT WE'RE ABLE TO BUILD WITH THE $300 MILLION IS JUST, UH, BRIDGES ON THE EASTBOUND.
THERE'S ONE OF, THERE'S FOUR INDEPENDENT BRIDGES, ONE THAT'S IN VERY NEED OF REPLACEMENT, DIRE NEED OF REPLACEMENT.
AND THAT, UM, $300 MILLION ALLOWS US TO REPLACE BOTH THE EASTBOUND SPANS AND PRETTY MUCH THAT'S IT.
UM, SO IT DOESN'T INCLUDE THE WESTBOUND AND IT DOESN'T INCLUDE THE ROAD WORK.
SO WHAT IT WILL LOOK LIKE IS THIS RIGHT HERE.
IT'LL BE, IT'LL BE DESIGNED AND CONSTRUCTED FOUR, THREE LANES OF TRAFFIC.
BUT BECAUSE WE DON'T HAVE THE FUNDING TO DO THE WIDENING, THE ROAD WIDENING ON EITHER SIDE, IT WILL ONLY BE STRIPED AS TWO LANES AND IT WILL HAVE A PATHWAY, UH, EXCUSE ME, UH, I STAND CORRECTED.
THIS VERSION WILL NOT HAVE THE PATHWAY.
IT WILL ONLY BE, UM, THE 12 FOOT LANES IN THE THIRD LANE.
IT WILL HAVE MEDIAN ON THE INSIDE AND OUTSIDE.
AND IN TOTAL, THE BRIDGE WILL BE WIDENING ENOUGH THAT IF WE GET TO THE POINT WHERE WE CAN GET TO THE WESTBOUND LANES AND REPLACE THAT, WE CAN SWITCH ALL FOUR LANES ON THIS NEWLY CONSTRUCTED EASTBOUND WHILE WE CONSTRUCT THAT.
UM, AND THEN WE WOULD HAVE ENOUGH BRIDGE WIDTH FOR ALL SIX LANES EVENTUALLY.
SO THIS, BASICALLY THE BIG PROJECT HAS BEEN FACED.
SO THAT'S WHERE WE ARE ON THAT.
THE PROJECT IS MOVING FORWARD, UM, AND DOT IS WORKING THROUGH THE FINAL ENVIRONMENTAL RIGHT NOW, AND THE PROJECT IS INTENDED TO BE PUT OUT TO CONSTRUCTION AT THE END OF 27 TO BE START CONSTRUCTION IN 28 WITH A COMPLETION DATE BY THE END OF 2030.
SO WHEN YOU HEAR ABOUT, UM, PEOPLE ASKING QUESTIONS, THAT'S THE LATEST AND GREATEST, AGAIN, IMPORTANT TO YOU GUYS IS NOBODY'S GONNA SEE THIS WORK BEFORE NOVEMBER, 2026.
IT'S ALL IN DESIGN, IT IS GOING ON, BUT THERE WILL NOT BE ANY MACHINERY OR CRANES OR CONCRETE TRUCKS OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT UNTIL 2028.
SO, UM, THAT'S WHERE WE ARE WITH 2 78.
BUT IT COMES BACK TO YOU GUYS AND WHAT THE MISSION IS.
SO YOU'VE HEARD ABOUT THE HISTORY.
BEAUFORT COUNTY HAS A REALLY STRONG HISTORY WITH TRANSPORTATION SALES TAX.
WITHOUT THE SALES TAX AND THE PROJECTS THAT HAVE BEEN IN INCLUDED IN PREVIOUS SALES TAX, OUR COMMUNITY WOULD FEEL AND LOOK MUCH, MUCH DIFFERENTLY.
AND THERE WOULD BE MORE STRESS POINTS THAN WE PRESENTLY HAVE.
HOWEVER, BECAUSE OF THE GROWTH, UM, WE DO HAVE STRESS POINTS.
AND WITHOUT A SIMILAR COMMITMENT BY THIS ROOM, THIS COUNCIL AND THIS COMMITTEE AND HOPEFUL VOTE WITH THE CITIZENS IN NOVEMBER, UM, PEOPLE WON'T GET TO ENJOY THE IMPROVEMENTS THAT WE ENJOY FROM YEARS PAST AND CITIZENS BEFORE YOU GUYS THAT MADE THE TOUGH DECISIONS.
SO THAT'S THE TASK IN FRONT OF EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU.
AND I'M, I THINK WE'VE GOT A GREAT GROUP TO HANDLE THE TASK AND I APPRECIATE THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE A PART OF IT FROM THE SIDE.
UH, ONE, YOU SAY THE FUNDS IN THE LATEST REFERENDUM WERE, THAT WAS FUNDED WERE REPRIORITIZED, UM, THAT MEANS THEY WERE APPLIED TO OTHER PROJECTS.
THEY WERE APPLIED TO PROJECTS WITHIN THE ORIGINAL LIST.
AND THE MONEY GOING TO THE 2 78 BRIDGE TO HILTON HEAD, THAT STILL REMAINS AT $80 MILLION.
SO WE HAVE A TOTAL COUNTY DOES OF 101,000,080 FROM SALES TAX AND 21 FROM IMPACT FEES.
UM, SO WHEN WE REPRIORITIZE THE 1 46 THAT STAYED CONSISTENT AND THE OTHER PROJECTS WERE FUNDED, WERE LADIES ISLAND AND THE PATHWAYS.
SECOND QUESTION, ARE THESE POWERPOINTS THAT YOU'RE PUTTING UP, ARE THEY GONNA BE AVAILABLE TO US? THEY'RE ON THE WEBSITE.
YEAH, I'LL SEND THEM AND WE'LL FIGURE OUT AS FAR AS WE'LL SEND 'EM OUT.
UH, WE'LL SEND COMMUNICATION PROBABLY THROUGH THE CLERK'S OFFICE TO GET OUT TO EVERYBODY, AND THEN
[01:05:01]
WE'LL WORK ON POSTING THIS.WE DO HAVE, UM, A WEBSITE, UH, I DON'T KNOW THAT I EVEN REFERENCED IT, BUT BEAUFORT COUNTY PENNY.COM IS, HAS THE SAME INFORMATION THAT I WENT OVER.
IT HAS OUR CURRENT 2018 PROJECT LIST AND STATUS, AS WELL AS SOME HISTORY ON PREVIOUS SALES TAX, THE 2006 AND THE 1998 SALES TAX.
ANY, ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? I HAVE A QUESTION.
AS, UH, A BIG A PORTION OF WHAT WE DISCUSSED IN THE LAST ATTEMPT WAS TO ADDRESS TWO THINGS.
ONE WAS DIRT ROADS RAISED IN THIS COUNTY IN 1748, AND I'M STILL LIVING ON THE SAME DIRT ROAD
MY FATHER WAS BORN THERE AND HE DIED AT 72.
SO WHAT I'M SAYING IS WE TALKING A LOT ABOUT, AND I, I TOTALLY AGREE WITH EVERYTHING ALSO AS NEED, BUT WE HAVE TO DO THINGS TO, FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE HERE AND OWN LAND AND DEAL WITH DIRT.
AND THAT'S A VERY GOOD POINT, AND I APPRECIATE YOU BRINGING IT UP FOR EVERYBODY TO HEAR.
AND SO WHEN COUNCIL WAS GIVEN, UM, THEIR THOUGHTS AND GUIDANCE TO STAFF ON WHAT THEY WANTED TO SEE IN A FUTURE SALES TASK TO ACTUALLY TASK YOU GUYS WITH, CONSIDERING WHEN THEY SAID, UM, WIDENING THOSE, THOSE PROJECTS, THERE'S ONE BIG PROJECT THAT REALLY JUMPS OFF THE PAGE.
HOPEFULLY EVERYBODY'S FAMILIAR WITH ONE 70.
UM, AND THEN SAFETY IMPROVEMENTS, UM, AND INTERSECTION IMPROVEMENTS, THOSE ARE THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE COUNTY.
AND THEN PAVING AND DIRT ROAD PAVING, THOSE TWO THINGS, THEY MADE SURE THAT THEY QUALIFIED DIRT ROAD PAVING AS ONE OF THE OBJECTIVES BECAUSE OF THAT POINT THAT YOU RAISED RIGHT THERE.
POINT OUT THAT WE CAN ONLY PAY YOU FOR, YEAH, SO BRIAN JUST REFERENCED, UH, WE CAN ONLY SPEND PUBLIC FUNDS ON PUBLIC HOME ROADS.
SO IF THEY'RE PRIVATE DIRT ROADS, THAT'S A DIFFERENT, TRUST ME, I KNOW THAT, I KNOW YOU'RE VERY FAMILIAR HISTORY BECAUSE I WAS HERE WHEN IT GOT STARTED.
YOU CAME UP WITH THE FORMULA ON NAMING DIRT ROADS.
AND WHEN AND ON NAMING ROADS SO WE COULD START A PA A TRUE IDENTITY, UH, SITUATION.
AND, UM, BUT WHAT I'M SAYING IS RIGHT NOW, THE LAST I, IT WAS MY UNDERSTANDING WAS THAT ONLY THE, A PORTION OF A PACIFIC TAX MONEY GOES TO PAVE ROADS, WHICH COMES TO TWO 3 MILLION A YEAR.
AND IT TAKES A MILLION DOLLARS TO PAVE A MILE.
WE HAVE ALMOST 70 MILES OF DIRT ROAD.
I WOULD LIKE TO SEE CLIENT CIRCLE PAID BEFORE I DIE.
YOU SEE WHAT I'M SAYING? SO WHEN YOU LOOK AT IT, YOU KNOW, AND SO WHAT I'M SAYING IS THAT'S AN ISSUE THAT WE NEED TO ADDRESS.
AND THEN THE LAST, I HAVE TO SAY, THE LAST TIME WE WORKED ON THIS, UH, THE COMMITTEE FELT AND HAD SUBSTANTIAL FUNDS TO ADDRESS THAT.
SO I HOPE THAT CARRY HOPE THAT CONTINUITY CARRIES FORWARD FOR THAT NEED.
WELL, I THINK YOUR VOICE RIGHT THERE JUST CARRIED IT FORWARD.
SO I THINK, I THINK THAT'S A GREAT CONSIDERATION POINT, JERRY.
SO, SO JARED, HOW DO WE, UM, THIS SOUNDS LIKE THIS IS MORE ENCOMPASSING BEAUFORT COUNTY.
SO HOW DO WE ADDRESS, UH, UH, 4 62? HOW DO WE ADDRESS, UH, THE ROAD GOING, UH, OUT TO THE AUTO MALLS OUT THERE? HOW DO THOSE INTERSECTIONS? I MEAN, WE HAVE MULTIPLE, UH, FATAL, NOT FATALITIES, BUT WE DO HAVE FATALITIES ON THOSE INTERSECTIONS.
BUT THIS, THE WRECKS, THE WRECKS ARE LIKE WEEKLY.
SO THIS, UH, STATUTE DIFFERENT THAN GREEN SPACE.
IF ANYBODY'S FAMILIAR WITH GREEN, GREEN SPACE CAN BE SPENT HERE OR THERE, THERE BEING OUTSIDE OF THE COUNTY.
THIS ONE IS SPECIFIC TO BEAUFORT COUNTY.
HOWEVER, TO ADDRESS THOSE PAIN POINTS LIKE 4 62 AND 2 78, JASPER COUNTY JUST PASSED A 15 YEAR SALES TAX.
THEIR, THEIR PENNY ISN'T QUITE AS STRONG AS OURS.
THEY'RE PROJECTED, I THINK IT WAS 470 MILLION WAS THEIR REFERENDUM.
AND SO ON THEIR REFERENDUM ARE BOTH OF THOSE PROJECTS, THEY HAVE 2 78 OUT TO I 95.
THEY HAVE 4 62 UP TO 3 36, AND THEY HAVE ARGENT BOULEVARD.
SO THE CORRIDOR DOESN'T STOP AT OUR COUNTY LINE.
UM, BUT THE GOOD THING IS OUR NEIGHBORS ALREADY HAVE, WE BOTH HAD A PENNY IN 2020 FOURS.
OURS FAILED AND THEIRS PASSED.
SO THEY HAVE A HEAD START ON US ON GETTING THEIR, HEY JARED, JUST ONE POINT THERE.
WE MAY WANT TO COME BACK TO THEM AND EXPLAIN SOME OF THE JASPER COUNTY PROJECTS AT A FUTURE MEETING.
SO YOU'LL UNDERSTAND WE CAN SOME DETAIL THERE.
[01:10:01]
ON THAT FOR SURE.SO, SO DOT BEAUFORT COUNTY, JASPER COUNTY WILL BE WORKING TOGETHER TO IMPROVE THOSE INTERSECTIONS.
UM, THE INTERSECTIONS, UM, INTERSECTIONS IN CORRIDOR.
UM, DOT, ONE OF THEIR, WHAT'S NOT LISTED IN ONE OF THEIR PRIORITIES FOR PRIORITIES IS OFF INTERSTATE WIDENINGS.
THEY'RE WIDENING THE INTERSTATES AT BILLION DOLLARS PER CLIP.
UM, BUT THEY'RE NOT WIDENING THE 2 78.
THEY'RE NOT WIDENING THE ONE 70.
THEY DON'T HAVE ENOUGH FUNDS TO GO AROUND FOR THOSE IMPROVEMENTS.
SO COLLECTIVELY, UM, WE'RE WORKING ON A PLAN, UM, FOR JASPER COUNTY, BEAUFORT COUNTY TO, TO WORK ON THE 2 78 AND STUFF LIKE THAT.
WELL, I'M NOT, I'M NOT SPEAKING SO MUCH AS WIDENING AS I AM, ACCELERATION LANES, DECELERATION LANES, UM, SYNCHRONIZATION OF LIGHTS.
THAT AND ALL NEED TO BE, THAT NEED TO BE IN PLACE FOR THAT, FOR THAT CORRIDOR THERE.
AND ALL THE THINGS WITHIN THE BEAUFORT COUNTY LINES, THOSE THINGS YOU JUST REFERENCED AND MENTIONED WOULD BE GOOD AND APPLICABLE TYPE PROJECTS TO, TO OFFER UP.
SO, UM, WE HAVE A SHORT THREE MONTH TIME SPAN TO DO A A LOT OF WORK.
UM, TO MR. KLEIN'S POINT, HAVE THERE BEEN STUDIES DIRT TO PAVE LIST AND RANKINGS? HAS THERE BEEN STUDIES ON OTHER, LIKE TRAFFIC STUDIES? IS ALL THAT BACKGROUND INFORMATION AVAILABLE? YES.
SO WE'RE SCRATCHING THE SURFACE TONIGHT.
UH, I DON'T WANT Y'ALL TO GET SCARED.
ONE ABOUT FOIA, AND I DON'T WANT YOU TO GET SCARED ABOUT THE LIST AND THE WORKLOAD.
THE GOOD THING IS A LOT OF THE WORK THAT YOU'RE REFERENCING, THE STUDIES, THE DIRT ROAD PA, WE HAVE ALL THOSE DEVELOPED.
AND SO REALLY, UM, STAFF, WE HAVE A GOOD IDEA OF WHERE THE PAIN POINTS ARE.
UM, WE'RE GONNA SPEAK LAST ON OFFERING THOSE UP.
WE WANT YOU GUYS TO HEAR 'EM FROM THE MUNICIPALITIES AND FROM CITIZENS.
AND THEN COLLECTIVELY, UM, WE'RE GOING TO, WE'RE GONNA HAVE, SAY WE'VE GOT A LIST ON ONE 70, A LIST ON 2 78.
WE'VE GOT A SAFETY ACTION PLAN.
UM, WE'VE GOT DIRT ROAD PAVING PLAN, WE'VE GOT A RESURFACING PLAN FOR SMALL ROADS, FOR BIG ROADS, DOTS GOT A RESURFACING PLAN.
WE'VE GOT ALL THESE PLANS THAT ARE AVAILABILITY AND BEING ABLE TO GRAB.
AND THEN YOUR RESPONSIBILITY IS GONNA SAY, FIRST, HOW MUCH DO WE THINK IS TIME AND AND FUNDING THAT WE CAN RAISE IS APPROPRIATE TO GIVE YOU THE TOOLS AND TELL YOU THIS IS HOW MUCH WE EXPECT TO RAISE EACH YEAR.
YOU CAN BREAK IT DOWN WHICHEVER YEAR YOU WANT.
AND THEN AFTER YOU HAVE THOSE TWO BIG BUCKETS, UM, WHICH TYPES OF PROJECTS DID YOU WANT TO TO FUND? AND ONCE YOU GET INTO THE PROCESS, I THINK IT'S GOING TO GO A LITTLE BIT EASIER THAN YOU THINK.
YOU KIND OF PUT THE BIG ROCKS IN FIRST AND THEN YOU START FILLING IN THE REST OF THE JAR.
AND WHEN YOU PUT A COUPLE BIG ROCKS IN, YOU'RE LIKE, OKAY, WELL THIS IS HOW MUCH WE HAVE LEFT FOR THIS AND THIS AND THIS.
I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE ALL THAT.
'CAUSE THREE MONTHS IS NOT A WHOLE LOT OF TIME.
AND WE HAVE TO WAIT ON TRAFFIC STUDIES.
SO WE, WHAT WE'RE DOING NOW BEHIND THE SCENES, THE, UM, ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT IS, WE'VE GOT TWO ON-CALL ENGINEERS THAT ARE HELPING US.
WE'VE ALREADY GIVEN THEM A LIST OF PROJECTS BASED OFF THE STUDIES THAT WE THINK HE ARE LIKELY PAIN POINTS THAT WILL SURFACE, UM, TO GET GOOD SCOPES AND COST ESTIMATES.
SO AGAIN, WE'RE NOT PUTTING A, A WINDAGE TYPE NUMBER AND SAY, I THINK IT'S ROUGHLY 10 MILLION AND IT ENDS UP BEING 20 MILLION.
SO WE'RE TRYING TO GET THAT LEVEL OF EFFORT DONE RIGHT NOW.
FIRST, I KNOW WE'RE GONNA PICK TIME AND AMOUNT.
ARE WE GONNA BE EDUCATED ON OTHER FUNDING SOURCES IN THE PAST WE'VE USED IMPACT FEES AND OTHER THINGS.
ARE WE GONNA INCLUDE THAT IN OUR DOLLAR AMOUNT? ARE WE GONNA KNOW THAT'S GONNA COME TO MATCH SOME OF THE DOLLAR AMOUNT? THAT'S ONE QUESTION.
THE OTHER THING FOR JERRY, I THINK HOMEWORK FOR ALL OF US IS TO GET THE LINK TO LATS AND IT'LL ADDRESS EVERYTHING YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT.
WHAT LISA? WE HAVE A, WE ARE AN MPO NOW, WHICH STARTED IN 13, 14, 15, RIGHT IN THERE.
IT'S JASPER AND BEAUFORT WITH ALDER MUNICIPAL, NOT RIDGELAND, BUT THE OTHER MUNICIPALITIES.
THERE'S SO MUCH MONEY, I THINK WE'VE GOTTA THINK ABOUT COMPLIMENTING THAT.
A MOUND OF DIRT IN THE ROAD IN BETWEEN BUFORD COUNTY AND TWO.
SO TWO PARTS, TWO PARTS THERE.
THE FIRST PART, AS FAR AS OTHER FUNDING, UM, I CAN TELL YOU ABOUT ALL THE DIFFERENT FUNDINGS THAT WE HAVE AVAILABLE AND HOW THEY MATCH TOGETHER.
UM, AND THEN HOW SALES TAX, LIKE I SAID, YOU KIND OF NEED MONEY TO MAKE MONEY, UM, TO PUT PROJECTS TOGETHER.
[01:15:01]
DON'T HAVE ONE SOURCE OF MONEY, BUT WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE ALSO DON'T RUN INTO THE PROBLEM WHERE WE, WE WERE BANKING ON THIS GRANT AND IT NEVER CAME THROUGH, SO WE'RE NOT GONNA GET THIS PROJECT DONE.SO IT'S A, IT'S A BLEND OF THAT.
BUT WE HAVE THAT INFORMATION TO SHARE WHAT OTHER FUNDING SOURCES WE HAVE.
AND THEN YOU SET A LOT OF ACRONYMS THERE TO HAVE, SO I'M GONNA EXPLAIN THEM.
SO MPO IS A METROPOLITAN PLANNING ORGANIZATION.
SO ANY URBANIZED AREA THAT'S GREATER THAN 50,000 PEOPLE, WHICH WE ARE COLLECTIVELY IS CALLED A MPO.
AND THEY HAVE A PLAN AND ORGANIZATION FOR MULTIPLE DIFFERENT FUNCTIONS, BUT ONE BEING TRAFFIC AND TRANSPORTATION.
AND OURS IS CALLED LOW COUNTRY AREA TRANSPORTATION STUDY LATS.
AND, UM, THEY HAVE THE REGIONAL MODEL AND NETWORK AND A LOT OF THE PLANS AND RESOURCES.
WE ACTUALLY, NEXT TIME WE MEET, OUR INTENT IS TO HAVE THE TRANSPORTATION DIRECTOR, STEPHANIE ROSSI COME AND PRESENT ABOUT LATS AND KIND OF HOW PROJECTS COME ABOUT AND SOME OF THE PLANS THAT ARE THERE AND AVAILABLE.
AS WELL AS, UM, BRIAN BAUER, WHO'S NOT HERE TONIGHT, BUT HE'S OUR ENGINEERING DIRECTOR.
UM, AND SO HE'LL BE AVAILABLE TO TELL YOU ABOUT SOME OF THE PROJECTS THAT WE HAVE, THE PLANS THAT YOU MENTIONED, GARY, UM, THOSE PLANS THAT ARE, THAT HAVE ALREADY BEEN DONE OVER THE LAST TWO OR THREE YEARS THAT WILL HAVE FOR PROJECT LISTS.
ON THE MPO UH, PROCESS, ARE WE GOING TO BE CLUED IN ON THE LATS LONG RANGE PLAN? BECAUSE I KNOW AT SOME POINT IN TIME THERE COULD BE ILLUSTRATIVE PROJECTS IN THERE, WHICH ARE FUTURE PROJECTS THAT ARE NOT FUNDED, THEY'RE ADOPTED BY THE REGION.
ARE THEY GOING TO HAVE SOME KIND OF PRIORITY AS IT RELATES TO OUR, OUR, UH, TALKING AND SO ON? AND IF NOT, WE HAVE TO REALIZE THAT THE LONG RANGE PLAN NEEDS TO BE A BEN AMENDED TO INCLUDE THOSE PARTICULAR PROJECTS.
LET ME DIGEST THAT FOR EVERYBODY.
SO THE WAY PROJECTS COME AND GET FUNDED THROUGH THE STATE AND THROUGH, UH, FEDERALIZED IS YOU HAVE TO BE INSIDE A MPO OR A COG, WHICH IS THE RURAL VERSION OF THAT.
AND YOU HAVE A LONG RANGE PLAN.
IT'S A 20 YEAR HORIZON THAT WE LOOK AT ALL THE DIFFERENT FACTORS AND GROWTH AND INPUTS, AND YOU COME UP WITH COLLECTIVELY WHAT THE ROAD PROJECTS ARE IN THE AREA.
THAT LONG RANGE PLAN COMES TO A FUNDED PLAN CALLED A TIP, TRANSPORTATION IMPROVEMENT PLAN.
I'M STILL IN A LOT OF STEPHANIE'S THUNDER.
UM, SO THE OPPORTUNITIES TO BE SURPRISED NEXT WEEK
UM, SO THAT, THAT COMES TO A FUNDED PLAN AND THAT IS FINANCIALLY CONSTRAINED.
HOWEVER, IN THE LAST VERSION OF THE LONG RANGE PLAN, WHICH WAS A COUPLE YEARS AGO, WHICH WE'RE ABOUT TO UPDATE, UM, WE WERE PROPOSING THAT BOTH A BEAUFORT COUNTY AND JASPER COUNTY SALES TAX MIGHT GET FUNDED.
AND IF SO, WE NEED TO ACCOMMODATE THAT.
SO WE HAD ALL THESE PROJECTS THAT'LL PROBABLY SHOW UP AGAIN, UM, ON THE LONG RANGE PLAN IDENTIFIED, BUT THEY DIDN'T MAKE IT TO THE TIP BECAUSE THEY DIDN'T GET FINANCIALLY, UH, FUNDED.
SO THEY'RE HANGING AT THE BOTTOM OF THE TIP, BUT THEY'RE NOT QUITE ON THE TIP YET.
AND SO IF WE ARE SUCCESSFUL WITH SALES TAX, THEN WE WOULD MOVE THEM UP AND THAT WOULD MAKE US AVAILABLE TO GO FISH FOR FEDERAL DOLLARS.
BUT UNTIL WE HAVE IT FUNDED LOCALLY, WE CAN'T PUT IT ON THAT PLAN.
JOY, UM, I JUST WANTED TO ASK AND MAKE SURE THAT THERE WERE GONNA BE NO NEW ROADS ON THE SALES TAX PLAN.
SO YOU GUYS ARE GONNA DECIDE THAT.
UM, BUT COUNCIL'S DIRECTION WERE WIDENINGS, UH, SAFETY AND INTERSECTION IMPROVEMENTS AND RESURFACING AND DIRT ROAD PINGS.
SO THEY DIDN'T SPECIFICALLY SAY NEW ROADS.
SO READING BETWEEN THE LINES, I WOULD SAY THAT WOULD PROBABLY NOT BE SOMETHING COUNCIL WOULD BE INTERESTED IN.
AND THEN SECONDLY, UM, THE AI AI TECHNOLOGY FOR THE LIGHTS, IS THAT GONNA BE INCLUDED? IS THAT PART OF SAFETY OR SOMETHING THAT'S INCLUDED IN THIS TAX, OR, OR IS IT, I THOUGHT IT WAS BEING FUNDED MAYBE BY S-C-D-O-T.
DOT HAS A FIBER PROJECT WHERE THEY'RE CONNECTING THE SIGNALS AND THEY'RE WORKING ON THAT PRESENTLY INSIDE, IT'S NOT NECESSARILY AI, BUT IT'S JUST SMART TRAFFIC SIGNAL WITH FIBER CONNECTIVITY, THEY'RE DOING THAT.
UM, AGAIN, TRYING TO FILTER WHAT COUNCIL'S TASKING THE COMMITTEE WITH.
UM, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE HEARD FROM PREVIOUS SALES TAX AFTER THE FAIL, WE HAD A DEBRIEF.
UH, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE HEARD WAS THERE WERE SOME PROJECTS OR PROGRAMS THAT WEREN'T SPECIFIC.
SO I THINK COUNCIL IS LOOKING FROM YOU GUYS FOR A VERY, VERY SPECIFIC LISTS.
SO IF YOU JUST SAY, AI STOPS LIGHT SIGNALS, I DON'T THINK THAT'S THE SPEC
[01:20:01]
SPECIFICITY THAT COUNCIL'S LOOKING FOR.THEY'RE GOING TO WANNA SEE THIS INTERSECTION OR THAT ACCELERATION LANE OR THAT WIDENING PROJECT.
CAN I ASK ONE MORE QUESTION? YEAH.
THE, UM, THE BLUFFTON PARKWAY STUDY, UM, THE, THE OPTIONS, THERE WAS THREE OPTIONS.
SO WOULD WE BE LOOKING PROBABLY AT LIKE THE OPTION ONE, WHICH IS MOSTLY INTERSECTION FIXING? YES.
THAT, THAT WOULD BE A GOOD, JUST LIKE SOME OF THESE OTHER STUDIES THERE, THERE'S A COUPLE STUDIES THAT HAVE BEEN DONE, FOUR OR FIVE PARTICULAR BLUFFTON PARKWAY FROM ONE 70 TO THE FLYOVER AT 2 78.
AND IT SAID, THESE ARE THE AREAS YOU SHOULD FOCUS ON.
WE'LL GET THAT, THAT'S INFORMATION OVERLOAD IF I THREW ALL THAT AT YOU TONIGHT.
UM, BUT THOSE ARE THE REPORTS AND STUDIES THAT BASICALLY YOU DON'T HAVE TO COME UP WITH PROJECTS FROM JUST THINKING ABOUT YOUR BRAIN.
THEY'RE, THEY'RE SITTING THERE, WE JUST HAVE TO GRAB 'EM AND PLACE THEM.
AND JARED, JUST TO POINT, SOME OF THOSE ARE LIKE ZERO TO FIVE YEARS AND SOME ARE FURTHER OUT.
SO THE ONES THAT ARE CLOSER WOULD BE ONES TO CONSIDER, I WOULD THINK.
AND, AND I DIDN'T REFERENCE THIS, BUT LAST YEAR IN NOVEMBER, OUR REFERENDUM WAS PUT FORTH WAS A 10 YEAR, 750.
AM I RIGHT? I FORGET EVERYTHING.
10 YEAR, $750 MILLION PROGRAM.
ONE OF THE OTHER COMMENTS HEARD WAS THE LENGTH OF TIME.
UM, WE, WE'VE HAD A TWO YEAR, A SIX YEAR, AND A FOUR YEAR.
SO THOSE ARE THINGS TO CONSIDER AS WE MOVE FORWARD.
COULD, COULD YOU TELL ME REAL QUICKLY, UH, THE LOW COUNTRY COUNCIL OF GOVERNMENTS IN THE STANTEC ENGINEERING THAT'S GOING ON, HOW IS THAT GOING TO TIE INTO WHAT WE'RE DOING? AND IS THAT PART OF THE LONG RANGE LATS PROGRAM THAT YOU'RE REFERRING TO? YES.
SO WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT IS THE ONE 70 CORRIDOR STUDY.
SO, UM, THERE'S FIVE STUDIES THAT ARE EITHER TAKING PLACE OR ARE CURRENTLY TAKING PLACE.
SO THERE'S A 2 78 FROM INTERSTATE TO C PINE CIRCLE.
THERE'S ONE 70 FROM BOUNDARY STREET TO SC 46, ROUNDABOUT CIRCLE.
THAT'S THE ONE YOU'RE REFERENCING.
THOSE TWO ARE ONGOING, BUT THERE'S DATA THAT WE CAN ALREADY LIFT FROM THAT.
UM, THERE'S THE BLUFFTON PARKWAY STUDY, UH, THAT JOY REFERENCED.
THERE'S A STUDY FROM SC 15 AND 46 INTO BEAUFORT COUNTY, MOSTLY JASPER COUNTY.
AND THEN THERE'S, UH, ITS INTELLIGENT TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM MASTER PLAN FOR JASPER AND BEAUFORT COUNTY.
SO THOSE ARE FIVE STUDIES LATS IN THE COUNTY HAVE BEEN WORKING ON, WHICH WILL BE GOOD INVENTORY OF PROJECTS THAT PULL PROJECTS FROM MM-HMM
JERRY, IT, IT SOUNDS LIKE THIS IS PREDOMINANTLY ROADS AND INTERSECTIONS AND SAY THINGS LIKE THAT.
THE THING THAT WE HAVE TO BE COGNIZANT, WE HAVE TO GET THE PUBLIC TO VOTE ON THIS.
AND PEOPLE OUT THERE, THEY'RE JUST NOT GONNA SAY, WELL, YOU KNOW, THAT'S SOUTH CAROLINA DOT'S ISSUE.
THEY NEED, THEY DON'T UNDERSTAND ALL THAT'S GOING ON IN HERE.
AND, YOU KNOW, IF YOU DON'T INCLUDE, INCLUDE, UH, BOAT RAMPS AND PARKS, AND, YOU KNOW, I KNOW WE HAD SOME, YOU KNOW, TRAILS UP THERE.
BUT YOU GOTTA, YOU HAVE TO PUT SOME MEAT IN THERE THAT GETS THEM EXCITED ABOUT VOTING FOR THIS.
WELL, YOU'RE ABSOLUTELY RIGHT.
WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT YOU GUYS, UH, SUBMIT PROJECTS THAT YOU THINK THE, THE COMMUNITY WILL BE INTERESTED IN AND SUPPORT.
HOWEVER, COUNCIL'S ALSO GIVEN YOU KIND OF SOME, SOME LEFT AND RIGHT BOUNDARIES.
SO, UM, BEFORE IT MADE IT TO TRANSPORTATION SALES TAX AND BEFORE A COMMITTEE WAS ESTABLISHED, THERE WAS DISCUSSION ABOUT A CAPITAL PROJECT SALES.
ANOTHER, THERE'S SEVEN DIFFERENT SALES TAXES THAT COUNTIES CAN IMPLEMENT.
CAPITAL PROJECTS IS MORE FOR BUILDINGS AND FACILITIES.
IT'S A LOT MORE YOU CAN DO ROADS INCLUDED.
THEY WENT DOWN THAT PATH AND THEN, UM, THEY HAD FEEDBACK THROUGHOUT THE COMMUNITY AND THE MUNICIPALITIES AND SAY, RATHER THAN DOING THAT, WE WOULD PREFER YOU DO ROADS.
AND INSIDE OF THAT, IT DOESN'T PROVIDE FOR BOAT LANDINGS, IT DOES PROVIDE FOR PATHWAYS.
BUT WE'VE 2018 PATHWAYS HAVE BEEN VERY CHALLENGING TO DELIVER.
SO COUNCIL'S LOOKING FOR VERY ACTIONABLE DELIVERABLE PROJECTS.
THE FIVE, THE ZERO TO FIVE YEAR TYPE PROJECT STUFF THAT WE CAN IMPLEMENT AND SHOW PROGRESS.
UM, SO THOSE ARE THE LEFT AND RIGHT BOUNDS, UM, THAT THEY'VE TASKED YOU GUYS WITH.
UM, BUT GOTTA MAKE SURE YOU PICK THE PROJECTS THAT PEOPLE THINK ARE IMPORTANT OUTTA THAT.
WE'RE GONNA HAVE A LOT MORE TIME OF INTERACTION.
I PROBABLY WILL TALK MORE THAN YOU GUYS WANT TO HEAR OVER THE COURSE OF THESE THREE MONTHS.
UM, BUT TO MOVE FORWARD, I THINK WE'VE GOT A COUPLE ACTION ITEMS AND THEN GET YOU GUYS OUTTA HERE.
UM, AND THEN WE'LL FIGURE OUT WHEN TO MEET BACK.
[01:25:01]
YOU SAID, I'M GONNA ASK ONE QUICK QUESTION.SO, UH, YEAH, SO WE HAD A LITTLE SLIP FROM THAT.
UM, THE RESOLUTION, THE GOAL WAS THAT WE WERE GONNA HAVE THE COMMITTEE ESTABLISHED IN DECEMBER.
UM, SOME OF THE MUNICIPALITIES WEREN'T ABLE TO MEET IN DECEMBER AND GET THOSE REPRESENTATIVES APPOINTMENTS BACK.
SO WE GET PUSHED IT BACK TO JANUARY 15TH.
WE DIDN'T UPDATE THE RESOLUTION.
WE'LL TALK THROUGH THE TIMELINE IN A LITTLE BIT AND, UM, GIVE YOU, TELL ME ON ITEM NINE, WE'LL TALK YEAH.
AND WE'LL TALK THROUGH TIMELINE AND KIND OF THE 90 DAYS SORT OF THAT WE'RE TALKING.
THE CADENCE OF THE FUTURE MEETINGS.
WE GOT TWO MONTHS INSTEAD OF THREE, WE'LL SEE R 90.
SO WE'RE, WE'RE GONNA SLIDE A LITTLE BIT ON THE APRIL DATE INTO MAY, SO WE'RE GONNA KEEP THE 90, THE THREE MONTHS, BUT WE'LL, WE'LL TALK ABOUT THE CADENCE IN JUST A SECOND.
BEFORE WE DO THAT, WE NEED TO GET TO THE NEXT ITEM, WHICH IS YOU GUYS FIGURING OUT YOUR, UM, CHAIN OF LEADERSHIP WATER.
AND, UM, ONE OF THE THINGS BEFORE I GOT HERE, I WAS PART OF THE YORK COUNTY, UM, UH, IT WAS A CAPITAL, UH, COMMITTEE, AND, UH, SUCCESSFULLY WENT THROUGH THAT PROCESS.
DID NOT GET TO SEE, BE THERE FOR THE VOTE, BUT IT DID PASS IN PENNY'S FIVE.
SO WHAT JARED HAD TALKED ABOUT THOSE THREE TYPES OF PROJECTS IS WHAT THEY'VE BEEN DOING SUCCESSFULLY FOR A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF TIME.
SO JUST WANTED TO THROW THAT OUT THERE.
SO WITH THAT, UM, WE'RE GONNA GO TO, UH, ITEM EIGHT, WHICH IS OUR APPOINTMENT OF OFFICERS WHERE YOU ALL GET TO SELECT LEADERSHIP.
WE HAVE IDENTIFIED THREE POSITIONS, WHICH WE WOULD RECOMMEND A CHAIR, A VICE CHAIR, AND A SECRETARY.
UM, THE VICE CHAIR COULD CHAIR THE MEETING, THE ABSENCE OF THE CHAIR, AND THE SECRETARY WOULD WORK WITH THE, UM, CLERK AND STAFF ON THE MINUTES AND THE AGENDAS, UM, TO MAKE SURE THAT, UH, EVERYTHING THAT, UH, THE COMMITTEES DELIBERATED IS REFLECTED IN THOSE DOCUMENTS.
SO WITH THAT, WHAT I'D LIKE TO DO NOW IS OPEN THE FLOOR TO NOMINATIONS.
DO NOT NEED A SECOND FOR CHAIR.
I'D LIKE TO MAKE A RECOMMENDATION.
UM, I'D LIKE TO RECOMMEND PAUL TRASK AND BILL RICKETT.
OH, AND I NEED SECRETARY ELIZABETH'S.
DO I HAVE TO TELL WHICH ONE IS WHICH? WELL, WHAT I WAS GONNA SAY IS YOU CAN, WE, WE WILL DO CHAIR FIRST, AND ONCE THE CHAIR'S ELECTED, THEN WE WILL HAND THE GAVEL AND EVERYTHING OVER TO THE CHAIR, AND THE CHAIR WILL RUN THE NEXT MEETING.
BUT WHAT WE WOULD PROPOSE IS THAT YOU, UM, WE GET TAKE MOTIONS.
WE'LL TAKE HIM IN ORDER FOR VOTE.
UM, SO I'VE HEARD PAUL TRASK, PAUL TRASK, BUT, AND THEN, WE'LL, THAT WILL BE FOR CHAIR.
AND THEN AFTER WE COMPLETE CHAIR, THEN WE WILL GO TO VICE CHAIR AND SECRETARY, AND WE'LL TAKE THE, AN ORDER AND WHOEVER GETS THE MAJORITY VOTE WOULD BE THE CHAIR, IS HOW WE WOULD RUN THAT.
AND THAT'S HOW COUNCIL HAS RUN THEIR MEETINGS AS WELL.
I WOULD LIKE TO NOMINATE LISA SKA SKA AS THE CHAIR.
SO WE HAVE PAUL TRASK AND LISA SKA ON THE FLOOR.
AND, AND I WOULD LIKE TO DEFER TO LISA.
UM, CAN, CAN I, I JUST THINK HAVING SOMEONE THAT'S DIRECTLY AFFILIATED WITH THE MUNICIPALITY GOES AGAINST THE CORE TENSION OF THIS COMMITTEE, WHICH IS TO SELECT PROJECTS IN A WAY THAT EQUALLY REPRESENTS THE INTEREST OF ALL BEAUFORT COUNTY.
SO I WAS HOPING WE COULD RECOMMEND SOMEBODY THAT WAS OTHER THAN A, YOU KNOW, FORMER COUNCILMAN MAYOR.
BUT ANYBODY ON THIS COMMITTEE'S ELIGIBLE BECAUSE THE ONLY CRITERIA THAT, UH, COUNCIL PLACED WAS NO ELECTED OFFICIALS.
SUE, WHAT WE CAN DO IS TAKE, WHAT LIKE TO DO IS TAKE ANY OTHER NOMINEES, AND THEN WE CAN HAVE DISCUSSION.
EVERYBODY CAN HAVE A DISCUSSION, AND THEN WE CAN CALL FOR THE VOTE.
BUT I'M GOING TO, I'M GONNA ACTUALLY MOVE THAT WE CLOSE NOMINATIONS SECOND.
SECOND CAN, OH, CAN I RECOMMEND ONE OTHER PERSON? YES.
BUT I WOULD DEFER TO THANK YOU.
THEY CAN SELF NOMINATE, THEY CAN SELF NOMINATE.
BUT WE HAVE, RIGHT NOW WE HAVE LISA SKA ON THE FLOOR.
ARE THERE ANY OTHER NOMINATIONS? IF WE GOT A MOVE TO CLOSE, OH, COULD I RECOMMEND BILL RICKETT? I WOULD RESPECTFULLY DECLINE.
ALRIGHT, WITH THAT, UH, WE HAVE LISA SKA ON THE FLOOR.
EVERYBODY IN FAVOR, PLEASE RAISE YOUR HAND.
ANYBODY OPPOSED? WE HAVE ONE OPPOSED.
[01:30:01]
I WILL, OKAY.I I WILL DEFINITELY REPRESENT THE WHOLE COUNTY.
AND I'M NO LONGER MAYOR, SO IT'LL BE THE, THIS RESIDENTS ARE MY BIGGEST PRIORITY AND I WILL PROVE THAT TO YOU.
AND I, AND I HOPE I DO A GOOD JOB BY YOU.
I RUN TIGHT MEETINGS, UM, BUT TIMELY MEETINGS, AND I MAKE SURE EVERYONE'S HEARD, UM, WITH COMMENTS.
NEXT WE HAVE NOMINATIONS OPEN FOR VICE CHAIR.
ARE THERE ANY NOMINATIONS FOR VICE CHAIR? I'LL, I'LL NOMINATE GLEN STANFORD SINCE HE NOMINATED ME AND PUT ME IN THIS POSITION.
OH, CAN I RECOMMEND YOU ON THE END, MR. KLE? MR. JUDGE KLEIN, I, I RESPECTFULLY DECLINE DUE TO OTHER PERSONAL COMMITMENTS, SIR.
I, I'D LOVE TO SEE MR. STANFORD.
ANY OTHER NOMINATIONS? MADAM CHAIR? I MOVE.
THERE'S A MOTION TO CLOSE IN A SECOND.
UM, GLEN STANFORD HAS BEEN NOMINATED FOR VICE CHAIR.
ALL IN FAVOR? RAISE YOUR HANDS.
OPPOSED? IS THAT UNANIMOUS? OKAY, THAT'S UNANIMOUS.
THE FLOOR IS OPEN TO NOMINATIONS.
MS. BROCK MIGHT HAVE A COMMENT ON EASY JOB, RIGHT.
MATT, YOU ARE NOMINATED FOR SECRETARY.
I RESPECTFULLY CL SHOULD WE SEE WHO WANTS TO BE SECRETARY?
ANY OTHER NUMBER? I'LL BE SECRETARY.
JOY COE HAS NOMINATED HERSELF FOR SECRETARY.
ANY OR OTHER NOMINATIONS MOVE TO CLOSE? THERE'S A MOTION TO CLOSE.
JOY COE HAS BEEN NOMINATED AS SECRETARY.
UM, ALL IN FAVOR, RAISE YOUR HANDS.
SO WE HAVE MYSELF AS CHAIR GLENN, STANFORD AS VICE CHAIR JOY CO.
NEXT WE MOVE ON TO FUTURE MEETINGS.
WE WILL HAVE MR. FRA COME UP AND, AND DISCUSS THE FUTURE MEETINGS YOU HAVE.
UM, IS THAT GONNA BE ON THE SCREEN OR JUST, UH, HANDOUT.
I DUNNO IF CONDOLENCES ARE, I KNOW, I'M NOT SURE WITH ALL THE DECLINES.
NO, I'M SORRY I DIDN'T SEND IT TO YOU.
SO, UM, AS THESE ARE PASSING AROUND, GARY AND GRADY, UH, ALREADY PICKED UP ON SOME DATES.
SO, UM, WE, WE SLID A LITTLE BIT FROM WHEN COUNCIL WAS APPOINTING AND GETTING A COMMITTEE ESTABLISHED.
WE'RE NOT GONNA HOLD THAT AGAINST YOU.
SO INSTEAD OF THE 60 DAYS REMAINING, YOU WE'RE STILL GONNA RESPECT THAT TIMEFRAME.
UM, SO LET'S SKIP TO THE BACK OF THE PAGE AND WORK IN REVERSE BECAUSE THIS IS HOW WE DETERMINED, UM, THE SCHEDULE TO OFFER YOU GUYS SOME OPPORTUNITIES SO YOU DON'T HAVE TO CREATE IT FROM SCRATCH.
SO, WORKING BACKWARDS, REVERSE SCHEDULING HERE.
SO ELECTION DAY IS NOVEMBER 3RD, 2026.
THAT IS WHAT WE'RE WORKING TOWARDS.
IN ORDER TO BE ON THE REFERENDUM, THE COUNTY HAS TO, UM, SUBMIT IT TO THE BOARD OF VOTER REGISTRATION AT THE STATE LEVEL, UM, BY AUGUST 15TH.
IN ORDER TO DO THAT, WE HAVE TO HAVE A ORDINANCE, WHICH REQUIRES THREE READINGS AND A PUBLIC HEARING.
SO, UM, OUR RE WE HAVE TWO MEETINGS A MONTH EXCEPT IN JULY.
AND SO BACKING THAT UP, UM, THAT GETS US TO JULY 13TH, 22ND AND EIGHTH.
AND WE CARRY EVERYTHING THROUGH A COMMITTEE BEFORE IT GOES TO COUNCIL.
SO IT WOULD RUN THROUGH THE COMMITTEE, UM, PUBLIC FACILITIES COMMITTEE ON MAY THE 25TH.
AND THEN, UH, THE INTENT THERE, THIS IS WHAT WE DID ON OTHER ITERATIONS, IS YOU GUYS PRO PROVIDE A RECOMMENDATION.
THIS IS WHAT WE THINK COUNSEL, YOU SHOULD, YOU SHOULD HEAR AND TAKE, THEY RECEIVE IT AND TALK ABOUT IT.
AND THEN THEY COME BACK BEFORE THEY GO THROUGH THE ORDINANCE PROCESS.
THEY DON'T HAVE TO, BUT THIS IS WHAT THEY'VE DONE IN THE PAST.
THAT'S THE RESOLUTION THAT THEY TAKE, UM, ON THE 25TH.
SO THE INTENT THEN WOULD BE FOR A FINISHED PRODUCT AND RECOMMENDATION FROM THIS COMMITTEE ON MAY 11TH.
DOES THAT MAKE SENSE? MM-HMM
SO THAT'S WHERE I COME BACKWARDS.
SO NOW FLIP BACK TO THE FRONT PAGE.
SO WE ARE SITTING HERE TODAY, FEBRUARY THE FOURTH, AND TO TALK ABOUT THE, THE OPPORTUNITIES.
UH, I THINK THERE'S PROBABLY MANY DIFFERENT WAYS YOU
[01:35:01]
CAN, YOU CAN SCHEDULE THIS, BUT WE PUT FORWARD TWO OPTIONS.ONE IS, UM, A BIWEEKLY OPTION WITH SOME SCHEDULED DATES THAT ARE MAYBE A LITTLE BIT LONGER MEETINGS, UH, TWO HOUR MEETINGS.
AND THE SECOND IS, UH, A WEEKLY OPTION THAT MAYBE THE MEETINGS ARE A LITTLE BIT SHORTER.
UM, ONE OF THE THINGS WE TALKED ABOUT TODAY IS OBVIOUSLY THE FIRST MEETING IN THE HISTORY.
WE WANT TO GET THAT BACKGROUND ON LATS AND, AND HOW THE PLANNING TAKES PLACE REGIONALLY.
AND THEN, UM, FOR Y'ALL'S DISCUSSION AND HOW YOU WANNA DO THE MEETINGS.
BUT THE THOUGHT PROCESS, JUST LOOKING ON OPTION ONE IS THAT, UM, TO GET OUT TO THE COMMUNITY, SOMETHING DIFFERENT THAN WE'VE DONE IN THE PAST IS MAYBE THE MEETINGS ARE HOSTED AT ASSERTING SITES.
SO FOR INSTANCE, AT HILTON HEAD OR SOUTH OF THE BROAD HILTON HEAD, OR BLUFFTON IN MARCH.
AND THEN, UM, IF YOU WANT TO ENTERTAIN A PUBLIC PORTION WHILE YOU'RE DOING A WORKING MEETING, THAT'S, THAT'S AN OPPORTUNITY.
AND THEN A SIMILAR NORTH OF THE BROAD MEETING.
AND THEN, UM, HERE, IF YOU'D LIKE TO TAKE ANY MORE INPUT FROM CITIZENS, UH, A WORKING MEETING IN THE COMMUNITY A LITTLE BIT FURTHER.
AND THEN IT DOESN'T GIVE YOU A LOT OF TIME, BUT EACH OF THOSE MEETINGS WERE WORKING MEETINGS, NOT JUST PUBLIC MEETINGS.
SO HOPEFULLY YOU'RE DOING WORK THE WHOLE TIME AND THEN YOU FI FINISH YOUR WORK AT THE MAY 6TH.
AND THEN THE RECOMMENDATION, THE OTHER OPTION, VERY SIMILAR, JUST A LITTLE BIT EXPANDED ON A, ON A WEEKLY OPTION, YOU GET A LITTLE BIT MORE LUXURY TO SPEND A WHOLE MEETING SESSION AT EACH MUNICIPALITY OR IN MORE COMMUNITY MEETINGS.
UM, TOTALLY UP TO YOU GUYS, JUST TRYING TO PUT SOMETHING THERE SO YOU DON'T HAVE TO CREATE THIS FROM SCRATCH.
TRYING TO OFFER YOU SOME, UM, OPPORTUNITIES TO TALK THROUGH.
SO THAT'S ENOUGH TALKING FROM ME AND, UM, CHAIRMAN, CHAIRWOMAN, SKA.
WELL, I'M, AND I'M SURE EVERYONE OR MOST EVERYONE IN THIS ROOM HAVE CONFLICTS ON CERTAIN DAYS.
SO I DON'T, ARE THESE FLEXIBLE OR ABSOLUTELY.
OR SHOULD WE GO THROUGH AND LET PEOPLE LOOK THROUGH IT AND YEAH.
AND IF YOU WANT TO DEFER THE SCHEDULE AND JUST PICK THE NEXT SCHEDULED MEETING, AND THEN YOU CAN COME BACK AND FINALIZE THAT AT YOUR NEXT MEETING, THAT WOULD BE APPROPRIATE TOO.
OR HOWEVER YOU'D LIKE TO ADDRESS THAT.
WHETHER IT'S A TUESDAY, WHETHER IT'S A THURSDAY, WHETHER IT'S A WEDNESDAY, HOWEVER IS BEST.
UM, AND I'M HEARING FROM HERE, AND I'M SEEING FROM THERE, WOULD IT BE, SO IF THEY WOULD EMAIL, WOULD THEY EMAIL YOU OR MYSELF ON MAYBE LIKE, I HAVE LIKE THE FIRST WEDNESDAY OF EVERY MONTH, I, I CAN'T DO, I'M COMMITTED.
SO, AND I'M SURE THERE ARE OTHER THINGS LIKE THAT IN THE EVENING.
SO HOW DO YOU WANT TO GET THAT POLL ACROSS? UH, WHAT WOULD BE BEST? WE COULD, WE COULD ASSIST.
UM, THERE'S ALSO, UM, BEST IF THEY COMMUNICATE WITH THE CLERK.
WELL, LET'S, LET'S SET OUR NEXT MEETING.
AND THEN IF YOU'D LOOK AT THE TWO, DO YOU, IT'S AN HOUR AND A HALF FOR 14 WEEKS, OR TWO HOURS FOR SEVEN WEEKS.
DO YOU WANNA TRY TO COMBINE IT ALL WITH LESS MEETINGS OR ARE YOU OKAY WITH NOT MUCH LESS TIME, BUT LONG, BUT MORE MEETINGS? I WOULD SAY LESS MEETINGS IN THE LONGER TIMES.
THAT WAY WE CAN REALLY DIVE INTO IT.
SOMETIMES THOSE MEETINGS NOT, WE DON'T HAVE ENOUGH MEET, YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW, TIMES.
I WOULD, I WOULD, I WOULD, I WOULD AGREE WITH Y'ALL ON THAT.
SO IT SOUNDS LIKE OPTION ONE, UNLESS THERE'S SOMEONE AGAINST THAT, SO THAT WOULD BE SEVEN WEEKS WITH TWO HOUR MEETINGS AND THEY MAY GO A LITTLE LONGER, BUT WE'LL TRY TO REIN IT IN AND, AND MAKE SURE WE HEAR THE INFORMATION AND MAKE IT, MAKE IT PRODUCTIVE.
UM, SO THE NEXT MEETING YOU'RE SUGGESTING IS, UM, WHERE ARE WE? FEBRUARY 18TH.
DO Y'ALL WANNA LOOK AT YOUR CALENDARS NOW? IS THAT A GOOD DATE TO AT LEAST WORK ON? I'M CONFLICTED THAT DAY.
WEDNESDAY WE HAVE A CONFLICT, A CONFLICT THAT, YOU KNOW, WHAT DAY OF THE WEEK IS THAT? IT'S A WEDNESDAY.
A WEDNESDAY, AND IT'S, UM, ONE TO THREE.
SO IT WOULD BE, YOU KNOW, IN THE AFTERNOON.
DOES IT HAVE TO BE ONE TO, CAN WE DO THEM AT THE, LIKE FIVE 30 TO SEVEN EACH TIME? IS THAT NOT BETTER FOR EVERYBODY OR, OR NO? I WOULD HAVE TO ASK.
I HEAR A NO, I THINK THE AFTERNOONS ARE MORE PRODUCTIVE THAN THE EARLY EVENINGS, PERSONALLY.
MAYBE WE NEED TO DRIVE IN THE TRAFFIC.
AND WE'LL KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON.
WE'RE HERE TO FIX THAT TRAFFIC.
WE'RE HERE TO FIX THAT TRAFFIC.
SO FEBRUARY 18TH IS A WEDNESDAY? YEAH.
I HEAR A CONFLICT IS THE, I HAVE A CONFLICT, BUT I MEAN, THAT'S GONNA HAPPEN WITH EVERYBODY I THINK AT ONE POINT OR ANOTHER.
I HATE TO MISS THE, THE FIRST MEETING REALLY, BUT IS IT A, COULD YOU WATCH IT ON ZOOM OR, OR ONLINE JUST TO, THEY, THEY WILL BE RECORDED IF I MAY.
THEY WILL BE RECORDED, SO THEY'LL BE AVAILABLE.
AND WE'RE NOT MAKING ANY DECISIONS, WE'RE JUST GETTING AN UPDATE.
AND THE LOCATION IS HERE, JARED, IS THAT
[01:40:01]
CORRECT? YES.SO, UM, THIS LOCATION IS TOTALLY AVAILABLE EACH AND EVERY TIME YOU WANNA MEET.
THIS WOULD BE A WORKING MEETING HERE IF THIS ROOM SUITS.
AND THEN AGAIN, TO KIND OF COVER MORE INFORMATION, THE QUESTIONS THAT WERE COMING, THAT WOULD BE THE, THE THOUGHT THAT THIS NEXT DISCUSSION WOULD BE KIND OF, LET'S START TALKING A LITTLE BIT MORE.
WELL, LET'S PLAN THE FIRST MEETING.
I'M SEEING PEOPLE OKAY WITH THAT.
LET'S LOOK AT OUR SCHEDULES AND GET IT TO, TO SOMEONE WHO'S ALREADY REALLY BUSY, BUT SHE'LL BE ABLE TO HANDLE IT.
UM, AND WE'LL GET HER EMAIL ON MAYBE YOUR CONFLICT DAYS AND, AND TIMES.
SO, UM, IT MIGHT WORK THE FIRST WEDNESDAY WORKS, BUT I, IT'S FINE BEFORE FOUR O'CLOCK, YOU KNOW, SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
SO WE WILL MEET HERE FEBRUARY 18TH IN THIS ROOM FROM ONE TO THREE.
AND DO YOU WANT TO HAVE, UH, ALMOST LIKE AN RSVP, WOULD YOU LIKE TO KNOW WHO CAN BE HERE AHEAD OF TIME OR WHEN THE AGENDA GOES ALONG? YEAH, I THINK THAT WOULD BE HELPFUL.
WE COULD, WE'LL SEND THE AGENDA OUT AND IF, IF YOU HAVE A CONFLICT, THEN LETTING, OTHERWISE WE'LL ASSUME THAT YOU'RE COMING.
AND THEN THAT WAY WE CAN LET YOU AS THE CHAIRWOMAN KNOW.
I MEAN, WE DON'T, WE WANT TO, WE'LL TAKE THE STAFF BURDEN, UM, SO YOU DON'T HAVE TO REALLY HAVE A FULL-TIME JOB.
AND, UM, BUT WE'LL HELP FACILITATE THAT.
IT'S IMPORTANT TO LET US KNOW IF YOU CAN'T MAKE IT SO WE KNOW IF THERE'S GONNA BE A QUORUM.
IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE HAVE THE QUORUM, RIGHT? I HAVE ONE.
WILL WE, WILL WE, WILL WE, WILL WE BE ABLE TO ATTEND VIA ZOOM? WE CAN MAKE THAT ACCOMMODATION.
IT'S GONNA BE EASIER FOR US TO ACCOMMODATE THAT WHEN WE ARE HERE VERSUS WHEN WE'RE TRAVELING.
UM, SO I DO A LOT OF ZOOM MEETINGS.
I'M, WE CAN ACCOMMODATE, I MEAN, WE ALL DO ZOOM.
LET'S NOT ALL DO ZOOM, BUT IF IT'S, IF YOU CAN'T GET HERE, IT'D BE GREAT TO, TO BE PART OF IT.
AND IF YOU WANT TO MAKE IT TO WHERE YOU HAVE ZOOM AVAILABLE OFFSITE, WE NEED ADVANCE NOTICE TO WHERE BROADCASTING CAN GET IT SET UP.
SO WE WILL, OUR NEXT MEETING WILL BE FEBRUARY 18TH, ONE O'CLOCK HERE, SCHEDULED FOR TWO HOURS.
IT IS GONNA BE THE WORKING MEETING IN A LATSON COUNTY DISCUSSION, WHICH IS SUPER, VERY INFORMATIVE.
SO, UM, IT'LL BE A GOOD MEETING TO ATTEND AND ASK QUESTIONS MAYBE NOT RELATED TO BEAUFORT COUNTY.
I THINK YOU'LL GET A LOT OF YOUR ANSWERS, JERRY, ON THAT.
WE'RE GONNA LET YOU KNOW, OR WE GONNA LET, WE ARE GONNA LET, LET EMAIL AND I'LL PULL UP TO ALL ABOUT HER MAIL.
RIGHT? WE'LL GET EMAILS SO WE CAN YES, SIR.
AND THEN, UM, SO METHODS OF COMMUNICATION.
SO THE FOIA THING SCARE THE HELL OUT OF ME, BE HONEST, BECAUSE MY, IT SHOULD, MY EMAIL ADMINISTRATIVE COMMUNICATIONS, ESPECIALLY WITH THE CLERK, ARE CLEARLY OKAY.
OR EMAILS GOING OUT TO YOU TELLING YOU ABOUT ADMINISTRATIVE THINGS, SETTING UP MEETINGS, THINGS OF THAT NATURE.
OKAY? IT'S WHEN YOU START COMMUNICATING WITH EACH OTHER, DISCUSSING THE BUSINESS OF THE COMMITTEE, THAT YOU START TO GET QUESTIONABLE.
AND, AND I REALLY WOULD SUGGEST LIVING THROUGH IT FOR SO LONG, TRY NOT TO HAVE COUNSEL BY COMMITTEE.
I ALWAYS SAY THAT JUST, I MEAN BY, UM, EMAIL, BECAUSE IT, IT, WE ARE IN A TOWN AND IT'S VERY ANTI-TAX SOME PLACES AND PEOPLE ARE GONNA WANNA FIND THINGS THAT WE'RE DOING WRONG.
AND THIS COMMITTEE IS SO WONDERFUL AND FROM EVERY PART OF OUR COUNTY, AND I THINK LOOKS FOR THE BEST INTEREST OF EVERYONE.
SO I THINK WE COULD SAVE COMMENTS.
WE SHOULD MAKE PUBLIC AND KEEP THIS PUBLIC AND LET PEOPLE KNOW WE'RE OPEN TO THE PUBLIC.
'CAUSE WE WANNA BE VERY TRANSPARENT, RIGHT? OKAY.
SO WE WILL, WE WILL GET THAT WE'RE MEETING FEBRUARY 18TH FROM, FROM PRIOR EXPERIENCES.
I THINK WE, THIS HAS NOT BEEN MENTIONED, BUT IT'S VERY IMPORTANT FOR US THAT THE OFFICIAL VOICE OF THE COMMITTEE IS THE CHAIRPERSON.
SO IF SOMEONE STICKS A VOID, TAKES A MIC IN MY MOUTH, I'M REFERRING IT.
YOU SHOULD HAVE TOLD ME THAT BEFORE I ACCEPTED THIS.
WELL, WE HAVE TO BE THE FACE AND IT'S AN HONOR FOR COUNTY COUNCIL TO LET US SIT HERE AND GO THROUGH THIS.
AND WE NEED TO HAVE A POSITIVE VOICE.
UM, WE'RE NOT GONNA GET EVERYTHING WE THINK WE NEED, UM, FOR WHERE WE LIVE, BUT WE REALLY HAVE TO LOOK HIGH UP AND LOOK WHAT'S BEST FOR THE COUNTY.
AND IT'S WORKED WELL WITH LAPS.
IT'S WORKED WELL WITH OUR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION.
EVERYTHING'S GONNA RISE BECAUSE IF WE DO OUR JOB RIGHT AND PRESENT IT IN A POSITIVE WAY, SO I APPRECIATE IT.
I APPRECIATE THE TRUST YOU PUT IN ME.
AND, UM, WE WILL SEE YOU FEBRUARY 18TH.
DO WE NEED TO DO HOW WE WORK ON RULES? ROBERT'S RULES? I DON'T KNOW YOUR COUNTY RULES OF ORDER, BUT I KNOW ROBERT'S RULES.
SO HOW DO WE DO THAT? DO WE DECIDE THAT? I WOULD JUST ASK, I THINK WE ADOPT WHAT THE COUNTY HAS ADOPTED IN THE, IN THAT, THAT SAME ORDER.
IT WOULD JUST TAKE A MOTION AS FAR AS WHAT YOUR RULES PROCEDURE WOULD, WOULD BE A MOTION, THEN A SECOND, AND THEN A VOTE.
AND WILL WE GET THOSE BOOKLETS IF IT'S
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IN THE COUNTY? 'CAUSE I DON'T HAVE THAT MAYOR CHAIR.I WOULD MOVE THAT WE ADOPT THE COUNTY'S ORDER USING THE MIN, UH, THE, THE COUNTY ASSOCIATE.
AND THEN ROBERTS RULES OF ORDER.
ANY DISCUSSION? ALL IN FAVOR? RAISE YOUR HAND.
WE JUST, I JUST NEED TO KNOW WHAT YOUR ORDERS ARE.
THERE ARE REFRESHMENTS IN THE OTHER ROOM IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO GET SOMETHING BEFORE YOU GO HOME.
UM, IT'S A PLEASURE TO SERVE WITH Y'ALL AND I LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU AND WE WILL LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS AND GIVE THE COUNSEL A GO.
OH, WHAT AM I DOING? YOU STILL HAVE ITEM 10 OH, QUESTIONS FOR ANYBODY? WE'LL START WITH, WITH THIS COMMITTEE.
ANY QUESTIONS OR DISCUSSION FROM THE COMMITTEE? ANYTHING FROM THE PUBLIC? OH, MR. TRUST.
I, I, I WOULD JUST SAY THAT MY EXPERIENCE IS THAT WE SHOULD BE PREPARED FOR, I I'M GLAD TO HEAR THAT YOU RUN A TIGHT MEETING 'CAUSE THAT'S GONNA BE REALLY, REALLY IMPORTANT.
BUT WE SHOULD BE PREPARED TO SPEND, AS, YOU KNOW, AS MUCH TIME AS REASONABLY NECESSARY TO GET THE JOB DONE.
JUST SOME MORE ON KEEPING THINGS MOVING FORWARD.
ANYTHING ELSE FROM THE COMMITTEE? ANYTHING FROM THE PUBLIC, ANYTHING FROM OUR ADMINISTRATOR, OUR COUNCIL? I THINK WE'RE, UH, WE'RE IN A GREAT PLACE, SO WE'RE REALLY LOOKING FORWARD TO WORKING WITH YOU ALL AND SUPPORTING THE, THE PROCESS.
SO IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS FOR US, PLEASE REACH OUT.
MADAM CHAIR, I MAKE A MOTION TO ADJOURN THERE.
THANKS FOR WATCHING BEAUFORT COUNTY TV.
THE COUNTY IS ONE OF THE OLDEST FORMS OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT IN THE UNITED STATES.
EARLY SETTLERS FROM ENGLAND BROUGHT THE TRADITION OF COUNTY GOVERNMENT TO AMERICA.
TODAY MORE THAN 3000 COUNTY GOVERNMENTS PROVIDE SERVICES THAT AFFECT ALMOST EVERY CITIZEN'S LIFE.
SOUTH CAROLINA'S 46 COUNTIES ARE VERY REPRESENTATIVE OF HOW COUNTY GOVERNMENT HAS EVOLVED NATIONALLY.
THE COUNTY UNIT IN SOUTH CAROLINA WAS REGARDED AS THE LOCAL EXTENSION OF STATE GOVERNMENT, BUT A STATE CONSTITUTIONAL REFORM MOVEMENT IN THE EARLY 1970S LED TO THE SOUTH CAROLINA GENERAL ASSEMBLY, PASSING THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT LAW, ALSO KNOWN AS THE HOME RULE ACT.
IN 1975, THE HOME RULE ACT GREATLY EXPANDED COUNTY AUTHORITY AND CHANGED THE NATURE OF COUNTY ORGANIZATION AND ADMINISTRATION TO WHAT WE KNOW TODAY.
BEAUFORT COUNTY WENT FROM HAVING A BOARD OF DIRECTORS TO A COUNTY COUNCIL.
MEMBERS OF THE 1975 COUNCIL INCLUDED CHAIRMAN ARTHUR HORN, VICE CHAIRMAN, GRADY THAMES, LEROY BROWN, GARY FORDHAM, WILLIAM GRANT, HARRIET KEISLING, DAVID JONES, BILL MCBRIDE, AND BOOKER WASHINGTON.
AS THE NEW COUNCIL SOUGHT TO DISTINGUISH ITSELF, COUNCIL MEMBERS DESIRED AN OFFICIAL SYMBOL THAT WOULD REPRESENT THE JURISDICTION'S IDENTITY AND UNIQUE CHARACTER COUNCIL APPOINTED AN AD HOC COMMITTEE TO UNDERTAKE THE TASK AND CARRY OUT A CONTEST FOR THE BEST COUNTY SEAL DESIGN.
HARRIET KLIN WAS A MEMBER OF COUNTY COUNCIL, AND IT WAS HER IDEA BECAUSE WE DIDN'T HAVE ANYTHING THAT COULD SIGNIFICANTLY IDENTIFY OUR BEAUTIFUL BEAUFORD COUNTY.
WE MET THEN UP AT A, I THINK IT WAS A CAROLINA BANK, AND SOME YEARS AGO, BACK THERE ON WEST STREET, AND THEN WE PUT 'EM IN PILES.
YOU KNOW, LIKE, GOOD, BAD MAYBE UNTIL WE FINALLY GOT IT DOWN TO THE ONE THAT WE NOW USE.
COUNTY COUNCIL APPROVED THE SEAL COMMITTEE'S RECOMMENDATION, WHICH REFLECTED THE COUNTY'S HISTORY, TRADITIONS, AND NATURAL BEAUTY.
THE SEAL'S COLORS OF BLUE AND GREEN REPRESENT THE COLORS OF THE COUNTY'S OUTDOOR ENVIRONMENT WITH ITS MANY WATERWAYS, MARSHLANDS, AND MARITIME FOREST.
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THE FIVE IMAGES WITHIN THE SEAL DEPICTED SOME OF THE COUNTY'S DISTINGUISHING FEATURES.ANCIENT LIVE OAK TREES, THE SEAFOOD INDUSTRY, RICH NATURAL RESOURCES, AND A RARE MARINE ECOLOGY, LOW COUNTRY ARCHITECTURE AND MILES OF RIVERS, CREEKS, AND INLETS.
I THOUGHT IT ENCOMPASSED WHAT THE, WHAT WE AS A BODY WERE LOOKING FOR A SEAL THAT WOULD, WHEN YOU LOOKED AT IT AND JUST THOUGHT ABOUT IT A LITTLE BIT, IT REALLY COVERS THE ASPECTS OF BEAUFORT COUNTY.
SO HE DID A GOOD JOB OF BRINGING TOGETHER THE THINGS THAT WE, UH, WHOLE SO THERE AND WHAT WE REALLY LIKE ABOUT BEAUFORT COUNTY.
COUNCILMAN BILL MCBRIDE WAS IN OFFICE WHEN THE CONTEST WAS HELD AND WAS PRESENT WHEN THE COMMITTEE REVEALED THE WINNING DESIGN.
I THINK COUNCIL WAS ECSTATIC ABOUT IT.
UH, WE THOUGHT THAT THE, THE SIMS ON THE SEAL REPRESENTED, UM, ASPECTS OF LIFE IN BEAUFORT COUNTY.
THERE IS A SLIGHT CHANGE IN THE ORIGINAL, UM, DRAFT THAT WAS PRESENTED TO US WHERE YOU HAVE THE SHRIMP BOAT TODAY.
INITIALLY, THAT WAS A PLEASURE CRAFT, A SAILBOAT YACHT TYPE BOAT.
AND, UH, IT WAS CHANGED BY COUNTY COUNCIL BECAUSE WE FELT THAT THE SHRIMP BOAT WAS A BETTER REPRESENTATION, UM, OF A MORE COMPREHENSIVE, UH, ASPECT OF BEFORD COUNTY LIFE BECAUSE YOU HAD OTHER THINGS ON THE SEAL THAT REPRESENT THE PLEASURE AND RECREATION, THE FISHING AND THE BEACH.
SO THEY THOUGHT THE SHRIMP BOAT, WHICH WAS A VERY IMPORTANT PART OF BEFORD COUNTY CULTURE, SHRIMPING, ESPECIALLY AT THAT TIME, WOULD BE REFLECTED ON THE SALE.
THE WINNER OF THE CONTEST WAS AN ARTIST FROM HILTON HEAD ISLAND, THE LATE LEE PAYNE, WHOSE DESIGN WAS SELECTED FROM MORE THAN 126 CENTURIES SUBMITTED FROM AS FAR AWAY AS INDIANA AND TENNESSEE.
HE WAS AWARDED $250 FOR HIS DESIGN.
BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY, HE CAPTURED THE LEGACY OF OUTDOOR BEAUTY, CULTURE, AND HISTORY THAT HELPED TO DEFINE IMPORTANT ASPECTS OF LIFE IN BEAUFORT COUNTY.
TO SEE MORE BEAUFORT COUNTY MOMENTS GO TO THE BEAUFORT COUNTY LIBRARY HOMEPAGE AND CLICK ON THE LOCAL HISTORY TAB.