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CLOSED CAPTIONING PROVIDED BY BUFORT COUNTY.
[1) CALL TO ORDER]
FLAGS RIGHT THERE.WE'LL START WITH THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE AND MOVE ON.
[2) PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE]
I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, AMERICA AND TO THE REPUBLIC WHICH STANDS, ONE NATION UNDER GOD, INDIVIDUAL WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL.[3) FOIA NOTIFICATION – Public notification of this meeting has been published, posted, and distributed in compliance with South Carolina Freedom of Information Act.]
NOTIFICATION, UM, THAT WE WILL REFLECT.THIS IS PUBLIC, EXCUSE ME, THIS IS PUBLIC NOTIFICATION OF THIS MEETING.
UM, AND IT'S BEEN PUBLISHED, POSTED, AND DISTRIBUTED IN COMPLIANCE WITH SOUTH CAROLINA FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT.
[4) APPROVAL OF AGENDA]
UM, CAN I GET A MOTION ON THE APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA? MOVED? IS THERE A SECOND? SECOND.ANY DISCUSSION? ALL IN FAVOR STATEMENT SAYING, AYE.
WE DID NOT DO A ROLL CALL, BUT IT WASN'T ON THE AGENDA.
ARE YOU GOING TO CHECK IT? OKAY.
UM, AND I THINK EVERYONE JUST BEING THE TIME OF DAY, I FEEL LIKE WE'RE GONNA HAVE EVERY, EVERYONE HERE BEFORE WE
[5) APPROVAL OF MINUTES – March 18, 2026, Meeting]
MOVE ON.BEFORE WE MOVE ON TO THE APPROVAL OF, EXCUSE ME, APPROVAL OF MINUTES, UM, WE ARE STARTING THE VERY IMPORTANT PART OF OUR, OUR COMMITTEE AND WE ARE GONNA START ROLLING UP OUR SLEEVES.
WE'RE GONNA GET TO WORK AND WE'RE GONNA DO THE BEST OF WHAT WE FEEL WE RESIDENTS DESERVE.
SO, REFRAIN FROM QUESTIONS, UM, NOT PERTAINING TO THE CHARGE OF THIS COMMITTEE 'CAUSE WE HAVE ONE MORE PRESENTATION.
IF THERE ARE QUESTIONS THAT REALLY GO OUTSIDE OF WHAT OUR LANES ARE, PLEASE KEEP THOSE UNTIL AT END OF THE MEETING AND GET WITH, UM, THE SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT AND ASK 'EM.
I FEEL LIKE I'VE BEEN REALLY LENIENT BECAUSE I THINK WE ALL NEED TO BE EDUCATED ON ALL OF THESE PRESENTATIONS, BUT I'M GONNA GET A LITTLE STRICTER
THIS COUNCIL, THIS COUNTY COUNCIL, AND THE TOWNS PUT US HERE TO BE PROFESSIONAL, TO BE FOCUSED ON WHAT'S GOOD FOR EVERY RESIDENT IN BEAUFORT COUNTY.
SO PLEASE ADDRESS CONCERNS OR ISSUES TO ME 'CAUSE I AM THE CHAIR THAT'S ROBERT'S RULES OF ORDER AND DO NOT REACH OUT AND ADDRESS ANY PERSON ON THIS COMMITTEE.
SO I JUST WANTED THIS NEXT SEVERAL WEEKS IS GONNA BE REALLY, REALLY IMPORTANT.
AND JUST REMEMBER, DECORUM IS OF THE UTMOST FOR US.
UM, IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS, LET ME RECOGNIZE YOU, PLEASE.
SO I'LL, I WOULD KIND OF LOOK TO THE LEFT ALWAYS, BUT I WILL TRY TO LOOK TO THE RIGHT FOR SOME OCCASION.
I WILL KEEP IT IN ORDER OF WHO RAISE THEIR HAND AND WHO GETS THE QUESTION FIRST.
BUT EVERYONE ABSOLUTELY HAS A CHANCE, BUT JUST PLEASE, LET'S, LET'S KEEP THAT DECORUM.
UM, SO WITH THAT, WE ARE MOVING TO THE APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES, IF EVERYONE'S READ THEM, IF THERE ARE ANY CHANGES OR NOT.
IS THERE A MOTION TO ACCEPT THE MINUTES? SO MOVE.
ANY DISCUSSION? ALL IN FAVOR STATEMENT SAYING AYE.
[6) PUBLIC COMMENT]
THAT'S APPROVED PUBLIC COMMENT.ANYONE WHO WISHES TO SPEAK DURING PUBLIC COMMENT, WE'LL LIMIT THEIR COMMENTS TO AGENDA ITEMS ONLY.
UM, AND TONIGHT, AND I GUESS I SHOULD HAVE CHANGED THE AGENDA, THAT ALSO MEANS PROJECT.
SO IF THEY'RE RESIDENTS THAT COME FORWARD, AN AGENDA ITEM IS CONSIDERED THE PROJECT LIST, EVEN THOUGH IT WASN'T CLEARLY REFLECTED.
AND THANK YOU MR. PERRY, FOR BRINGING THAT UP.
BUT PUBLIC COMMENT CAN, CAN SPEAK TO PROJECTS, UM, NO LONGER THAN THREE MINUTES.
SPEAKERS WILL ADDRESS THE BODY IN A RESPECTFUL MANNER, APPROPRIATE TO THE DECORUM OF THE MEETING, REFRAINING FROM THE USE OF PROFANE ABUSE OF OR OBSCENE LANGUAGE.
WE HAVE ONE PUBLIC COMMENT AND IT'S RAY CHIPI AND HE HAS BEEN HERE BEFORE.
AND, AND YOU MAY GO THERE AND I DON'T WANT MY BACK TO YOU.
THERE'S YOUR, THERE'S DO YOU PREFER THAT HIM AT THE FRONT? I DON'T CA DO WE PREFER CHAIR? IF WE COULD HAVE HIM UP FRONT, THAT'D BE GREAT.
AND IF YOU C AGAIN FOR THE MINUTES SO WE CAN CAPTURE IT, JUST KIND OF WHERE YOU LIVE OR WHAT DISTRICT YOU'RE IN, EVEN THOUGH WE ALREADY KNOW.
[00:05:01]
GOOD AFTERNOON MADAM MAYOR AND CHAIRWOMAN SKA AND THE OTHER MEMBERS OF THIS COMMITTEE.AND THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO PARTICIPATE IN THIS DISCUSSION.
MY NAME IS RAY CHIPI AND I'M THE TREASURER OF THE LOW COUNTRY BIKE AND WALK ADVOCATES LOCATED RIGHT HERE IN BLUFFTON, WHERE I RESIDE AS WELL.
YOU'VE HEARD ME SPEAK AT SEVERAL OF YOUR MEETINGS OVER THE PAST TWO MONTHS, AND THERE ARE THREE POINTS THAT I'D LIKE TO MAKE TODAY.
IN PAST MEETINGS, YOU'VE HEARD ME EMPHASIZE SEVERAL IMPORTANT TRANSPORTATION NEEDS, ESPECIALLY THE NEED TO COMPLY WITH SOUTH CAROLINA DOT'S FULL EMBRACE OF THE COMPLETE STREET POLICY THAT WAS PASSED IN 2021.
I MENTIONED THAT THIS POLICY CONTAINS THE EXPLICIT LANGUAGE OF THIS POLICY IS TO MAKE OUR HIGHWAY SYSTEM ACCESSIBLE TO ALL USERS, DRIVERS, PASSENGERS, BICYCLISTS, PEDESTRIANS, AND TRANSIT USERS.
THAT SAID, I'D LIKE TO CALL YOUR ATTENTION TO THE EIGHT MULTI-USE PATHWAY AND SIDEWALK PROJECTS TOTALING $50 MILLION THAT ARE STILL NOT COMPLETED FROM THE 2018 TAX REFERENDUM, AS WELL AS THE FAILED 2024 REFERENDUM.
THESE PROJECTS ARE LISTED ON YOUR BUFORT COUNTY PENNY WEBSITE.
FOR YOUR REFERENCE, I'D LIKE TO REMIND YOU THAT SOUTH CAROLINA RANKS FOURTH IN TERMS OF CYCLIST FATALITIES AND THIRD IN PEDESTRIAN FATALITIES NATIONWIDE PER CAPITA.
WHICHEVER PROJECTS YOU DECIDE TO RECOMMEND TO THE COUNTY COUNCIL, IT'S IMPERATIVE THAT THEY INCLUDE PROVISIONS FOR MULTIUSE, MULTIUSE PATHWAYS AND SIDEWALKS FOR THE SAFETY OF CYCLISTS AND PEDESTRIANS ARE SAFETY RECORD IS TRULY A DISGRACE AND SHOULD GIVE ALL OF US A WAKE UP CALL.
THIS IS YOUR CHANCE TO HELP REVERSE THIS DEADLY TREND.
IN PAST MEETINGS, I'VE HEARD YOU DISCUSSING THE LIFESPAN OF THE SALES TAX PENNY AND I'VE HEARD REFERENCES TO FOUR YEARS, SIX YEARS, AND OTHER THOUGHTS.
ALTHOUGH I CAN GUARANTEE THAT NO TAXPAYER WANTS TO HEAR OF A NEW TAX IN THIS CASE, MY BELIEF IS THAT THERE SHOULD NOT BE ANY SUNSET CLAUSE SIMPLY BECAUSE OUR TRANSPORTATION INFRASTRUCTURE NEEDS WILL MOST CERTAINLY CONTINUE INTO THE FUTURE AS AN ONGOING NEED.
EVEN WITH THIS PENNY TAX, OUR TAX RATE IS STILL LOWER THAN SURROUNDING COUNTIES.
IN ADDITION, AS WE SEE IMPROVEMENTS BEING MADE IN TRANSPORTATION PROJECTS, THIS PENNY WILL SEEM INSIGNIFICANT IN TERMS OF FUNDING OUR TRANSPORTATION NEEDS.
I'VE HEARD THIS COMMITTEE STATE THAT ANYWHERE FROM 40 TO 60% OF ANTICIPATED REVENUE IS LIKELY TO COME FROM VISITORS, NOT LOCAL TAXPAYERS.
WE NEED ADDITIONAL FUNDING SOURCES.
I WOULD LIKE THIS COMMITTEE TO INSTRUCT THE COUNTY COUNCIL TO PURSUE ALL FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES, ESPECIALLY FEDERAL GRANTS IN REFERENCE TO THE COMPLETE STREETS POLICIES.
THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT HAS 30 GRANT PROGRAMS FOR MULTI-USE PATHWAYS.
I COULD ONLY FIND ONE INSTANCE OF BEAUFORT COUNTY RECEIVING A PORTION OF ONE SMALL REGIONAL GRANT IN THE PAST FIVE YEARS.
THE COUNTY COUNCIL MUST INSIST THAT ALL APPROPRIATE DEPARTMENTS APPLY FOR THE GRANTS THAT ARE ALREADY EARMARKED FOR THE TYPES OF PROJECTS THAT ARE NEEDED TO MAKE BEAUFORT COUNTY A SAFER, MORE EFFICIENT AND CONNECTED COMMUNITY FOR RESIDENTS AND VISITORS ALIKE.
UM, THERE'S NO OTHER PUBLIC COMMENT.
[7) BEAUFORT COUNTY SHERIFFS OFFICE PRESENTATION – Colonel Neil Baxley, Emergency Management Division Commander]
IS, UM, CLOSED.THANK YOU FOR COMING IN, BEING PART OF THIS.
UH, NEXT WE HAVE A PRESENTATION FROM THE BEAUFORT COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE.
COLONEL NEIL BAXLEY IS PART OF THE EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT.
AGAIN, HE'S GONNA MAKE, LET HIM MAKE HIS PRESENTATION.
QUESTIONS TO HIM SHOULD ONLY RELATE TO OUR LANE WIDENING TRAFFIC SIGNALIZATION.
IF THERE ARE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS THAT YOU MAY HAVE OF HIM JUST TO EDUCATE YOURSELF, PLEASE KEEP THOSE UNTIL AFTER THE MEETING.
THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO COME UP HERE TODAY.
UH, WHEN JARED FRA REACHED OUT TO US, I HAD SEVERAL CONVERSATIONS WITH THE SHERIFF ABOUT HOW WE WANTED TO, UH, WHAT WE WANTED TO PRESENT TO Y'ALL TODAY.
AND WHEN I GOT HERE, I WAS ASKED, UH, DO I HAVE, DO I HAVE A SLIDESHOW? NO, I DON'T HAVE A SLIDESHOW.
I HATE YOU'RE JUST GONNA GET ME FOR A LITTLE WHILE.
UM, Y'ALL ARE WORKING ON THE TRANSPORTATION ADVISORY COMMITTEE AND YOU'RE LOOKING AT WAYS TO IMPROVE TRAFFIC FLOW AROUND THE COUNTY AND PROJECTS THAT COULD DO THAT.
I WANT TO ASK YOU THAT AS YOU GO THROUGH THIS PROCESS, THINK NOT ONLY OF THE IMMEDIATE AREA THAT YOU MIGHT BE LOOKING AT, BUT THINK OF THE RIPPLES.
JUST LIKE WHEN YOU DROP A ROCK IN A POND, THERE ARE GONNA BE RIPPLES DOWNSTREAM FROM THAT PROJECT.
AND I'M GONNA GIVE YOU A FEW EXAMPLES OF PROJECTS THAT HAVE ALREADY BEEN DONE AND THE UNINTENDED RIPPLES THAT HAVE OCCURRED, SO THAT AS YOU THINK ABOUT IT, OKAY, WE DON'T WANT TO REPEAT THESE SITUATIONS.
UM, START WITH THE, THE BOUNDARY STREET PROJECT, WHICH, UH, WAS A JOINT PROJECT SEVERAL YEARS AGO BETWEEN CITY OF BEAUFORT AND THE COUNTY.
[00:10:01]
INVOLVED TAKING OUT THE ME THE, UH, CENTER TURN LANE MEDIAN, AND IT HAS IMPROVED SAFETY THROUGH THERE.THE NUMBER OF ACCIDENTS HAVE BEEN REDUCED, BUT THE CONGESTION FROM A ACCIDENT WHEN IT OCCURS IS PROBABLY JUST AS BAD AS IT EVER WAS.
BUT ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WAS SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN AS A EXTENSION OF THAT PROJECT WAS THERE WAS SUPPOSED TO BE A FRONTAGE ROAD THAT WENT FROM POLK STREET ALL THE WAY THROUGH TO I BELIEVE ROGERS STREET.
SO THAT ALTERNATE ROUTE THAT WAS ORIGINALLY IN THE PLAN DIDN'T HAPPEN.
SO ALL THE TRAFFIC IS STILL FORCED ONTO THERE.
AN ELEPHANT EAR, EVERYBODY KNOWS WHAT I MEAN BY AN ELEPHANT EAR.
THAT'S, UH, A CUTOUT IN THE CURBING.
YOU CAN SEE 'EM ON HIGHWAY 46 JUST BELOW THE, UH, OAK T MEDICAL CENTER ENTRANCE.
THERE'S ONE THERE ON HIGHWAY 46 ON ONE 70, I'M SORRY.
AND THERE'S ONE ON BOUNDARY STREET IN FRONT OF, UM, HOGAR STREET TRAFFIC NEEDING TO MAKE A U-TURN BECAUSE OF THE MEDIAN HAS THIS ELEPHANT AREA.
IT'S AN EXTENDED PORTION OF ASPHALT SO THAT THEY CAN HOOK THE U-TURN.
THE PROBLEM IS THIS PARTICULAR ONE IS NOT BIG ENOUGH.
IF A VEHICLE IS PULLING A LANDSCAPE TRAILER OR ANY TYPE OF TRAILER, THEY CAN'T GET COMPLETELY IN THERE.
AND THEY HAVE A FLASHING YELLOW LIGHT, WHICH MEANS THAT IF THERE'S NOTHING COMING SOUTHBOUND, YOU CAN MAKE YOUR U-TURN.
SO FOLKS HAVE TO JUDGE THE DISTANCE AND THE SPEED OF THE ONCOMING VEHICLE.
SPEED LIMIT IS THERE'S 40 AND THEY HAVE TO JUDGE THIS DISTANCE AND JUDGE THE SPEED.
AND CAN I MAKE THE U-TURN AND COMPLETE IT? MOST OF THE TIME THEY HAVE TO STOP AND REPOSITION, WHICH THEN DELAYS TRAFFIC.
GOOD IDEA, BAD IMPLEMENTATION.
UM, SEA ISLAND PARKWAY ON LADIES ISLAND BETWEEN THE DRAWBRIDGE, UH, DOWNTOWN, THE SWING BRIDGE, NOT THE DRAW BRIDGE, UH, DOWNTOWN BEAUFORT, THE WOODS MEMORIAL BRIDGE AND THE STOPLIGHT AT AIRPORT CIRCLE AT WALMART, JUST OVER TWO MILES SINCE 2018, THERE HAVE BEEN NEARLY 5,000 ACCIDENTS IN THAT STRETCH.
THERE'S NO TWO MILE STRETCH IN BEAUFORT COUNTY THAT CAN TOUCH THAT.
AND YOU MIGHT SAY, WELL, WHAT ABOUT, UH, ONE 70 AT ARGENT? THAT'S NOT IN BEAUFORT COUNTY, THAT'S IN JASPER COUNTY.
UH, BUT THAT STRETCH OF SEA ISLAND PARKWAY THERE AVERAGES 1.5 ACCIDENTS A DAY.
WE'VE HAD THREE FATALITIES IN THAT STRETCH.
I'VE PERSONALLY RESPONDED TO TWO ROLLOVERS IN THAT STRETCH.
AND THE SPEED LIMIT IS 40 MILE AN HOUR.
IT DOESN'T TAKE A LOT TO ROLL A CAR, BUT WHEN YOU ROLL IT, YOU'RE GONNA CAUSE TRAFFIC.
AND SO THERE'S A, IT'S A BRIEF PERIOD OF IT WIDENS OUT TO FOUR LANES AND THEN IT MERGES BACK TO TWO LANES IN THAT.
SO YOU GET PEOPLE THAT, UH, ARE INATTENTIVE THAT ARE IN A HURRY, WHATEVER IS, IS DIRECTING THEIR THOUGHT PROCESSES AT THE TIME, AND THEY RACE UP THAT LANE.
THAT'S EX EXHAUSTING, UH, ITSELF, AND THEY TRY TO MERGE OVER.
ALONG THAT SAME STRETCH OF SEA ISLAND PARKWAY, WHEN THE, UH, ORIGINAL DEVELOPMENTS WERE APPROVED, WERE APPROVED FOR BEAUFORT HIGH SCHOOL, IT WAS ANNOUNCED THAT THE MAIN ENTRANCE WOULD BE ON YEOMAN'S DRIVE.
IT'S NOT, IT'S ON SEA ISLAND PARKWAY.
SO TWICE A DAY, EVERY DAY YOU GET CONSIDERABLE TRAFFIC CONGESTION OF FOLKS TRYING TO INGRESS AND EGRESS TO HIGH SCHOOL TO DROP THEIR KIDS OFF.
OR THE STUDENT DRIVERS, MOST OF THE STUDENT DRIVERS LEAVE OUT THE BACKSIDE, BUT ALL OF THE ADULT DROPPING OFF THEIR CHILDREN DRIVERS DO IT THROUGH SEA ISLAND PARKWAY.
AND IT BACKS UP EVERY DAY FROM THAT STOPLIGHT ONTO THE DRAWBRIDGE SWING BRIDGE AND DOWN INTO, UH, CARTER STREET IN BEAUFORT, UH, SEA ISLAND PARKWAY, THE WATERFRONT PARK, HAMILTON VILLAGE, AND RE AND WALGREENS DRUG, UH, DRUGSTORE WERE ALL ANNOUNCED AS RIGHT IN RIGHT OUT ONLY.
THEY'RE NOT PEOPLE MAKE LEFT TURNS THERE DOZENS OF TIMES A DAY, AND IT'S NOT SET UP SAFELY TO MAKE A LEFT TURN.
YOU'VE GOT LITTLE, UH, KIDNEY SHAPED CONCRETE MEDIANS THAT ARE SUPPOSED TO DIRECT THE TRAFFIC TO NOT MAKE A LEFT TURN.
IT'S IGNORED DAILY, AND AS A RESULT, YOU HAVE TRAFFIC SITTING IN ONCOMING LANES TRYING TO MAKE LEFT TURNS, TREMENDOUS CONGESTION, ADDING AGAIN TO THE ACCIDENTS.
AND AS I SAY, SINCE 2018, NEARLY 5,000 ACCIDENTS IN THAT TWO MILE STRETCHER ROAD.
UM, IN BLUFFTON, UH, THE SAME SITUATION ALONG 2 78.
THE ORIGINAL PLAN WAS FOR FRONTAGE ROADS.
I WAS, I REMEMBER THOSE DAYS WHEN, UH, BLUFFTON WAS JUST BEGINNING TO REALIZE WHAT IT COULD BE.
AND WE'RE GONNA BUILD ALL THIS INDU, UH, COMMERCIAL STUFF ALONG 2 78.
WE'RE GONNA DO IT WITH FRONTAGE ROADS DIDN'T HAPPEN.
SO, AND IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE, UM, ACCESSED BY SIGNALED INTERSECTIONS ONLY.
AS A RESULT, WE'VE GOT A LOT OF DRIVE IN DRIVEWAYS THERE.
MOST OF THEM ARE RIGHT IN RIGHT OUT.
YOU CAN'T CROSS THE MEDIAN, BUT YOU STILL GOT TRAFFIC RUNNING 45 50, 55 MILE AN HOUR DEPENDING ON WHERE YOU'RE AT, SLOWING DOWN TO MAKE A RIGHT TURN INTO A PARKING LOT, WHICH CAUSES ISSUES BEHIND IT.
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UH, IN 2025, SHERIFF'S OFFICE ALONE, NOT INCLUDING BLUFFTON PD, BEAUFORT PD, PORT ROYAL OR THE HIGHWAY PATROL, WE WORKED 2033 MOTOR VEHICLE ACCIDENTS.THAT'S THE ONES THAT WE WENT TO.
AND WE WROTE THE REPORT, WE INVESTIGATED THE ACCIDENT 2033.
THAT'S AN AVERAGE OF 38 PER WEEK.
THAT'S A PRETTY CONSIDERABLE NUMBER OF ACCIDENTS.
UM, YOU KNOW, THE, YOU PROBABLY ALREADY HAVE THE NUMBERS OF THE, OF THE FATALITIES AND THE SERIOUS INJURIES, THAT SORT OF THING.
DURING THAT SAME PERIOD OF 2025, THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE WROTE 6,574 UNIFORM TRAFFIC TICKETS AND 8,848 WARNING SI WARNING TICKETS FOR A GRAND TOTAL 15,422.
OUR GOAL IS EDUCATION AND I, WE WRITE A TICKET WHEN WE HAVE TO.
WE WRITE A WARNING WHEN WE CAN, IF IT WILL SERVE THE PURPOSE OF EDUCATING THE PUBLIC.
I WOULD ENCOURAGE YOU AS YOU DO THESE PROJECTS, TO THINK ABOUT EDUCATION, ALSO TRAFFIC EDUCATION.
IF WE CAN GET VOLUNTARY COMPLIANCE WITH THE TRAFFIC LAWS OF THE STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA, A LOT OF THESE PROBLEMS GO AWAY.
WE DO HAVE A TREMENDOUS POPULATION GROWTH.
I HEARD SOMEBODY TALKING IN THE CROWD, UH, BEFORE WE STARTED.
THEY WERE TALKING ABOUT ALL THE NEWSPAPER ARTICLES THAT HAVE BEEN RECENTLY FASTEST GROWING COUNTY IN THE STATE RIGHT NEXT DOOR IN JASPER.
AND IF YOU CAN'T TELL THE DIFFERENCE, YOU CAN'T TELL THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN JASPER AND BEAUFORT.
THERE'S A LINE OUT THERE, BUT YOU CAN'T TELL IT BECAUSE IT'S JUST ONE CONTINUAL EXPANSION OF POPULATION.
UH, AND SOUTH CAROLINA, THE FASTEST GROWING STATE IN THE NATION RIGHT NOW, THAT'S PROBABLY NOT GONNA SLOW DOWN MUCH BECAUSE FOLKS ARE FINDING OUT THAT IT DOESN'T SNOW HERE VERY OFTEN.
I USED TO SAY IT DOESN'T SNOW AT ALL, BUT WE CAN'T SAY THAT ANYMORE.
AND, UH, SO THEY'RE MOVING HERE, THEY'RE MOVING HERE FOR THE CLIMATE.
THEY'RE MOVING HERE FOR THE, UH, THE WONDERFUL QUALITY OF LIFE WE HAVE.
SO WE'RE CONTINUING TO GROW OUR POPULATION AND WE DON'T HAVE THE INFRASTRUCTURE, UH, KEEPING UP THE INFRASTRUCTURE, KEEPING UP WITH THE GROWTH.
SO WE'VE GOT TO TRY AND FIGURE OUT HOW WE CAN ADJUST IT FIRST.
UH, FIRST GOAL WOULD OBVIOUSLY BE REDUCE THE VOLUME.
I HAD A COMMITMENT IN BLUFFTON AT THREE O'CLOCK.
IT WAS SUPPOSED TO LAST ABOUT 45 MINUTES AND IT LASTED FIVE.
SO I HAD TWO HOURS TO SIT OUT HERE AND JUST WATCH.
I SAW, UH, COMMERCIAL VEHICLES.
I SAW PRIVATE VEHICLES, I SAW, UH, GOLF CARTS.
UM, THIS IS A VERY BUSY STREET AND NOT ALL OF 'EM WERE OBEYING THE SPEED LIMIT.
THEY, BUT THEY WERE ALL IN A HURRY.
A LOT OF THEM WERE, UH, DISTRACTED BY HOLDING UP THE EVIL RECTANGLE AS THEY DROVE BY.
VOLUNTARY COMPLIANCE SOLVES THAT PROBLEM.
UM, SO I WOULD ENCOURAGE YOU TO DO THAT.
AS WE LOOK AT THE, AT THE TRAFFIC ISSUES.
JERRY DID ASK ME TO TALK ABOUT THE HOTSPOTS.
AND THE WORST ONE IS WHAT I JUST TALKED ABOUT, SEA ISLAND PARKWAY.
THE CONGESTION THERE IS INCREDIBLE EVERY DAY.
UH, YOU, IF YOU GO TO THAT STOPLIGHT ANYWHERE BETWEEN ABOUT SEVEN O'CLOCK IN THE MORNING AND SIX 30 OR QUARTER SEVEN AT NIGHT, YOU'RE PROBABLY GONNA SIT THROUGH TWO CHANGES OF THE LIGHT BEFORE YOU MAKE WHATEVER MOVE YOU WANNA MAKE.
UM, SOME ON SATURDAY IN THE SUMMERTIME, YOU MIGHT SIT THROUGH THREE ON 2 78 IT'S CONGESTED.
BUT WHEN WE CRUNCH THE NUMBERS OF THE NUMBER OF VEHICLES TRAVELING ON 2 78 AS OPPOSED TO THE NUMBER OF ACCIDENTS OCCURRING ON 2 78, IT IS LESS THAN ONE 10TH OF 1% INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT.
NOW, TRUE, WHEN THE ACCIDENTS OCCUR, THEY ARE VIOLENT, THEY ARE IMPACTFUL, THEY HAVE CONSIDERABLE CONGESTION, BUT THE NUMBER IS RELATIVELY SMALL, SURPRISINGLY SMALL, LESS THAN ONE 10TH OF 1% OF THE VEHICLES THAT TRAVEL THROUGH THE MONITORING SYSTEMS THAT WE HAVE FOR MONITORING TRAFFIC BETWEEN TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT CENTER, THE HIGHWAY, UH, THE DOTS, TRAFFIC COUNTERS AND ALL THIS.
WE KNOW THAT ABOUT 63,000 CARS A DAY ACROSS THE HILTON HEAD BRIDGES TREMENDOUS NUMBER.
WE KNOW WE NEED A BRIDGE ISSUE.
WE KNOW WE'VE GOT A BRIDGE ISSUE THERE.
WE ALSO KNOW THAT COUNTING DAILY TRIPS AND PEOPLE GOING AROUND, WE CURRENTLY HAVE AN ESTIMATE OF SOMEWHERE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD OF FOUR AND A HALF MILLION DAILY TRIPS.
AND THIS IS, THIS COULD BE THE SAME CAR PASSING THREE OR FOUR OF OUR COUNTERS AT ON ONE TRIP AND WE'RE GETTING THESE NUMBERS.
SO YOU HAVE TO KIND OF LOOK AT THAT WITH THAT EYEBALL, BUT STILL TO SEE THAT MANY CARS MOVING ON ANY GIVEN DAY, WE KNOW OUR POPULATIONS ARE GROWING.
UH, WHEN I STARTED WITH THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE IN 1983, BLUFFTON POPULATION WAS LESS THAN 500.
HILTON HEADS WAS ONLY ABOUT 5,000.
HILTON HEAD IS NOW, UH, CLOSE TO 30,000 AND BLUFFTON IS AT 30 AND GROWING TREMENDOUS CHANGE.
BUT WHAT HAVE WE CHANGED IN THE INFRASTRUCTURE SINCE THEN? LITTLE TO NOTHING.
WE HAVE WIDENED 2 78 AND THAT'S ABOUT IT.
I SAW A PLAN THE OTHER NIGHT, UH, THAT WAS RELEASED ABOUT ONE 70 ISSUES EXPANDING IT, STARTING AT THE KWASSA INTERSECTION TO SIX LANES AND DOWN AROUND JP
[00:20:01]
TWO HIGH SCHOOL, EXPANDING IT TO EIGHT LANES AND THEN REDUCING IT AT MC GARVEY'S AGAIN TO SIX AND THEN REDUCING IT DOWN.GO BACK TO MY RIPPLES COMMENT.
ONE OF OUR MOST VIOLENT INTERSECTIONS RIGHT NOW IS THE KWASSA INTERSECTION.
CARS TURNING LEFT TRYING TO GET TO KWASSA.
WE GOT THE DOT TO PUT IN A DEDICATED LEFT GREEN.
UH, BUT THEN IT CHANGES AFTER CERTAIN PERIOD OF TIME.
IT CHANGES TO A FLASHING YELLOW, WHICH ALLOWS YOU TO TURN IN FRONT OF ONCOMING TRAFFIC.
THAT'S WHEN THE ACCIDENTS OCCUR AND EVERY ONE OF 'EM IS VIOLENT BECAUSE THE SPEED LIMIT THROUGH THERE IS 55 AND PEOPLE ARE DRIVING AT LEAST THAT.
AND SO THIS SIX LANE PROJECT WOULD END AT THAT INTERSECTION.
THINK ABOUT IN FRONT OF MOSS CREEK WHERE THE THIRD LANE OF 2 78 ENDS AND WHAT HAPPENS THERE EVERY MORNING.
IF YOU HAVEN'T DRIVEN IT, I CHALLENGE YOU TO GO OUT AND DRIVE IT AT NINE O'CLOCK IN THE MORNING AND WATCH THE TRAFFIC IN THAT FAR RIGHT LANE, WHAT WE CALL LANE THREE.
IT GOES AS FAR AS IT CAN GO AND FORCES ITSELF OVER.
AND THEN YOU GET TO THE MERGE OF THE BLUFFTON PARKWAY AND YOU RUN INTO THE SAME THING AGAIN.
IT FURTHER BRIDGE, THEY DRIVE AS FAR AS THEY CAN AND THEN FORCE THEIR WAY OVER.
YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT WITH THIS PLAN, NOT YOU, BUT THIS PLAN IS TALKING ABOUT DOING THE SAME THING AT KWASSA WHERE WE ALREADY HAVE A TREMENDOUS PROBLEM AND WITH LEFT TURNS.
SO NOW YOU'RE GONNA ADD, THEY WANT TO ADD THE PLAN, WANTS TO ADD ANOTHER LANE THAT WOULD END RIGHT THERE.
SAME THING AT, UH, MOVING IT TO EIGHT LANES WIDE IN FRONT OF, UM, OLD FIELD AND, AND A AND THAT AREA THAT'S GOING TO ADD SOME MORE ASPHALT.
IT MIGHT MOVE TRAFFIC A LITTLE BIT BETTER, BUT WHAT'S THE RIPPLE EFFECT AT THE END OF THAT WHERE YOU REDUCE IT BACK? THAT NEEDS TO BE CONSIDERED OF HOW THAT'S GOING TO IMPACT THE TRAFFIC AT THE BOTTOM END IN BOTH DIRECTIONS.
I HEARD A PLAN THE OTHER DAY TO, UH, ELIMINATE THE PRITCHARD VILLE TRAFFIC CIRCLE AND MAKE IT A SIGNALED INTERSECTION.
IF THAT IS DONE, IT WILL PROBABLY HAVE TO RIVAL THE SIMMONS 2 78 INTERSECTION IN SIZE.
AND THAT'S THE LARGEST INTERSECTION WE HAVE IN THE COUNTY.
IT'S GOT 13 LANES AND IT WOULD PROBABLY HAVE TO RIVAL THAT.
I DROVE THROUGH IT TWICE TODAY, TAKING A LOOK AT IT.
UH, AND I SEE IT ALL THE TIME.
I WATCH IT ON TRAFFIC CAMERAS.
BUT TODAY BECAUSE I WAS COMING HERE, I DROVE THROUGH IT A TRAFFIC CIRCLE AND I'VE NEVER BEEN A FAN OF TRAFFIC CIRCLES.
I WORKED A LOT OF WRECKS ON SEA PINES BACK IN THE EIGHTIES AT THE TRAFFIC CIRCLE.
BUT THEY DO MOVE TRAFFIC FAIRLY MORE EFFICIENTLY THAN A SIGNALED INTERSECTION WOULD BECAUSE WHEN YOU COME UP TO THE YIELD SIGN, AS SOON AS IT'S CLEAR YOU CAN GO, YOU DON'T HAVE TO WAIT FOR THE LIGHTS TO CYCLE SO YOU CAN GO.
SO IT KIND OF CONTINUES MOVING.
YOU DON'T STAY THERE VERY LONG.
A SIGNALED INTERSECTION AT THAT INTERSECTION IS PROBABLY GONNA BE LIKE THE ONE IN, UH, PUBLIX ON LADIES ISLAND WHERE YOU'RE GONNA SIT THROUGH A COUPLE OF LIGHT CHANGES ON MOST DAYS BEFORE YOU GET THROUGH IT.
THINK ABOUT THE RIPPLE EFFECTS AS YOU WORK ON YOUR PROJECTS.
UM, AND THE LAST, THE, THE CHAIR CHAIRPERSON ANNOUNCED THAT I RUN EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AND, AND I DO FOR THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE FOR THE COUNTY OF BEAUFORT UNDER EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT DIRECTOR.
AND A LOT OF FOLKS ALWAYS POP IN.
THE ONLY WAY WE CAN IMPROVE HURRICANE EVACUATION TRAFFIC FLOW IS INFRASTRUCTURE WEST OF BEAUFORT COUNTY.
WE'VE DONE ALL WE CAN DO IN BEAUFORT COUNTY.
THERE'S NOTHING ELSE WE CAN DO IN BEAUFORT COUNTY TO IMPROVE THE FLOW.
IT'S GOTTA BE WEST OF BEAUFORT COUNTY.
IT'S GOTTA BE WEST OF I 95 TO MOVE ALL THE TRAFFIC.
WE HAVE NOT HAD A HIGH COMPLIANCE EVACUATION SINCE FLOYD IN 1999 WITH MATTHEW, WE HAD ABOUT 70%.
FLOYD HAD ABOUT 82 OR 83% POPULATION.
AND IT HAS STEADILY GONE DOWN.
UH, WITH THE WEATHER ENTERTAINMENT CHANNEL AND THESE SORT OF THINGS.
FOLKS ARE WAITING LONGER TO DECIDE AND IN MOST CASES, THE STORM VEERS AWAY OR THE IMPACTS ARE MINIMALIZED.
THEY SAY, HEY, I MADE THE RIGHT DECISION NOT TO LEAVE.
IF WE GET INTO A HUGO OR FLOYD SITUATION AGAIN WHERE THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE IN THE 85 PERCENTILE WANT TO GO, THE STUDIES WE HAVE GENERATED THAT BY SOUTH CAROLINA EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT TELL US THAT IT WILL TAKE US ABOUT 28 HOURS TO MOVE EVERYBODY THAT WANTS TO LEAVE OUT OF BEAUFORT COUNTY.
AND THAT'S JUST OUT OF BEAUFORT COUNTY.
ONCE THEY GET WEST OF THE BEAUFORT COUNTY LINE, WE PUT ONE LANE OF TRAFFIC ON 9 95 AND WE PUT THE OTHER TRAFFIC ON HIGHWAY 2 78 AND IT GOES UP TO HAMPTON AND GETS ON 68 AND IT MERGES UP THERE WITH TRAFFIC COMING FROM BEAUFORT ON A TWO LANE ROAD.
AND THAT IS GOING TO IT, THAT IS GOING TO CAUSE THAT CAUSED THE PROBLEMS IN FLOYD.
THAT WILL CONTINUE TO BE THE CONGESTION PROBLEMS THAT WILL BACKFLOW INTO BEAUFORT COUNTY.
SO AS YOU THINK ABOUT IT, THAT'S NOT GONNA HELP US IN BEAUFORT COUNTY.
WE'VE GOTTA HAVE INFRASTRUCTURE IMPROVEMENTS WEST OF BEAUFORT COUNTY TO DO THAT.
[00:25:01]
YOU KNOW WHERE THE HOT SPOTS ARE.I'VE GIVEN YOU A COUPLE OF NUMBERS TO THINK ABOUT.
I WOULD ENCOURAGE YOU THINK ABOUT THE RIPPLES AS YOU WORK ON YOUR PROJECTS.
WHAT WILL IT DO DOWNSTREAM? HOW WILL IT AFFECT SOMEWHERE ELSE IN THE COUNTY, THE NEXT INTERSECTION, FIVE INTERSECTIONS DOWN THE ROAD? HOW WILL IT DO THAT? THAT'S ALL I HAVE TO PRESENT, MA'AM.
IF THERE ARE ANY, ANY INFORMATION, I WILL LOOK HERE FIRST.
ANY QUESTIONS? I JUST HAVE ONE.
YES, YOU, YOU SAID THAT THE, I THINK YOU SAID THE SIMMONS BLUFFING PARKWAY.
WAS THAT THE BIGGEST NO MA'AM.
THAT IS THE LARGEST INTERSECTION.
IF YOU COUNT THE LANES, THERE ARE 13 LANES THERE.
THAT'S THE BIGGEST ONE IN THE COUNTY.
BACK WITH THE SECOND WHERE YOU SAID, OKAY.
I KNOW WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT.
OKAY, ANY OTHER QUESTIONS HERE? ANY QUESTIONS ON THIS SIDE, MR. FREEMAN? AND THEN I'LL GET MR. PERRY, UH, COLONEL BAXLEY.
THANK YOU NUMBER ONE FOR YOUR SERVICE, AND THANK YOU FOR COMING HERE TONIGHT TO TALK TO US.
UM, HAVE A COUPLE OF, COUPLE OF POINTS.
I'D LIKE TO JUST STATE THESE AND THEN I CAN RESTATE 'EM IF I NEED TO.
UM, THE FIRST BEING ELEPHANT EARS.
YOU MENTIONED ROUNDABOUTS AND NOT A FAN.
MAYBE I'M, I'M IN THE SAME BALLPARK AS YOU AND, AND I'M AN ENGINEER BY TRADE, SO IT WAS KIND OF WEIRD.
UH, WHAT ABOUT ELEPHANT EARS? UM, THAT SEEMS LIKE A, A BAD IDEA TO ME.
I, I THINK THEY'RE A GOOD IDEA IN, IN THE RIGHT LOCATION.
AND I'LL, AND I'LL TELL YOU WHERE I LEARNED ABOUT 'EM.
HIGHWAY 17, NORTH OF THE SOUTH CAROLINA, NORTH CAROLINA STATE LINE GOING TOWARDS WILMINGTON INTO BRUNSWICK COUNTY.
UH, YOU'VE GOT OCEAN ISLAND BEACH.
THAT'S HOW THEY SOLVED THEIR PROBLEMS THERE OF EVERYONE LEAVING THE BEACH IS THEY PUT A ME THEY CLOSED THE MEDIANS, SO YOU COULDN'T GO ACROSS, THEY FORCED YOU TO DO A RIGHT TURN ON 17 NORTH.
YOU'RE LEAVING THE BEACH UNTIL SATURDAY AFTERNOON AFTER YOU'VE CHECKED OUT AND YOU GO ABOUT A HUNDRED TO 200 YARDS TRANSITION TO THE LEFT LANE AND THEN INTO A VERY LONG STORAGE LANE.
AND THEY, IN SOME PLACES, THEY PUT UP A STOPLIGHT ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE ELEPHANT EAR TO STOP SOUTHBOUND.
AND THEN 10, 15, 20 CARS CAN MAKE THEIR LEFT TURN AND THE LIGHT GOES BACK GREEN AGAIN.
I'VE LO I'VE, I'VE LOOKED AT THOSE FOR ABOUT EIGHT OR NINE YEARS NOW.
I THINK THEY'RE A REALLY GOOD IDEA IN THE RIGHT LOCATIONS.
SO THERE'S A PROPOSAL FOR ONE TO GO AT SAVANNAH HIGHWAY AND RIGHT THERE AT PARKER'S.
UM, CAN YOU IN HERE, SO, OH, I'M SORRY.
RIGHT THERE AT PARKER'S AT, UH, SAVANNAH HIGHWAY.
SO, EXCUSE, WAIT A MINUTE, GARY.
THEY CAN'T HEAR YOU IN THE BACK.
THE PROBLEM IS THE SPEAKERS ARE FACING, I HEARING.
NO, BUT YOU JUST, YOU JUST GOTTA GET CLOSER TO THE MICROPHONE.
I, HANG ON, LEMME BRING THE SPEAKER CLOSER.
CAN EVERYBODY HEAR ME IN THE BACK? THAT GOOD? OKAY, PERFECT.
SO THERE IS A PROPOSAL I'VE HEARD, I HAVEN'T SEEN DRAWINGS YET OF, UH, ELEPHANTE ON, UH, RIGHT THERE AT PARKER'S AT SAVANNAH HIGHWAY.
AND THAT TO ME, ANY KIND OF, UH, LEFT TURNING TRAFFIC GOING TOWARD TRACTOR SUPPLY WOULD HAVE TO DO THAT ELEPHANTE INTERSECTION UP THE ROAD.
THAT SEEMS LIKE IT WOULD EXACERBATE THE TRAFFIC PROBLEMS IN, IN MY WORLD.
AND I JUST WANNA GET YOUR, AS FAR AS YOUR POINT OF VIEW ON, ON WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE IN, IN TRAFFIC.
I WOULD HAVE TO REALLY THINK ABOUT THAT BECAUSE I'M, I'M PICTURING YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT PARKER'S RIGHT THERE IN THE Y YEAH.
I CAN'T IMAGINE WHERE IT WOULD GO.
I'D HAVE TO SEE THE DIAGRAM APPRAISE AND THAT'S WHY JAR.
CAN YOU EDUCATE ALL OF THE LAY PEOPLE HERE, WHAT AN ELEPHANT EAR IS? YEAH, I LIKE THE ELEPHANT EAR TERM.
SO THAT'S, UM, SO WHAT WE REFERENCE IT IS AS A, UM,
UM, AS DESCRIBED IS BASICALLY IT, WE HAVE PRETTY MUCH OUR CLOSEST ONE IS WHEN YOU TURN OUT OF THE FOOD LINE ON ONE 70, YOU TURN RIGHT NOW, YOU COULD TURN LEFT, AND THEN YOU GO THE LITTLE BIT AND YOU DO A U-TURN IN THE ELEPHANT EAR.
THE THE, UM, AND THEN A SIGNALIZE ONE IS YOU BASICALLY HAVE THAT SIGNALIZE THAT THE TURNAROUND, AND IT ALLOWS FOR THAT MOVEMENT A LITTLE BIT EASIER.
SO IF THERE'S A HEAVY CONGESTION AND THERE'S NOT A BREAK IN TRAFFIC, YOU CAN, YOU CAN EXERCISE THAT U-TURN.
UM, IN THAT LOCATION THAT WAS JUST REFERENCED, THAT WAS DOT'S, UM, ALTERNATIVE THAT THEY PROPOSED.
THEY, THEY'RE LOOKING AT INTERSECTION IMPROVEMENTS THAT, THAT SECTION IN, UM, PARIS ISLAND GATEWAY AND 1 28.
AND, UM, SO I'M TRYING TO PICTURE IT AND I CAN'T, WE'LL SHOW YOU A PICTURE.
WE'LL SHOW YOU A PICTURE, UH, THAT'S REALLY INTERESTING.
UH, THE, OUR SIDE IS AT THE GAS STATION.
IT'S AT THE GAS STATION CLOSERS TO APPRAISE ASSEMBLY.
IT'S NOT AT PARKER'S OR ON THAT SIDE OF PARKER'S OR THAT SIDE OF THE INTERSECTION.
THE RCU WOULD BE OVER AT THE GAS STATE.
THE OTHER GAS STATION OF THE, IT'S, IT'S LEFT TURNING INTO 1 28 FROM PORT ROYAL.
YOU GOT DUAL RIGHTS TURNING OUT OF 1 28 TOWARDS PORT ROYAL.
AND IF THEY WANTED TO MAKE A LEFT, WHICH THE ALTERNATIVE, YOU COULDN'T MAKE A LEFT.
YOU GO JUST A LITTLE WAYS DOWN TOWARDS PORT ROYAL ELEPHANTE AND GO BACK TOWARDS BEAUFORT DOWN IN FRONT OF PRAISE DOWN IN THAT AREA.
NOW, AND I JUST WANTED TO REALLY JUST GET YOUR POINT OF VIEW ON OUR CUTS ELEPHANT ERS IN, IN
[00:30:01]
GENERAL, BUT THAT IS AN EXAMPLE OF ONE.IF YOU COULD PICTURE IN YOUR MIND I LIKE THEM IN THE RIGHT LOCA.
I LIKE THE ONE AT HOGARTH, EXCEPT IT'S NOT BIG ENOUGH.
I LIKE, AGAIN, I I'VE SOLD ON 'EM IN HIGHWAY 17.
AND THE, AND I'M GONNA TELL YOU ANOTHER PLACE THAT THE, THE SHERIFF AND I SUGGESTED THEM TO THE DOT SEVERAL YEARS AGO IS THAT CAT ISLAND CAUSEWAY, UM, COMING OFF THE MAC TIER BRIDGE ON LADIES ISLAND, WHERE 700 HOUSES ARE ABOUT TO BE BUILT, T INTERSECTION, BLIND CURVE, COMING OFF THE BRIDGE, 55 MILE SPEED LIMIT.
WE SUGGESTED THAT SEVERAL YEARS AGO AS TO GO DOWN TOWARDS THE STOPLIGHT AT PUBLIX A HUNDRED YARDS OR SO AND HOOK IT AND FIX THAT AND REALIGN IT MAYBE WITH THE MERIDIAN ROAD INTERSECTION, DO SOMETHING THERE.
UH, WE SUGGESTED THAT THERE AS A, AS AN ALTERNATIVE TO WHAT WE'RE CURRENTLY DEALING WITH THERE.
DOT HAS ALWAYS BEEN RELUCTANT TO PUT STOPLIGHTS AT THE FOOT OF BRIDGES THAT ARE HIGH SPEED BRIDGES.
UH, THEY FINALLY RELENTED AT WINDMILL HARBOR AND DID IT AFTER MANY, MANY YEARS OF, OF STUDIES.
UH, AND WE GOT A LETTER YESTERDAY THAT JARED FORWARDED TO ME.
UH, THEY'RE RECOMMENDING A REDUCTION OF THE SPEED LIMIT ON THE MAC TIER FROM 55 TO 50.
UM, I'M NOT SURE HOW MUCH POSITIVE EFFECT THAT'S GONNA HAVE.
UH, BUT UH, THEY'RE THINKING ABOUT DOING THAT BECAUSE OF THE EXPECTED GROWTH ON GIBBS ISLAND IN THE VERY NEAR FUTURE.
THEY'RE ALREADY CLEARING THE TREES, SO IT'S GONNA HAPPEN.
ONE, ONE LAST QUESTION REAL QUICK.
UM, SO IF YOU HAVE A LARGE VOLUME OF FLOW OF TRAFFIC, IS THERE A WAY TO IMPROVE THAT SHORT TERM WITH SIGNALIZATION? IMPROVING SIGNALIZATION LIGHTS, YOU KNOW, FRUSTRATING PART, YOU GO ONE LIGHT AND YOU STOP, GO ANOTHER LIGHT AND STOP IT.
IT IS SIGNALIZATION, UH, IS DESIGNED TO WHEN IT WORKS PROPERLY, AND SOME YEARS AGO, UH, WE HAD SYNCHRONIZED LIGHTS ALONG 2 78 THAT IF YOU DROVE THE POSTED SPEED LIMIT OF 45, YOU WOULD HIT 'EM ALL GREEN.
THE PROBLEM WAS YOU'RE DRIVING 45 AND THE 5, 6, 7 CARS BEHIND YOU GO AROUND YOU AT 55 60.
WELL, THEY GET, THEY GET OUT OF THE SINK, THEY GET TO A LIGHT THAT'S STILL RED, THEN THEY BACK IT UP TO A POINT WHERE IT FINALLY, THE, THE PLAN WAS JUST, IT WENT AWAY BECAUSE IT JUST, IT WASN'T WORKING BECAUSE VOLUNTARY COMPLIANCE WITH THE SPEED LIMIT WASN'T OCCURRING.
BUT SIGNAL SIGNALIZATION, SYNCHRONIZED SIGNALIZATION WOULD HELP.
IN THE COMMUNITIES YOU GO IN WHERE IT IS SYNCHRONIZED AND FOLKS, WE'VE GOT A A FAIRLY GOOD VOLUNTARY COMPLIANCE.
IT'S BETTER, IT'S BETTER THAN TAKING YOUR CHANCES.
WE'RE GONNA MOVE ON TO, MR. PERRY HAS A QUESTION.
UH, AND I THINK THIS IS CONSISTENT WITH WHAT WE'VE ASKED OTHER PRESENTERS, UH, AND THAT IS IF YOU COULD PROVIDE, YOU'VE BEEN THROUGH A LOT OF INFORMATION AND I WAS TAKING NOTES LIKE CRAZY, BUT I MISSED A LOT OF STUFF.
SO IF YOU COULD JUST PROVIDE US WITH A LISTING OF WHAT YOU, UH, JUST WENT THROUGH OR YOUR NOTES FROM WHAT YOU JUST WENT THROUGH, I THINK IT WOULD BE HELPFUL FOR US TO, IN PRIORITIZATION OF, UM, THE PROJECTS THAT WE ULTIMATELY, UH, PUT ON THE LIST, I I CAN PUT TOGETHER THE BULLET POINTS.
WHO DO I SEND IT TO? UH, JARED.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? MR. STANFORD? WELL, AGAIN, THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE TODAY.
IT'S VERY, VERY USEFUL TO ALL OF US TO HEAR THIS.
MY QUESTION IS, ARE YOU ROUTINELY CONSULTED BY TRAFFIC ENGINEERS ABOUT THE DESIGN OF PROJECTS? NO, SIR.
I'M, I'M, I'M A DEPUTY SHERIFF.
IF NOT, WE SHOULD HAVE A REGULATION THAT REQUIRES THAT IN ALL OF THESE PROJECTS.
I DON'T HAVE THE PHDS BEHIND MY NAME.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? ANY OTHER QUESTIONS HERE? MS. COE? UM, ON, ON, UH, IN VIEW FOR WHERE IT GOES TO THE MCTEER BRIDGE, UM, DO YOU SEE PROBLEMS THERE WITH THE TRAFFIC GOING ONTO THAT? AND THEN I THINK YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT ON THE OTHER SIDE WHERE CAT ISLAND, IS THAT WHAT YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT WHERE IT'S REALLY BAD? YES, MA'AM.
THAT WHOLE STRETCH, UH, HANDLES A TREMENDOUS VOLUME OF TRAFFIC EVERY DAY.
UH, BECAUSE ALL OF THE COMMUTER TRAFFIC GOING TO HILTON HEAD, PORT, ROYAL BLUFFTON, UH, AND POINTS WEST, THERE'S FOLKS WORK IN SAVANNAH.
UH, THEY ALL COME HOME BY THAT ROUTE.
AND IT IS A LONG, IT'S, UM, THREE QUARTERS OF A MILE BACKUP EVERY AFTERNOON STARTING ABOUT THREE 30.
UH, MY MOM LIVES IN AN APARTMENT COMPLEX AT THE FOOT OF THE BRIDGE, AND I VISIT HER EVERY DAY AND I TAKE MY CHANCES PULLING OUT EVERY DAY.
AND I, I'M, I'M A PRETTY GOOD JUDGE OF THE ONCOMING SPEED AND THE DISTANCE, AND IT'S STILL, IT'S EXCITING TO LEAVE THERE EVERY DAY.
UH, AND EXCITING IS THE, IS A POLITE WORD TO TELL YOU,
I HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT CARS THAT ARE GETTING IN THE MEDIAN TO TURN INTO RIGHTS POINT ACROSS OR ACROSS THE ROAD.
PORT ROYAL LANDING, I'M SORRY, PORT ROYAL LANDING.
AND THEN I'VE GOT TO CLEAR ALL OF THOSE TO MAKE
[00:35:01]
MY LEFT TURN.UM, THE BRIDGE GOING OVER CHOWING CREEK, IS THAT ONE OF THOSE EXAMPLES OF, OF SOMETHING THAT WAS DESIGNED THAT REALLY, UM, WASN'T WITH INTENDED IT CONCEPT, IT DIDN'T WORK OUT THE WAY IT DID? YES, SIR.
THAT'S, UH, WHEN THE DOT FIRST STARTED TO DO THEIR EXPANSION EAST FROM, UM, FROM SAM'S POINT ROAD, THEY INITIALLY PLANNED A FOUR LANE ROAD AND DOWN INTO THE INTERSECTION OF MARTIN LUTHER KING BOULEVARD.
AND THEN THROUGH A NUMBER OF PUBLIC HEARINGS AND HEARING THE PUBLIC, THEY REDUCED IT TO TWO LANES AND A CENTER MEDIAN.
THAT CENTER MEDIAN HAS BECOME A PASSING ZONE EVERY DAY, DOZENS OF TIMES A DAY.
UH, IF WE'RE IN A LOCATION AND WE SEE IT, WE WRITE A TICKET FOR IT BECAUSE IT'S PAID, IT'S BLATANTLY ILLEGAL.
UH, BUT, UH, THAT WAS, THAT'S, THAT'S ANOTHER, YOU KNOW, WE CREATED A PROBLEM THERE INSTEAD OF SOLVING A PROBLEM BECAUSE RIGHT THERE AT CHOW AND CREEK, THERE IS NO EMERGENCY LANE.
THERE'S, THERE'S NO WAY TO GOT.
AND SO IF THE ACCIDENT HAPPENS ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THAT BRIDGE, YOU, AND, AND IT'S INTERESTING THAT IT'S A STRAIGHT LANE, IT'S A STRAIGHT ROAD.
YOU GOT GOOD LINE OF SIGHT, IT'S A NICE WIDE STRUCTURE ON THE BRIDGE.
UH, IT'S A GOOD APPROACH TO IT.
AND ON BOTH SIDES, YET WE STILL HAVE A HIGH NUMBER OF ACCIDENTS RIGHT THERE AT THE BRIDGE.
I GET, YOU KNOW, I RESPOND TO THE BAD ONES, UH, TO HELP OUT, UH, AND I AND TO TRY AND LEARN.
AND I SIT THERE AND LOOK AT IT AND TRY AND FIGURE OUT WHY DID THIS WRECK HAPPEN? BECAUSE THERE, YOU KNOW, IT'S NOT BAD WEATHER, IT'S NOT BAD LIGHTING, BUT IT HAPPENED ANYWAY.
I THINK THE EVIL RECTANGLE CONTRIBUTES TO A FAIR NUMBER OF THEM.
THAT'S ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF THOUGHT.
WE WERE FIXING A PROBLEM AND WE CREATED WITH A RIPPLE EFFECT, WE CREATED A DIFFERENT PROBLEM.
UM, COLONEL, COULD YOU ADD THAT TO YOUR BULLET POINT LIST PLEASE? I WILL.
JUDGE KLEIN, DID YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? NO, I DID.
WE'LL HAVE HIS INFO IF Y'ALL HAVE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS ON OTHER SUBJECTS, UM, AND WE'LL LOOK FORWARD FOR THAT LIST.
WE ARE, WE'RE REALLY LIKE TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE.
I THINK, I THINK I CAN GET IT TO YOU TOMORROW AF I CAN GET IT TO SHARED.
I GOT A COMMITMENT TOMORROW MORNING, BUT I THINK I CAN GET IT TO TOMORROW AFTERNOON.
[8) COMMITTEE MEMBER DISCUSSION]
SO WE ARE NOW THROUGH ALL OF OUR PRESENTATIONS THAT WE KNOW OF, AND OUR TASK FROM THIS POINT FORWARD IS TO DO A COUPLE OF THINGS.UM, AND I'M REALLY GOING BY WHAT THE COUNTY COUNCIL, WHAT THEY SET THIS UP.
WE ARE TO PRIORITIZE A LIST OF PROPOSED PROJECTS, THE AMOUNT OF SALES TAX TO BE COLLECTED, AND THE NUMBER AND THE DURATION OF THE COLLECTION PERIOD.
I LOOKED AT THE 23, THE TWO MEETINGS I COULD FIND ON YOUTUBE LAST WEEK, AND I PROBABLY WOULD ENCOURAGE Y'ALL TO LOOK AT IT.
JARED LOOKED A LOT DIFFERENT THEN, UM, BUT IT WAS ONLY A GROUP OF SIX, SO IT WAS VERY CASUAL.
UM, AND I GUESS THIS IS WHERE WE'RE GONNA GO WITH YOU NOW, BUT IT, IT WAS VERY DETAILED.
YOU COULD VERY CLEARLY SEE NOW THAT'S PAST THE VAGUENESS OF IT AND PROBABLY WHY IT FAILED.
IT WAS PERCENTAGES AND NO FAULT TO ANYBODY.
THAT WAS JUST THE HOPE AND THE PLAN.
AND IT WAS A 10 YEAR REQUEST FOR OVER A BILLION DOLLARS.
SO I LOOKED AT IT, I'M HAPPY TO SEND Y'ALL THE LINKS TO IT, UM, BUT IT WAS VERY ENLIGHTENING TO ME ON NUMBER ONE, SIX VERSUS 15.
SO WE HAVE A LOT OF PERSONALITIES AND A LOT OF VERY PROFESS EVERY ONE OF Y'ALL ARE PROFESSIONALS.
SO WE HAVE A, WE HAVE A HEAVY LOAD FOR THE NEXT MEETING AND POSSIBLY TWO MEETINGS AND THIS MEETING.
SO I'M GONNA TURN IT, JARED, ARE YOU TAKING IT FROM HERE NOW, BRIAN, AND I'LL LEAD YOU INTO DISCUSSION.
AND WHILE HE'S WALKING UP, Y'ALL HAVE SEVERAL ATTACHMENTS.
WE'VE HEARD A LOT ABOUT SIGNALIZATION, THINGS WERE EMAILED TO THE COMMITTEE, BUT I PRINTED IT FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO WOULD RATHER SEE IT IN PRINT.
MR. STANFORD EMAILED SOMETHING I PRINTED THAT I ASKED JARED, AND I HOPE Y'ALL ARE OKAY.
THIS IS COLOR CODED TO THE BIG PROJECTS AND THE COLOR CODING REFERENCES ON THE SECOND PAGE.
SO HOPEFULLY THAT KEEPS IT UNDERWHELMING.
AND AGAIN, IF ANYONE IN THE PUBLIC WANTS CYS, I MEAN, WE HAVE IT.
SO THAT'S WHAT YOU HAVE KIND OF IN FRONT OF YOU AND IN YOUR SPACE.
[00:40:01]
IS WHERE THE RUBBER MEETS THE ROAD.SO YOU GUYS ARE ABOUT TO DO THE HEAVY LIFTING.
UM, BUT MY, MY ADVICE AND WORD TO YOU IS IT IS NOT AS HARD AS YOU THINK.
ONCE YOU GET IN THERE AND WE START GETTING AGAIN THE BIG ROCKS IN FIRST, IT'LL START TO MAKE SENSE ON IT.
SO TRUST THE PROCESS AND YOU'RE ABOUT TO GO THROUGH A GOOD PROCESS.
UH, YOU, YOU DIDN'T MENTION, UM, MS. SOKA, UM, IN 21 WHEN WE DID THE SAME PROCESS, UM, WE DID THE ROADS.
THERE WAS 17 MEMBERS ON THAT GROUP.
SO, UM, I COULDN'T, I DIDN'T HAVE THE ENERGY
SO THE ONE THING I WANTED TO START OFF WHERE WE ENDED LAST MEETING WHEN WE WERE IN BUFORT, UM, THE LAST PART OF THE MEETING WE TALKED ABOUT MONEY AND HOW MUCH WE WOULD COLLECT.
AND I, I HANDED OUT A, A PAGE, A TWO PAGE, THREE PAGE DOCUMENT FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF REVENUE.
UM, I GOT SOME GOOD INFORMATION, BAD INFORMATION, UM, TO SHARE WITH YOU.
BAD INFORMATION IS, UM, WE'VE ASKED THEM TO REFINE THE NUMBERS AND THE NUMBERS CAME BACK DIFFERENT.
SO THAT WAS IN, UM, FALL OF LAST YEAR WHEN WE RECEIVED THAT.
AND LET ME REMIND YOU WHERE WE, WHERE WE WERE AT THAT TIME AT THE COUNTY.
SO WE IN 2020 WE'RE IN 2026 AT THE BEGINNING OF 2025.
WE JUST CAME UP FOR AIR AFTER NOVEMBER, 2024.
THE TRANSPORTATION, UM, BALLOT QUESTION FAILED.
SO COUNCIL WAS COMING BACK AND SAID, OKAY, WHAT ARE WE GONNA DO? WE NEED TO DO A POSTMORTEM, LET'S TAKE A LOOK AND SEE WHAT IT FAILED, THE REASONS WHY.
SO WE LOOKED AT THAT A LITTLE BIT.
AND THEN IN THE MARCH APRIL TIMEFRAME, WE STARTED TALKING ABOUT THERE WAS STRATEGIC RETREAT.
WHAT DO WE NEED TO DO NEXT? AND SOME OF THE FOCUS SAID, WELL, ROADS FAILED.
WE'VE GOT OTHER NEEDS ACROSS THE COUNTY.
WE'VE GOT DEFERRED MAINTENANCE, WE'VE GOT CAPITAL NEEDS PROJECTS, AND EDUCATION'S ALREADY GOT THEIR, THEIR BOND FUNDING.
SO MAYBE WE SHOULD SHIFT FROM TRANSPORTATION TO CAPITAL PROJECTS.
SO, UM, WE WENT DOWN THAT COURSE FOR A COUPLE MONTHS AND THEN, UM, IN THE, IN THAT TIME PERIOD IS WHEN WE GOT THE REQUEST FROM DOR.
WE SENT THAT AND THEY GAVE BACK THAT.
AND WHAT I PRESENTED THAT NUMBER WAS ABOUT $75 MILLION A YEAR.
UH, THE TOWN SAID, WHY WE STILL NEED THE ROADS, LET'S GO BACK TO THE ROADS.
AND COUNCIL SAID, OKAY, WELL THEN LET'S DO THAT.
SO THAT'S HOW WE GOT TO WHERE WE ARE TODAY.
THE GOOD NEWS IS THERE MUST BE SOME DIFFERENCE IN THE STATUTE.
I'M NOT SPECIFIC, UH, ABOUT WHAT IT IS IN WHAT IS TAXED AND WHAT'S NOT TAXED BETWEEN THE TWO DIFFERENT SALES TAX, CAPITAL AND TRANSPORTATION.
BUT THERE WAS A HEALTHY CHANGE TO OUR ADVANTAGE WHEN DOR SENT US BACK THAT NUMBER.
SO IF YOU FLIP TO PAGE, UH, 11 AT THE VERY BACK OF YOUR BOOKS, SECTION 11, THIS, SO Y'ALL EACH HAVE THIS THAT BRIAN AND JARED HAVE PUT TOGETHER.
SO THIS I GUESS IS GONNA BE OUR TOOL, RIGHT? YES.
SO THIS IS OUR, OUR STUDY BIBLE FOR THE NEXT PERIOD OF TIME.
SO PAGE 11 GREEN, IT'S AT THE VERY BACK.
THERE'S A TAB BEHIND THE LETTERS SHOULD LOOK LIKE THIS.
SO YOU HAVE A 10 TIN TAB AND NOTHING ELSE.
AND, AND LEVIN'S HIDING BEHIND ALL THE LETTERS THERE.
THERE'S A GREAT, IT'S A GREAT TAB.
SO THE GOOD NEWS IS, OKAY, UM, THAT $75 MILLION A YEAR INCREASED TO APPROXIMATELY $90 MILLION A YEAR.
SO FOR EIGHT YEARS WE WERE SCHEDULED TO RAISE ABOUT 670 MILLION.
AND NOW EIGHT YEARS IS ABOUT 775 MILLION.
SO, UM, IT'S BETTER THAN THE OPPOSITE OF IT GOING DOWN.
UM, BUT THOSE ARE OUR REVISED NUMBERS.
THEN YOU CAN SEE THE LETTER JUST BEHIND THIS PAGE IS THE SPECIFIC LETTER FROM DOR, UM, TO OUR CFO MS. HARRIET THAT GIVES THAT NUMBER.
SO THAT'S YOUR STARTING POINT IS, AND THE WAY BRIAN, UM, WORKED THIS SPREADSHEET UP, HE PUT IT IN YEARS INSTEAD OF FISCAL YEARS TO MAKE IT EASIER.
AND IT'S ALSO A, IT ADDS DOWN THE ROAD SO YOU CAN KNOW WHETHER YOU WANNA DO TWO YEARS OR, OR EIGHT YEARS, ANY INCREMENTS IN BETWEEN, IT'S ALL THERE FOR YOU.
SO THAT IS, THAT'S THE STARTING POINT WITH THE FUNDING.
THE SECOND PART IS THIS HOLY GRAIL OF A STUDY GUIDE THAT YOU HAVE IN FRONT OF YOU.
UM, SO KUDOS TO BRIAN AND ENGINEERING STAFF.
THEY'VE WORKED DILIGENTLY OVER THE LAST TWO WEEKS PUTTING THIS TOGETHER.
AND I WANT BRIAN TO COME UP HERE AND KIND OF EXPLAIN WHAT'S IN THIS TO SET TO THE DISCUSSION POINT FOR YOU GUYS TO HAVE THE INFORMATION TO START YOUR DISCUSSION.
UM, ALSO INCLUDED IN THIS IS THE COST.
[00:45:01]
WITH TWO ENGINEERING FIRMS. SO AS WE GOT THE PROJECT REQUESTS WITH THE MUNICIPALITIES, WE BEHIND THE SCENES MET WITH EACH MUNICIPALITY TO MAKE SURE WE UNDERSTOOD WHAT THEY WERE ASKING FOR WHEN THEY SAID INTERSECTION IMPROVEMENTS AT THIS LOCATION.WELL, THAT'S GOOD AND GREAT, THAT COULD BE $2 MILLION OR THAT COULD BE $20 MILLION.
WHAT EXACTLY ARE YOU ASKING FOR? SO WE, WE GOT THAT CLARIFICATION WITH EACH MUNICIPALITY AS THEY SUBMITTED THE PROJECT.
SO WE GOT THE DEFINED SCOPE, GAVE THAT TO THE ENGINEER, AND THEY WORKED UP A REFINED COST ESTIMATE.
SO WE'RE COMFORTABLE WITH THE COST OF ALL THESE NUMBERS THAT ARE PROVIDED.
AND THEN BRIAN HAS THE BACKUP DOCUMENTATION AS WELL AS THE HANDY DANDY SPREADSHEET, WHICH I'LL TURN OVER TO BRIAN TO TAKE US THROUGH THAT DISCUSSION.
UM, AND SO WE'LL GO AHEAD AND JUST GO THROUGH A COUPLE SECTIONS IN THE BINDER REAL QUICK.
JARED TALKED ABOUT SECTION 11, UM, BUT SO WE'VE GONE THROUGH AND TRIED TO PULL TOGETHER ANY REFERENCE THAT WE'VE TALKED ABOUT IN THE LAST FEW WEEKS INTO THIS ONE BINDER.
SO YOU HAVE ALL THE STUDIES THAT ARE IN THERE, THE PROJECTS RECOMMENDED IN THERE, UM, THE EVACUATION ROUTES, THE, UH, SOME DEFINITIONS AND A FEW OTHER THINGS IN THERE.
THE PRESENTATIONS FROM ALL THE MUNICIPALITIES.
SO ALL THE REFERENCES THAT YOU MIGHT NEED ARE IN THE BINDER.
SO I WANNA GO OVER THREE SECTIONS REAL QUICK FOR YOU.
SO FIRST ONE IS GONNA BE SECTION FIVE, WHICH THIS IS THE PRIORITIES THAT ARE IN, UM, IN THERE.
AND SO THIS IS, THE FIRST PAGE IS GONNA BE A COUNTY PRIORITY LIST THAT WAS DEVELOPED BY THE ENGINEERING STAFF.
UM, THERE'S 18 PROJECTS ON THERE RANKED FROM FIRST PRIORITY DOWN TO 18TH, EXCUSE ME.
AND THEN THE REST OF IN THERE IS THE RESOLUTIONS FROM THE DIFFERENT MUNICIPALITIES.
UM, THREE OF THE FOUR MUNICIPALITIES GAVE A RESOLUTION.
BLUFFTON WAS THE ONLY ONE THAT DIDN'T.
BUT, UM, PORT ROYAL HILL AND HEAD AND CITY OF BEAUFORT ALL GAVE RESOLUTIONS WITH PROJECT RECOMMENDATIONS THAT ARE INCLUDED IN SECTION FIVE.
UM, NEXT I WANT TO TOUCH ON THIS REAL QUICK IS SECTION 10.
SO THAT'S GONNA BE ALL THE PROJECT ESTIMATES.
JARED MENTIONED THAT WE HAD A COUPLE DIFFERENT CONSULTANTS, UH, PULL TOGETHER ESTIMATES FOR US, AND THEY ARE ALL IN THERE.
SO FIRST YOU'RE GONNA HAVE ABOUT 30 ESTIMATES FROM, UH, OUR HDR, WHICH IS ONE OF OUR CONSULTANTS.
SO THEY'VE LOOKED AT IT, THEY'VE GIVEN A CUT SHEET FOR EACH ESTI OR WITH EACH PROJECT WITH TITLE, A LITTLE QUICK PROJECT, UH, DESCRIPTION, ANY ASSUMPTIONS THEY MADE, AND THEN BROKE THE COST DOWN INTO FOUR OR FIVE ITEMS AT THE BOTTOM.
UM, THESE DO HAVE A CONTINGENCY ON 'EM.
THEY DO INCLUDE, UH, ESTIMATES FOR RIGHT AWAY AND UTILITIES.
UM, IT ALSO HAS A CO OR A TIME SCHEDULE ESTIMATE IN THERE AS WELL.
NEXT YOU'LL HAVE 16 ESTIMATES FROM AECOM.
OUR SECOND CONSULTANT, THEY DID SOMETHING SIMILAR, UH, ONE SHEET PER PER PROJECT AND HAVE ALL THE SAME INFORMATION.
AND THEN AFTER THAT YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE FEW SHEETS THAT STAFF PULLED TOGETHER.
WE HAVE RESURFACING, UM, ESTIMATES FOR THE PRIMARY ROUTES IN THE COUNTY, DIRT ROAD PAVING ESTIMATES FOR THE ROADS THAT WE CURRENTLY HAVE RIGHT AWAY FOR.
UM, AND THEN, UH, WE INCLUDE ESTIMATES FOR DUSKY ROAD, UH, RESURFACING, THAT'S THE PAVED ROADS ON DUSKY.
AND THEN WE ALSO GAVE A ESTIMATE OF WHAT IT WOULD COST TO RESURFACE THE MUNICIPAL OWNED ROADS IN, UM, EACH OF THE MUNICIPALITIES.
SO ALL THAT'S IN THERE, THAT'S THE PROJECT ESTIMATES FOR YOU.
AND THEN JARED ALREADY TALKED ABOUT SECTION 11, WHICH IS THE, UH, DEPARTMENT REVENUE LETTER AND COST ESTIMATES FOR REVENUE OVER EIGHT YEARS.
SO THOSE ARE THE THREE MAIN SECTIONS WANTED TO DISCUSS THERE.
UM, SO THERE WERE THREE OTHER ATTACHMENTS.
HOW LONG ARE THE, UM, ESTIMATES GOOD FOR? IS THERE A TIMEFRAME? UM, DO THEY GIVE YOU ANY KIND OF, YOU KNOW, I'M ONLY ASKING BECAUSE WE'VE BEEN DOWN THAT ROAD BEFORE AND I MEAN, THEY'RE BASED IN 20, $30 OR 20 $30, BUT THAT'S ASSUMING AN INFLATION RATE BASED ON TODAY'S DOLLARS.
SO IF WE GO THROUGH ANOTHER, YOU KNOW, 60% INCREASE IN CONSTRUCTION COSTS BETWEEN NOW AND 2030, THAT'S NOT ACCOUNTED FOR, BUT, UH, THEY'VE ASSUMED SOME SORT OF INFLATION RATE TO GET TO 20 $30.
SO MR. PERRY AND Y'ALL, PLEASE LET ME RECOGNIZE YOU.
I KNOW I WAS LOOKING DOWN, BUT, UM, NO, I, I DON'T WANT TO, BUT WE NEED TO.
MR. PERRY, JUST, UH, ONE QUESTION I WANNA MAKE SURE WHAT I'M LOOKING AT ON SECTION FIVE, UM, IT'S A, IT'S A LIST OF 18 PROJECTS WITH WITH COST ASSIGNED.
ARE THOSE IN THE PRIORITIZATION OF PRIORITIZED LIST FOR THE COUNTY OR IS IT JUST A LIST OF,
[00:50:01]
OF, OF PROJECTS? I, I'M NOT SURE WHAT THIS REPRESENTS.YEAH, THE COUNTY'S LIST, THE 18 PROJECTS THERE ARE PRIORITIZED.
NUMBER ONE IS OUR TOP PRIORITY ON DOWN.
AND THEN THE MUNICIPALITIES, I WOULD HAVE TO LOOK AT EACH ONE.
UM, I DON'T KNOW IF THEY'RE NECESSARILY PRIORITIZED, UM, BUT THEY HAVE ALL THEIR PROJECTS THAT THEY WOULD RECOMMEND IN, IN THE RESOLUTIONS.
I KNOW THIS IS REALLY UNCOMFORTABLE, BUT I'M COUNTING ON Y'ALL LETTING ME KNOW IF THEY CAN'T HEAR US.
SO REALLY SPEAKING TO THE MIC.
UM, ALSO, SO PEOPLE WHO ARE LOOKING ONLINE CAN HEAR US.
QUESTIONS ON MY RIGHT SIDE RIGHT NOW OR DO YOU WANT 'EM TO CONTINUE? ANYTHING ON THE LEFT? MR. FREEMAN? MADAM CHAIR.
SO THIS SECTION FIVE THAT HAS THE 18 PRIORITIES MM-HMM
UM, IS THAT ALL INCLUDED IN THIS TOO? SO YES.
YEAH, THOSE DOLLARS THAT ARE HERE AND HERE, YES.
UM, OKAY, SO THERE WERE THREE OTHER AT ATTACH OR THREE OTHER DOCUMENTS THAT WERE PRESENTED WITH YOU.
UM, ONE OF 'EM IS GONNA LOOK AT, IT'S THIS TRAFFIC SIGNALS ACROSS THE COUNTY ON THE MAJOR CORRIDORS.
THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF TALK ABOUT INTERSECTIONS AND TRAFFIC SIGNALS.
SO WE'VE LOOKED AT THE MAJOR CORRIDORS, UM, BLUFFTON PARKWAY, BUCK WALTER, 1 72, 78 REBO, AND HAVE COME UP WITH, UH, THE NUMBER OF SIGNALS ON EACH OF THOSE CORRIDORS.
UM, THAT IS CURRENT SIGNALS, THAT'S NOT SIGNALS THAT ARE PLANNED TO BE INSTALLED IN THE NEXT FEW YEARS OR IN ANY OF THESE PROJECTS, BUT THAT'S NUMBER OF SIGNALS.
AND THEN ON THE FAR RIGHT COLUMN, THERE'S A LIST OF WHO OWNS IT AND WHO HAS THE MAINTENANCE RESPONSIBILITY FOR IT.
HERE IN WHERE THAT, WHERE IN HERE IS THAT? IT WAS ONE OF THE LUCID DOCUMENTS.
THERE SHOULD HAVE BEEN THREE, UH, STAPLE DOCUMENTS THAT WERE THERE WITH IT.
YEAH, THAT ONE RIGHT THERE, IT'S ON THE BACK.
IT WAS IN YOUR PILE OF SOMEWHERE.
YEAH, WE PUT A LOT OUT THERE FOR YOU.
AND EACH ONE OF THOSE HAS, THERE'S THREE SIGNAL MAPS ATTACHED TO IT THAT SHOWS THE SIGNALS ACROSS THE COUNTY.
I THINK THERE'S ONE FOR THAT'S COUNTYWIDE OR ONE THAT'S CITY OF BEAUFORT.
TOWN OF PORT ROYAL AND THEN ONE THAT'S NORTH ABROAD.
AND WE DON'T HAVE HILTON HEAD ON THERE BECAUSE THEY MAINTAIN THEIR OWN SIGNALS.
UM, SO IT, IT MIGHT BE GOOD TO SUM ALL THIS, YOU KNOW, WHERE YOU HAVE LIKE EVEN THE SPREADSHEET KIND OF DO A COMPLETE SUMMARY.
IS THERE AN ESTIMATE? 10, 20, 40, 50, SO 80 ABOUT? IS THAT WHAT YOU'RE THINKING? SOMEWHERE AROUND THERE.
UM, YEAH, I THINK I HEARD AROUND THE COUNTY THERE'S 88 SOME SIGNALS, UM, ACROSS ALL THREE, ALL D COUNTYWIDE, WHICH SEEMS PRETTY REASONABLE.
UM, YOU WANNA KEEP GOING? YEAH.
UNLESS THERE'S OTHER QUESTIONS.
BRIAN IS WHEN THIS SIGNALIZATION THE NUMBERS, CURRENT SIGNALS OWNED BY SOUTH CAROLINA, DOT, MAINTAINED BY BEAUFORT COUNTY, ARE THOSE MAINTENANCE PERMISSIONS A BLANKET OR DO YOU HAVE TO GET AN APPROVAL EVERY TIME YOU WANT TO IMPROVE AN INTERSECTION? IT DEPENDS ON WHAT WE WANT TO DO.
IF IT IS JUST ROUTINE MAINTENANCE, UM, THEN THAT'S A BLANKET APPROVAL THAT'S WITHIN OUR SCOPE.
IF WE WANT TO CHANGE THE TIMING ON A SIGNAL, WE CAN DO THAT.
WE GENERALLY GIVE THE DOTA HEADS UP AND LET 'EM KNOW WE'RE DOING IT.
BUT THAT'S, UH, A BLANKET APPROVAL.
IF WE WANT TO ADD A SIGNAL PHASE, LIKE ADD A TURN ARROW OR CHANGE PHASING, WE HAVE TO GET APPROVAL BY DOT FOR THAT.
UM, IF WE'RE WANTING DO MAJOR, ANY MAJOR CONSTRUCTION TO IT, UM, WE HAVE TO GET DOT APPROVAL FOR THAT.
DOES, DOES S-C-D-O-T MAINTAIN ANY OF THEIR TRAFFIC SIGNALS? NOT IN BEAUFORT COUNTY, NO.
SO YEAH, THEY DON'T MAINTAIN 'EM, BUT THEY DO REIMBURSE THE COUNTY AND THE, THERE'S THREE OF US, THE COUNTY, THE CITY OF BEAUFORT AND TOWN OF, UM, HILTON HEAD EACH HAVE A MAINTENANCE AGREEMENT AND THERE'S A REIMBURSEMENT RATE.
SO THEY PAY FOR SOME OF THE MAINTENANCE AND OPERATIONS, BUT, AND ABOUT HALF OF, AND ABOUT HALF OF THAT REIMBURSEMENT IS FOR MAINTENANCE COSTS THAT WE GET PAID AT THE BEGINNING OF THE FISCAL, UM, AS A FLAT RATE AND THE REST OF IT'S BASED ON RE REIMBURSABLE BASED ON EQUIPMENT AND TIME PUT IN.
DOES DOT EVER SAY NO? THEY SAY NO A LOT.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS BEFORE HE GOES ON MR. RICKETT? UH, JUST, UH, VERY QUICKLY ON THE LIST OF 18, THE MIGHTY 18, I GUESS WE'LL CALL 'EM MM-HMM
UM, NUMBER FOUR, SELF-EXPLANATORY, ROUNDABOUT IMPROVEMENTS, 46 AND ONE 70, BUT GOING DOWN TO, UM, NUMBER 12, 1 70 46 INTERSECTION CONVERSION.
WHAT IS THAT? SO THAT COMES OUT OF, THERE WERE TWO STUDIES THAT WERE DONE ON SC 46 1
[00:55:01]
BY LATS, UM, LOW COUNTRY AREA TRANSIT STUDY AND ONE BY THE COUNTY.UM, AND COLONEL BAXLEY MENTIONED THIS EARLIER.
THERE'S A LITTLE BIT OF A DISCONNECT BETWEEN THE TWO STUDIES.
ORIGINALLY, ONE RECOMMENDED, UH, A LARGER ROUNDABOUT.
THE OTHER ONE ME MENTIONED OR RECOMMENDED A SIGNAL.
UM, THEY, THE TWO ENGINEERING GROUPS WENT BACK TOGETHER AND CAME WITH A FINAL RECOMMENDATION OF A TRAFFIC SIGNAL THERE.
SO THAT'S TO CONVERT IT FROM A ROUNDABOUT TO A TRAFFIC SIGNAL.
SO WE WOULD DO ONE OR THE OTHER.
I'M GUESSING IF, SO THE FIRST ONE, NUMBER FOUR IS IMPROVEMENTS TO THE ROUNDABOUT? YES, THAT IS.
OR IT'S LIKE, OR NUMBER IMPROVE? YEAH, THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN MORE CLEAR.
THE IMPROVEMENTS ARE A SHORT TERM SOLUTION TO IMPROVE THE FUNCTIONALITY NOW, AND THEN THE CONVERSION WOULD BE MORE OF A LONG-TERM OPTION TO RECON OR TO RECONFIGURE IT AS A INTERSECTION.
I'M SORRY, I HAVE ONE MORE MR. PERRY.
UM, I'M, I'M STILL TRYING TO SORT OUT ALL THE PAPER.
SO WE GOT, I'VE GOT ONE MORE PIECE OF PAPER.
AND I, I HOPE YOU'RE GONNA TELL ME WHAT THIS IS ALL ABOUT.
BECAUSE I DON'T, I DON'T QUITE SEE HOW IT FITS WITH THE RECORD.
YEAH, WE'LL, WE'LL, WE'LL GET WITH THAT ONE.
UM, SO ONE THING ON THE 46, 1 70, SO AS COLONEL BAXLEY REFERENCED, YOU KNOW, THERE WERE A COUPLE, COUPLE STUDIES THAT WERE DONE THERE.
UM, AND THEY LOOKED AT A LOT OF DIFFERENT OPTIONS.
THEY LOOKED AT ROUNDABOUTS, THEY LOOKED AT GRADE SEPARATION.
THEY EVEN LOOKED AT A SIGNALIZE ROUNDABOUT, WHICH I HADN'T HEARD OF BEFORE, AND FOUND THAT, YOU KNOW, WHAT HE SAID IS ABSOLUTELY TRUE.
A LOT OF TIMES A ROUNDABOUT WILL HAVE BETTER FLOW, UM, AND SAFETY CAPACITY TO IT.
BUT THEY DO HAVE A CAP AS FAR AS THE VOLUME THAT IT CAN, UM, SERVE.
AND IT WAS FOUND THAT THE VOLUME THAT'S GONNA BE AT THAT INTERSECTION COMING FROM JASPER COUNTY AND THEN NEW RIVERSIDE, EXCEEDED WHAT A ROUNDABOUT WAS CAPABLE OF.
SO THAT WAS WHAT THE RECOMMENDATION FOR GOING BACK TO A SIGNAL WAS? YES, SIR.
MR. RICKETT, UH, IF, IF THE SHORT TERM SITUATION WORKS, PROBABLY NO NEED FOR THE LONG TERM, AT LEAST WE TAKE IT OFF THE BOOKS FOR NOW.
I MEAN, AGAIN, TERM TO GET IT WHERE IT'S WORKING NOW TO A BETTER OPERATIONAL STATE WITH THE INCREASE IN TRAFFIC THAT'S PROJECTED, THE VOLUME INCREASES, IT'S NOT GONNA LAST LONG.
AND YOUR TEAM FOR PUTTING TOGETHER A WHOLE LOT OF INFORMATION.
I DON'T BEGIN TO SAY THAT I GET MY ARMS AROUND IT YET, BUT ONE THING, I SEE THIS LIST OF 18 PROJECTS, THERE'S NOTHING ON HILTON HEAD ISLAND.
WHY IS THAT? AND HOW DOES THAT, HOW IS THAT PRIORITY SET? SO I THINK, YOU KNOW, LOOKING AT THE COUNTY'S PRIORITY, UM, WE'RE TRYING TO SERVE THE WHOLE COUNTY.
AND ONE 70, WHICH IS OUR MAIN PRIORITY, IS SERVING PEOPLE THAT ARE RUNNING FROM NORTH ABROAD TO SOUTH ABROAD, GET INTO HILL AND HEAD.
AND THEN A LOT OF THIS, THAT'S EARLY ON, THERE IS PROJECTS THAT, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE HAVE MENTIONED, THE, UH, LAYS ISLAND RIGHT.
TURN LANES, THAT'S A PRETTY BIG PRIORITY.
THAT'S A CONGESTION HOTSPOT NOW.
UM, AND THEN RESURFACING IS A BIG PRIORITY TO US.
UM, FOR BLUFFTON PARKWAY, EVERYONE HAD A DRIVER TO GET HERE, BUCK WALTER.
UM, WE JUST DON'T HAVE THE FUNDS WITHOUT THIS TO DO THE RESURFACING.
AND THAT'S GONNA SOMETHING THAT'S GONNA IMPACT EVERYONE THAT'S DRIVING, UM, YOU KNOW, ACROSS THE COUNTY.
SO THE, THE OTHER ANSWER TO ADD TO THAT IS, IS YOU, YOU LOOK THROUGH OUR LIST, MOST OF THESE ARE REFLECTED IN UNINCORPORATED AREAS OR IN, UM, ASSETS THAT WE OWN, LIKE BUCK WALTER AND BLUFFTON PARKWAY.
SO THAT'S PREDOMINANTLY A LOT OF THE, THE HILTON HEAD STUFF WAS REFLECTED.
HILTON HEAD MADE A GOOD PRESENTATION OF THEIRS.
AND SO WE WERE TRYING NOT TO DUPLICATE EFFORTS TO MAKE SURE WE HAD ALL THE PROJECTS WITHIN THE COUNTY REPRESENTED.
I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU JUST SAID.
THERE ARE NO PROJECTS ON THERE FROM HILTON HEAD, BUT THEY'RE HIDDEN IN THERE SOMEWHERE.
THEY'RE HIDDEN IN, THEY'RE NOT HIDDEN.
THEY'RE IN WHAT HILTON HEAD OFFERED AS PROJECTS.
SO WHAT THIS COUNTY LIST OF PROJECTS ISN'T ALL ENCOMPASSING OF ALL COUNTY PROJECTS.
THIS MOSTLY COUNTY PROJECTS IN UNINCORPORATED AREAS.
SO YOU'RE GONNA GET A SIGNIFICANT PORTION OF THE SALES TAX FROM HILTON NET ISLAND, WHICH WILL GET NO BENEFIT FROM THIS.
I DON'T SEE HOW THAT CAN EVER PASS.
AND LET ME ASK, SO THE LIST OF 18 ARE PROJECTS THAT THE COUNTY FEELS ARE IMPORTANT IN THE UNINCORPORATED AREAS.
IT DOESN'T INCLUDE MUNICIPAL PRESENTATION PROJECTS.
THEY ARE INCLUDED, I THINK, ON THIS LIST.
AND IF YOU LOOK ON THE BACK, IT'S COLOR CODED AND IT INCLUDES TOWN OF PORT ROYAL, TOWN OF HILTON HEAD, CITY OF BEAUFORT, AND TOWN OF BLUFFTON.
SO I NEVER HEARD Y'ALL'S LIST OF PRIORITIES.
BUT THESE ARE YOUR PRIORITIES FROM ONE TO 18 IN ORDER, RIGHT? AM I SAYING THAT? YES, BUT WE ARE NOT EXCLUDING ANY OF THE MUNICIPALITY REQUEST.
[01:00:01]
YOU'RE JUST GIVING US WHAT YOUR PROJECTS ARE FROM THIS LIST.YEAH, WE HAD AN, OH, SORRY, GO AHEAD.
SO THIS IS IN ESSENCE, UH, UNINCORPORATED LIST, JUST LIKE THE, THE TOWNS WHERE THEIR MUNICIPAL LIST AND COLLECTIVELY ALL FIVE EQUAL THE COUNTY AT LARGE LISTS.
SO YEAH, AND I WOULD SAY JUST LIKE EACH OF THE MUNICIPALITIES HAS GIVEN A PRESENT PRESENTATION AND REPRESENTED WHAT THEY'VE DESIRED, THIS IS JUST THE COUNTY'S LIST FOR THAT.
SO IT'S GONNA BE UP TO THE COMMITTEE TO BALANCE THAT WITH PROJECTS AND WHAT THEY SEE AS THE BEST FIT FOR THE ENTIRE COUNTY.
MY CONFUSION WITH THAT COMES FROM THE FACT THAT THIS WAS PRESENTED AS THE COUNTY'S LIST OF PRIORITIES, PERIOD.
THE 18, UH, IT DOES NOT INCLUDE ANYTHING ELSE IN THE WAY IT WAS PRESENTED TO US, UH, EARLIER THIS AFTERNOON.
AND SO, UM, I HAVEN'T HAD A CHANCE TO GO THROUGH THIS.
WELL, I APOLOGIZE FOR THE CONFUSION, BUT YEAH, THAT'S JUST THE COUNTY BASICALLY THE SAME AS THE MUNICIPAL RESOLUTION.
SO IT'S WHAT WE WOULD PRESENT FOR OUR PRIORITIES.
AND MR. FREEMAN'S NEXT, IT'S EVERY RUN AROUND THIS TABLE.
MS. CO ACTUALLY ASKED AT ONE MEETING, SHOULD OUR DISTRICT COME, BUT IF YOU ARE REPRESENTED BY A COUNTY ELECTED OFFICIAL, THE COUNTY ELECTED OFFICIALS ARE TALKING WITH STAFF ON THEIR LIST, AND Y'ALL ARE HERE TO VET.
WELL, WE'RE HERE TO VET ALL OF THEM.
AND I CAN TALK THROUGH, BUT SPECIFICALLY THE MUNICIPAL REQUEST ARE ON THIS SHEET, WHICH I THINK YOU'LL TALK TO.
AND I CAN TALK THROUGH THIS SPREADSHEET HERE, GET MR. WHICH MAY, MR. FREEMAN THE QUESTION.
SO THE 18 THAT ARE ON THIS LIST, ARE THEY INCLUDED IN THIS? YES.
SO THIS IS THE INCLUSIVE LIST WITH EVERYTHING FROM YES.
EVERY TOWN, EVERY DISTRICT, YES.
AND EVERY COUNTY PROJECT, YES.
AND THEN THESE, THESE ARE NOT PRIORITIZED.
THERE'S NO, SO THIS IS, SO OUR TASK, OUR TASK IS TO TAKE THE TOWN OF BLUFF IN'S PRIORITIES AND THE TOWN OF HILTON HAS PRIORITIES AND INTEGRATE THOSE INTO THE COUNTY'S NAME PRIORITIES TO COME UP WITH A MASTER LIST YES.
PRIORITIZED ACCORDING TO WHAT WE THINK IS THE RIGHT THING.
SO THIS, THIS SHEET HERE IS A MASTER LIST OF PROJECTS.
THIS HAS ALL PROJECTS THAT HAVE BEEN RECOMMENDED BY MUNICIPALITY, BY THE COUNTY.
AND THEN, UH, ONCE I'VE BEEN RECOMMENDED IN PUBLIC COMMENT, THERE'S, THERE'S ALMOST A HUNDRED PROJECTS ON THIS LIST,
SO THAT'S WAY MORE THAN WHAT HAS BEEN PRESENTED BY THE MUNICIPALITIES OR THE COUNTY.
THIS IS A COMBINED MASTER LIST.
UM, AND ON HERE IT HAS THE PROJECT NUMBER ON THE FAR LEFT.
SO YOU CAN LOOK AND SEE THE PROJECT SHEET, PROJECT NAME.
IT IS COLOR CODED BY WHAT CORRIDOR IT'S ON.
SO WHERE IT'S ON SC 1 72, 78, 46, THAT'S WHAT THE COLOR CODING IS.
AND THE, THAT'S ON THE SECOND PAGE TO SAY WHAT THOSE PROJECTS ARE, ALONG WITH A COST ESTIMATE FOR THAT ENTIRE CORRIDOR THAT REFLECTS THIS BIG BOOK THAT REFLECTS THIS LIST.
AND THEN IT IS BROKEN DOWN INTO WHETHER IT'S INTERSECTION SAFETY, WIDENING, RESURFACING.
IT ALSO HAS THE REFERENCE STUDY THAT IT CAME OUT OF, IF IT CAME OUT OF A STUDY, AND THE SUBMITTING AGENCY, WHETHER THAT WAS A TOWN FROM THE TOWN OF PORT ROYAL HILL AND HEAD BLUFFTON.
UM, SO ALL THAT INFORMATION IS IN THIS ONE SPREADSHEET.
BUT, BUT THE, THE MASTER LIST, THIS ONE IS NOT PRIORITIZED BY, UH, UNIT ABOUT FIVE MUNICIPAL UNIT OR ANY OTHER UNIT IS PRIORITIZED BY THE TRAFFIC UNIT.
AND YOU'VE GOT, YOUR LEGEND IS ON THE LAST PAGE.
SO, AND THE PURPLE IS 2 78 PROJECTS, IF I'M THINKING THAT.
BUT THERE'S NO PRIORITIZATION.
SO WE, I THINK, THINK IT'S NOT PRIORIT.
I THINK IT'S PRIORITIZED BY PROJECT TYPE RIGHT NOW.
IT IS RIGHT NOW, AND THIS WAS SENT TO Y'ALL EARLY OR LAST WEEK? EARLIER THIS WEEK.
WE'LL SEND OUT THE NEW VERSION.
BUT Y'ALL HAD REQUESTED A SORTABLE EXCEL DOCUMENT, AND THIS IS SORTABLE BASED ON ALL THE DIFFERENT CATEGORIES.
SO IT'S NOT PRIORITIZED RIGHT NOW, IT IS JUST GROUP BY PROJECT TYPE.
SO HERE'S A THOUGHT, AND I'LL FULL DISCLOSURE, I ACTUALLY ASKED JARED YESTERDAY, I WAS DRIVING TO PORT ROYAL AND IT HIT ME, WHERE DO WE START? 'CAUSE I'VE NEVER SAT ON THIS COMMITTEE, SO I, I, I ASKED HIM TO DO THIS.
I'M NOT CLAIMING ANYTHING ON IT.
IF WHILE YOU'RE LOOKING AT IT, IF YOU'D LIKE TO SEE IT COLOR CODED IN A DIFFERENT WAY, IT CAN BE DONE.
BUT I THOUGHT PERSONALLY FOR ME, I WANTED TO SEE THE BIG PROJECT.
IF WE ALL AGREED, ONE 70 REBO, UH, YOU KNOW, THAT AREA ALL THE WAY TO THE JASPER LINE IN TOTAL, LIKE COLONEL SAID, DON'T HAVE A RIPPLE EFFECT.
LET'S DO THE TOTAL EVERYTHING.
CAN WE COLOR CODE IT TO SEE WHAT THAT COST IS? AND THEN MAYBE WE HAVE OUR BIG PROJECT
[01:05:01]
IF THAT'S SUITABLE TO THE, TO THE COMMITTEE.BUT I THINK IF WE CAN LOOK AT IT AND GIVE HIM FEEDBACK TONIGHT, WE CAN GET A BETTER LOOKING ONE THIS WEEK.
DO WE HAVE THIS IN EXCEL? IS, YES.
WE HAVE THE EXCEL FILE FOR THIS, RIGHT? HE SENT IT THIS TODAY.
YOU HAVE A NON-COLOR CODED ONE, BUT WE CAN SEND THE COLOR CODED HOWEVER THE COMMITTEE WANTS TO.
WELL YOU SAY THAT, BUT I OPENED A COLOR CODED ONE THIS AFTERNOON, BUT WHEN I TRIED TO PRINT IT, IT WASN'T COLOR CODED.
BUT I OPENED A COLOR CODED ATTACHMENT TODAY.
I DON'T KNOW IF THAT WAS SENT OUT TO THE WHOLE GROUP YET, BUT WE CAN GET THAT.
BUT, UM, AND THEN MR. PERRY ASKED ABOUT THE THIRD DOCUMENT.
THAT'S BASICALLY, IT'S ANOTHER EXCEL FILE THAT YOU CAN BE PROVIDED WHERE YOU CAN ADD AND SUBTRACT PROJECTS FROM EACH CORRIDOR TO COME UP WITH THE TOTAL.
SO THAT'S BASICALLY THAT ONE THAT THE CHAIR'S HOLDING UP, THAT IS BASICALLY A BREAKDOWN OF THE PROJECTS ON EACH CORRIDOR.
ELIZABETH, DO YOU WANNA BE MS. PENN SANDERS OR MS. SANDERS IS FINE.
MS. SANDERS? UM, YES, BRIAN, UH, SOME OF THE RESURFACING ROUTES INCLUDE LIKE US 2 78 MM-HMM
AND, UH, A LARGE PORTION OF IT WILL BE RESURFACED WITHIN THE YEAR.
CAN WE GET, UM, A DOT RESURFACING LIST THAT'S OCCURRING ON YEAH, WE CAN GET THAT.
BUT WE DID NOT INCLUDE THIS PORTION THAT'S BEING RESURFACED BY DOT OR WHAT WAS RESURFACED LAST YEAR BY THE COUNTY.
SO IT'S NOT INCLUDED IN THERE, NOT INCLUDING NEXT YEAR OR THIS YEAR? WE NEXT YEAR, NOT THIS YEAR.
SO THE CONTRACTS ARE ALREADY OUT, BUT WE CAN LOOK AT THAT.
IF, IF THIS PENNY MOVES AND RESURFACING IS YEAR THREE, I'M JUST GUESSING.
BUT THEN IN YEAR TWO IT'S ALREADY FUNDED.
I THINK THAT'S IMPORTANT FOR US TO KNOW.
AND THEN I ALSO ASKED, YOU DID ONE, THERE'S ONE PROJECT ON THIS LIST THAT'S FUNDED.
I THINK WE CAN SCRATCH THAT OFF.
AND THAT'S THE LAST COLUMN ON THE RIGHT OF THAT, IT, THERE'S NOTES ABOUT WHETHER THERE'S FUNDING FOR 'EM.
SOME OF THEM HAVE DESIGN FUNDING.
UM, SOME ARE FUNDED BY THE 2018 SALES TAX AND SOME ARE BEING FUNDED BY DOT.
SO ALL THOSE NOTES ARE IN THERE.
WE CAN JUST REMOVE 'EM FROM THE LIST IF YOU'D LIKE.
UM, AND SO FOR THE RESURFACING, UM, AS MS. SANDERS POINTED OUT, MOST OF THESE ARE PRIMARY ROUTES.
SO THE COUNTY'S NOT PLANNING TO RESURFACE ANY OF THOSE.
WE CAN CHECK WITH THE DOT TO SEE IF THEY HAVE ANY PLANS COMING UP.
BUT, UM, TO MY KNOWLEDGE, EXCEPT FOR MAYBE 2 78, THERE'S NOT.
BUT WE CAN CHECK ON THAT ONE 70.
ANY, ANY OTHER QUESTIONS ON THIS? I DON'T KNOW IF HE HAS MORE TO DO.
MR. PERRY, ONE QUICK QUESTION.
I I, I THINK IT WOULD, I WOULD, UH, IMPROVE THE, THE, THE PAPERWORK IF WE COULD, IF YOU COULD PUT THE, A TITLE ON IT OKAY.
AS TO WHAT IT'S THIS, WHAT IS, WHAT IT IS SUPPOSED TO BE TELLING US.
BECAUSE WE HAVE DIFFERENT PIECES OF PAPER THAT ARE TELLING US SOMEWHAT THE SAME THING, BUT IT'S FORMATTED IN A DIFFERENT WAY.
YOU HAVE IT BY CORRIDOR, WHICH IS, WHICH IS IMPORTANT.
UH, BUT WE ALSO HAVE THE MASTER LIST.
IF YOU COULD JUST PUT LABELS ON IT, THAT WOULD BE SUPER.
ANY MS COE? UM, JUST A COUPLE QUESTIONS.
ONE ON THIS, UM, IT'S IN PINK DOWN HERE AND I JUST WANT, IT'S THE WILLIAM HILTON PARKWAY, US 2 78 AND IT'S ROAD WIDENING, BUT IT'S $693 MILLION.
IS THAT INCLUDING THE BRIDGE? AND MAYBE THE BRIDGE SHOULD BE OUT THAT, BECAUSE ISN'T THE BRIDGE FUNDED? NO, THAT'S, UM, BASICALLY INCLUDING EVERYTHING FROM, I BELIEVE, THE FLYOVER ALL THE WAY TO SQUIRE POPE.
UM, AND THAT WAS, UH, SO THAT'S, IT IS A LARGE PROJECT.
I'M NOT SURE IF IT INCLUDES THE BRIDGE, BUT THAT IS A LARGE PROJECT.
BUT THAT IS JUST FROM THE CROSS ISLAND TO WINDMILL.
NO, ALL THE WAY TO SQUIRE POPE IS THAT IF WE GO IN OUR BOOK UNDER ACOM BC SEVEN, THAT IS, IS THERE DETAIL ON THAT LINE ITEM IN THIS BOOK? YES.
CAN I, CAN I ASK ONE MORE QUESTION? SURE.
UM, ON THE DIRT ROADS, OH, I'M SORRY.
ON THE DIRT ROADS AND THE, UM, THE, UM, PAVING, ARE ANY OF THESE DUPLICATED IN THE, WHAT'S THE COMMITTEE? YOU'RE ON THE TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE.
ARE THESE ALREADY LISTED ON THAT? THEY'RE ALREADY DOING IT.
SO ARE THEY POSSIBLY DUPLICATED OR THE, THE CTC DOESN'T PAVE DIRT ROADS.
AND WE HAVE LOOKED AT OUR CURRENT FIVE YEAR PLAN, WHICH IS THE COUNTY PAVING PROGRAM.
THIS IS BASICALLY THE NEXT FIVE YEARS OF PAVING AFTER THAT FOR DIRT ROADS.
SO THESE ARE ALL THE ROADS THAT ARE REMAINING THAT ARE NOT ON A CURRENT LIST THAT WE HAVE FULL RIGHT OF WAY FOR.
BUT THERE'S NO OTHER MONEY TO FUND IT, RIGHT? NO, MA'AM.
UM, IT, IT IS A LOT OF PAPERWORK AND IT IS CONF AND WE ALL HAVEN'T DIGESTED IT YET.
I DON'T KNOW HOW TO SIMPLIFY OR TO GIVE YOU ADVICE,
[01:10:01]
BUT LIKE THE, THIS, HOW DOES THIS RELATE TO THIS? UM, THIS IN WHAT LITTLE SUBSET IN OUR BOOK WILL WE FIND? HDR 12, JUST AS AN EXAMPLE? YEAH, THEY'RE ALL IN, UH, SECTION 10, WHICH IS THE PROJECTS EXAMPLE ESTIMATES.SO THIS, THIS IS ONLY IN TAB 10, THE PROJECT ESTIMATE SHEETS ARE IN TAB 10.
AND TAB 10 IS SUBDIVIDED BY A, B, C, D, E.
IS THAT A REASON FOR THAT OR JUST A IS THE HDR ESTIMATES? B IS THE ACOM A ECOM ESTIMATES AND THEN IT'S SPLIT UP BETWEEN DIRT ROADS, RESURFACING THROUGH THAT.
AND THAT'S ALL ON THE TABLE OF CONTENTS.
ON THE FIRST PAGE OF THE, UH, BINDER.
IS IT POSSIBLE ON WHEN YOU'RE CHANGING THIS TO ADD ANOTHER COLUMN TO SAY TAB 10 A, TAB 10 BI JUST, WE GOT A LOT TO DO IN ON THE 22ND AND TONIGHT.
SO I THINK IT WOULD HELP RATHER THAN ME GO TO TAB, GO THROUGH, I MEAN THERE'S JUST, OKAY.
UM, OKAY SIR, TO BELABOR THIS, I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE I HAVE UNDERSTANDING AND TRY TO TALK FOR THE COM.
YOU GOTTA GET REALLY CLOSE TO IT.
I
UH, SO THE TOTAL OF ALL 2 78 PROJECTS, WHATEVER SIZE, DESCRIPTION OR WHATEVER IS TWO IS 891,452,452.
ALMOST
I DON'T HAVE THAT ONE IN FRONT OF ME, BUT THAT SOUNDS RIGHT.
AND AGAIN, THAT DOES INCLUDE THAT 693 MILLION THAT MS. CO MENTIONED.
SO ON THE ATTACHMENT HERE WHERE IT SAYS USS 2 78, THOSE ARE ALL OF THE WHAT YOU WOULD MIGHT CALL PURPLE OR HOT PINK.
AND ON PAGE TWO OF THIS ONE'S, IT REFLECTS IT.
THAT'S WHAT I'M, YEAH, BECAUSE SOME OF THESE DON'T HAVE, MAYBE THEY DO NOW.
SO THIS IS, SO LINE ONE THROUGH THREE ON THIS PAGE IS PURPLE ON THIS PAGE? YES.
AND, AND ALL OF THESE MATCH TO THE COLOR CODING, BUT YOU HAVE TO LOOK AT IT ON PRICE.
SO THE ONE LISTED SC ONE SEVENTY TWO, TWO HUNDRED AND TWENTY 4 MILLION GOES TO THE BLUE HIGHLIGHTED ON OUR MASTER LIST.
SO IT IS MAKING MORE SENSE AS WE DIGEST IT.
AND IT WOULD PROBABLY MAKE MORE SENSE IF YOU HAD THE EXCEL FILES WITH YOU BECAUSE IT WOULD BE REALLY, UM, YEAH.
YOU KNOW, YOU ASKED FOR SORTABLE FILES, SO THAT'S WHAT WE WERE TRYING TO ACCOMPLISH, BUT LOOKING AT IT ON PAPER DOESN'T TRANSLATE.
WELL, I, AND AS A REMINDER, WHO NEEDS PAPER AND I, MR. PERRY.
SO, AND MR. FORESTS, SO WE NEED TO MAKE SURE WHAT WE SEE ON EXCEL IS IT, WE CAN TRANSLATE ON PAPER.
'CAUSE IT I IMPORTANT THERE'S NO DEMOGRAPHIC HERE.
IF YOU SEE THE TWO GUYS THAT RAISE THEIR HAND, I DID YOU FIGURE IT OUT?
UM, CHAIR, UM, TAB THREE REFERS TO THE EVACUATION ROUTES HERE IN OUR BOOKLET.
IS THERE A WAY TO KNOW WHAT PROJECTS ALSO CORRELATE WITHOUT GOING ONE BY ONE AND SAYING, OKAY, THIS PROJECT HERE WOULD GREATLY IMPROVE EVACUATION? I KNOW WHEN WE HAD TALKED BEFORE, I MENTIONED THAT SAFETY WAS A BIG CONCERN.
UM, AND WE WOULD BE ABLE TO DECIPHER WE, WE CAN PROBABLY ADD THAT ON THERE.
BUT I WOULD JUST ASSUME IF IT'S A PRIMARY ROUTE, IT'S PROBABLY AN EVACUATION ROUTE.
SO THAT'S WHAT'S HIGHLIGHTED HERE? YES.
MR. FOREST, BRIAN, I HOPE THIS IS A RHETORICAL QUESTION, BUT THESE PROJECTS ARE ONLY THE PROJECTS THAT HAVE BEEN PRIORITIZED OR SUBMITTED BY A GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATION.
THIS DOES NOT REFLECT ANY PROJECTS THAT HAVE BEEN SUGGESTED BY OTHER ENTITIES AND SO ON.
SO WHEN WE LOOK AT THESE FIGURES, IF THERE'S OTHER PROJECTS SUCH AS WATERBORNE TRANSPORTATION OR WHATEVER IS NOT INCLUDED IN THESE ESTIMATES.
AND I WAS HOPING IT WAS RHETORICAL, BUT WE ALSO GOT TO REMEMBER THAT WE'RE GETTING SEVERAL PRIORITIES THAT ARE BEING SUGGESTED BY OTHER THAN GOVERNMENT.
SO THAT IS, ITS ALL OF THE PROJECTS ON THERE HAVE EITHER COME FROM ONE OF THE STUDIES THAT'S BEEN DISCUSSED, UH, RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THE MUNICIPALITIES OR PROJECTS THAT HAVE BEEN BROUGHT UP IN THE COMMITTEE MEETINGS, WHICH
[01:15:01]
WAS PUBLIC COMMENT.MR. CHAPPEL COMES HERE AND IT WAS A PROBLEM MAINLY FROM THE COMMITTEE MEMBERS.
BUT YOU KNOW, HE MENTIONED WATERBORNE TRANSPORT THAT'S NOT IN THERE.
UM, AND THE GUIDELINE WAS PUT OUT FOR NOT, UH, YOU KNOW, PATHWAYS AND MULTIUSE PATHS SO THAT THOSE PROJECTS AREN'T ON HERE.
BUT, UH, THE PROJECTS DO INCLUDE COMPLETE STREETS THOUGH, BUT THERE'S NO SEPARATE PATHWAYS.
ARE THERE PROJECTS THAT, SINCE THE SPREADSHEET'S GONNA BE 20 PAGES LONG NOW, ARE THERE PROJECTS THAT YOU COULD PUT A COLUMN TO SAY COMPLETE STREETS ON ANY WIDENING? IT'D HAVE TO BE A PATHWAY, CORRECT? UH, OF THE STATE ROAD TO ME, THE DOT STANDARDS THAT HAVE PROBABLY HAVE TO BE SOME SORT OF PEDESTRIAN ACCOMMODATIONS.
BECAUSE I THINK THAT'S IMPORTANT, WHICH I UNDERSTOOD AT THE BEGINNING.
IF IT'S A WIDENING, THEN A PATHWAY ACOM IS ACCOMMODATED BASED ON THE COMPLETE STREET YEAH.
RULING AND YES, SOME THINGS HAVE BEEN EMAILED TO US.
SO FULL DISCLOSURE FOR THE PUBLIC, UM, I MET WITH A GENTLEMAN FROM HILTON HEAD AND I THINK IT'S THE SAME EMAIL YOU SENT US ON THIS FERRY SYSTEM THAT'S HEAVILY SUPPORTED BY TOM DAVIS.
I LOVE IT, BUT IT DOESN'T FIT IN OUR PARAMETERS.
AND I, AND I MET AND I TOLD HIM, I SAID I WISH IT WOULD, BUT, AND I'VE CONNECTED HIM WITH LATS AND HE CAME TO SO LOCO LAST WEEK.
THE OTHER IS ADAPTIVE SIGNALIZATION.
IS THAT IN HERE? ARE YOU GONNA DISCUSS THAT? THAT'S NOT, BUT THAT'S DEFINITELY SOMETHING WE CAN DISCUSS.
UM, YOU KNOW, THAT'S BEEN A BIG, UH, TALKING POINT.
SO WE'VE REACHED OUT TO THE TOWN AND A COUPLE DIFFERENT SOURCES.
UM, SO WITH RECENT COST AND INFLATION, UH, ADAPTIVE FOR A SIGNAL WOULD BE BETWEEN 150 AND $200,000 PER SIGNAL.
PROBABLY BASED ON, UH, RECENT PAST EXPERIENCE FROM THE TOWN, WHAT THEY SPENT.
ALL IN MAINTENANCE AND EVERYTHING FOR THE ENGINEERING AND INSTALLATION.
SO, WELL IT WAS 3.1 MILLION FOR 24 LIGHTS.
FOR 25 SIGNALS COUNTING WINDMILL HARBOR.
HOW MUCH? AND AGAIN, I JUST, I TALKED TO THE TOWN MANAGER OF HILTON HEAD JUST TO KIND OF COOK 'CAUSE EVERYONE'S BRINGING THIS UP AND IT'S SEEMS LIKE IT'S UNIFYING, SO WE JUST NEED TO ADD THAT TO THE COST.
MAYBE PUT THAT ON THE PROJECT LIST.
AND YOU KNOW, I THINK JARED MENTIONED IT LAST TIME, MAYBE INSTEAD OF CALLING IT ADAPTIVE, MAYBE JUST CALLING IT SIGNAL IMPROVEMENTS BECAUSE THEY'RE, UM, ADAPTIVE MAY WORK GREAT ON SOME SIGNAL LOCATIONS, BUT NOT ON OTHERS.
BUT THERE MAY BE TIMING IMPROVEMENTS OR THINGS LIKE THAT THAT WE COULD LOOK AT.
SO, UM, AND I WAS MADE AWARE THIS IS NOT THE SILVER BULLET, THIS DOESN'T, BUT BASED ON THE DATA MARK SENT, IT DOES DECREASE.
THESE PEOPLE ARE COMING FROM EVERYWHERE AND IF THEY WERE TWO MINUTES FASTER, I THINK IT HELPS WITH THEIR YEAH.
MENTAL HEALTH AND STRESS MM-HMM
AND ADAPTIVE, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, IT CAN WORK GREAT IN CERTAIN AREAS.
IF IT'S A CAPACITY ISSUE, IF A ROAD'S AT OR OVER CAPACITY, IT'S PROBABLY GONNA DO VERY LITTLE.
UM, BUT WE COULD DEFINITELY ADD THAT IN THERE.
SO I WANNA JUST UPDATE YOU ON THAT.
'CAUSE I WAS LISTENING, I DIDN'T THINK I WAS FOR IT, BUT I CALLED THE MAYOR OF CLEMSON AND I WAS JUST AT CLEMSON AND THEY SEE, I MEAN, THERE ARE 90,000 PLUS PEOPLE ON A SATURDAY AND THAT'S A LOT OF TRAFFIC.
UM, HOWEVER MANY CARS COME WITH THAT.
THE DOT INSTALLED, ADAPTED SIGNALIZATION THERE, THERE'S, AND I DID IT, I RODE IT AND IT WAS A LOW DAY.
I MEAN, IT'S REALLY NOT, IT'S GONNA BE A BACKUP ON ANYTHING'S GONNA BE A BACKUP ON HEAVY TRAFFIC, BUT IT WAS AMAZING.
IF YOU GO THE SPEED LIMIT, YOU WORK YOUR WAY THROUGH IT, EIGHT TOWNS IN CITIES IN THE STATE HAVE IT.
AND I JUST HATE THAT WE ARE BEHIND THE EIGHT BALL ON IT.
AND WE'LL, WHEN WE ARE MORE PROGRESSIVE IN THE FORWARD THINKING, I THINK THAN A LOT OF THESE TOWNS AND YORK COUNTY DID IT.
AND THAT'S WHERE MR. MOORE CAME FROM.
AND WE'LL HAVE TO WORK WITH THE DOT TO MAKE SURE THAT IT'S ON THE QPL OR ANY MAINTENANCE FUNDING THAT WE CURRENTLY GET, WE WILL NOT RECEIVE ANYMORE, UM, FOR ITEMS THAT AREN'T ON THEIR APPROVED LIST.
BUT THAT'S SOMETHING, YOU KNOW, WE'LL JUST HAVE TO KEEP IN MIND TO BE COGNIZANT OF AS WE'RE LOOKING AT IT.
CAN YOU CHECK AND SEE THE HILTON HAD GOT AN EPA GRANT AND IT WAS A DIFFERENT ADMINISTRATION OKAY.
IS WHAT THEY, IS WHAT I HEARD FROM MARK.
SO MAYBE WE CAN CHECK ON YEAH, CAN CHECK ON THAT IF THAT'S STILL IN.
ANY OTHER THOUGHTS? MS. COE? UM, CONCERN QUESTION.
I WAS SITTING HERE AND, AND MAYBE IT'S NOT A ISSUE AT ALL, BUT SINCE THE PENNY ITSELF HAS BEEN MADE OBSOLETE,
[01:20:02]
UH, MAYBE THOUGHTS, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU FRAME IT DIFFERENTLY WITH A DIFFERENT TERMS THAN A PENNY, BUT STATUTORILY IT CAN ONLY BE ASSESSED AS A PENNY ONE, 100TH.
AND SO IF YOU SPEND SOMETHING AT THE STORE AND IT COSTS A DOLLAR, AND RIGHT NOW IT'S GONNA BE A DOLLAR OH SIX, UH, IF WE PASS A PENNY, IT'D BE A DOLLAR OH SEVEN AT THE CASH REGISTER.
IF THEY DON'T ACCEPT PENNIES, IT MIGHT BE YOU PAY A DOLLAR 10.
UM, I DON'T KNOW WHERE THOSE THREE EXTRA PENNIES GO.
BUT I, I'M NOT, I HAVEN'T HEARD ANYTHING FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT ON GUIDANCE ON HOW MONEY WORKS WITHOUT PENNIES IN OUR SYSTEM, BUT AT, IT PROBABLY IS HAPPENING NOW.
BUT THAT IS A GREAT QUESTION TO FIND OUT WHO GETS, 'CAUSE EVERYONE'S ROUNDING UP.
SO WHERE DO THE OTHER TWO OR THREE PENNIES GO? UM, WE HAD HERE AND THEN MS. ERICKSON.
UM, I WENT TO THE LATS MEETING LAST FRIDAY AND UM, THERE WAS A SPOKE, SOMEBODY SPOKE ABOUT, IT WAS CALLED TRIP TRANSPORTATION RESILIENCE IMPROVEMENT PLAN.
AND JARED WAS THERE, SO YOU'LL KNOW ABOUT IT.
I'M NOT SURE I QUITE UNDERSTOOD IT, IF IT'S SOMETHING THAT'S ACTUALLY BEING FUNDED NOW OR IF IT'S JUST A DREAM.
BUT JUST FOR YOU, THE CHOW ON, THEY HAD TWO TOP PRIORITIES.
ONE WAS THE CAUSEWAY SEA ISLAND PARKWAY TO LI AIRPORT.
AND, UM, IT ADDRESSED FLOODING TO THE SEA LEVEL RISE.
AND IT, IT'S GOT A PARAGRAPH, UM, ABOUT IT AND A INSTALLATION OF A 10 FOOT WIDE SHARED USE PATH ON EITHER SIDE OF THE ROAD AND UNDERGROUNDING OF UTILITIES, UM, ET CETERA.
AND THEN THE CHALON CREEK BRIDGE, IT SAID THAT IT'S A SINGLE SPAN BRIDGE AND CRITICAL CONNECTION WITH HIGHWAY 21 EVACUATION.
UM, SERVES AS THE ONLY ACCESS FOR ST.
HELENA WARSAW, DAU, UM, A BUNCH OF ALL THE REST OF THE ISLANDS.
THERE'S NO ALTERNATIVE ROUTE, BUT IT WILL WIDEN AND RAISE AND RAISE THE BRIDGE, INCLUDING BIKE SLASH PEDESTRIAN INFRASTRUCTURE.
SO I THINK THAT'S ON OUR LIST, BUT IS THAT GONNA BE FUNDED THROUGH THIS? NO, THAT'S A PLAN FOR A, A GUIDANCE.
AND THEN, SO IF, IF A MUNICIPALITY OR A COUNTY OR, OR A DOT WANTS TO PICK PROJECTS OFF A PLAN, THAT'S THE STARTING POINT.
AND THEN IT WOULD NEED TO BE FUNDED FROM THERE.
SO WHAT WAS PRESENTED IS THE PLAN, BUT NO FUNDING.
SO, BUT WHAT IT, IS IT ON HERE? CHOW CREEK IS YES, MA'AM.
BUT WHAT IT DOES DO IS BY BEING ON THE TRIP, IT IS MORE FAVORABLE WHEN IT COMES TO FEDERAL FUNDING AND IT ALSO REDUCES THE MATCH REQUIRED.
I THINK IT REDUCES IT DOWN TO POSSIBLY A 10% MATCH.
SO IT'S NOT A ACTUAL, THE PROJECT'S NOT FUNDED, BUT IT MAKES IT SCORE BETTER WHEN IT COMES TO GRANT APPLICATIONS.
SO, SO IF WE DID THE PROJECT, WE COULD POSSIBLY GET GRANT FUNDING TO HELP PAY FOR IT.
YOU COULD POTENTIALLY USE IT AS THE MATCH? YES, MA'AM.
WELL, THAT, AND, AND THAT'S PROBABLY A GOOD POINT IN GENERAL.
SO NONE OF THE PROJECTS HAS REPRESENTED TODAY UNLESS THEY SPECIFICALLY HAVE SOMETHING IN THAT FAR RIGHT COLUMN, UM, HAVE ANY GRANTS OR ANYTHING ASSOCIATED.
BUT DURING THE IMPLEMENTATION PHASE, ONCE WE GET, IF A PANIC PASSES, UM, WE'RE GONNA PURSUE GRANTS AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE WHERE IT MAKES SENSE IN ORDER TO STRETCH THE DOLLAR BECAUSE WE TALKED ABOUT INFLATION AND, AND COST.
UM, AND SO THAT HELPS IT PROTECT AGAINST INFLATIONARY PRESSURES IN THE PROGRAM BY PURSUING GRANTS.
AND RIGHT NOW JUST REFERENCING THAT, THE ALL JOY PATHWAY RIGHT DOWN THE ROAD HAS TAP FUNDING, WHICH IS A DOT GRANT ASSOCIATED WITH IT.
TWO OF THE OTHER PATHWAYS HAVE CDBG GRANTS AND THEN THE LAUREL BAY PATHWAY HAD A VETERAN'S AFFAIRS GRANT TO IT.
UM, SO THAT'S, YOU KNOW, WHERE WE CAN USE THE COLLECTIONS TO LEVERAGE A GRANT MATCH.
WHAT, HOW IS IT LABELED CHOW AND CREEK? I DON'T SEE CHOW AND CREEK ON HERE.
I THINK IT'S CALLED US 21 AT CHOW AND CREEK.
IS IT A COLOR CODED ITEM? IT'S, I BELIEVE IT'S GREEN.
OH, CHARLIE CREEK IS, UM, UH, DARK BLUE.
IT'S HR ABOUT THREE QUARTERS, THE INTERSECTION SAFETY IMPROVEMENTS, VERY DARK BLUE.
JUDGE KLINE, DID YOU HAVE A QUESTION? AND THEN I'LL GO TO YOU, MS. ERICKSON.
MY QUESTION IS BEFORE WE MOVE THE SIGNALIZATION, ARE WE HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE ANY INQUIRIES THAT RELATES TO EMERGENCY SIGNAL, SIGNAL SIGNALING
[01:25:01]
THAT FROM EARLIER DISCUSSIONS OR, UH, WEATHER BASED WEATHER SITUATIONS.ANY INQUIRIES ON THAT? I SEE YOU TALKING ABOUT SIRENS.
I THINK I HAD HEARD ABOUT EMERGENCY.
UM, SO WE HAVE A LOT OF OUR VEHICLES, EMERGENCY VEHICLES DO HAVE SIGNAL PREEMPT IZATION, UM, IT'S CALLED OPTICUM.
SO MOST OF THEM DO HAVE A GPS AND A BUTTON IN THERE THEY CAN PUSH AND PRE-EMP EMPTY SIGNALS TO GO THROUGH.
SO, BUT I, I THINK, UM, JUDGE KLEIN, YOU'RE ALSO TALKING ABOUT WEATHER SIRENS FOR EMERGENCY WEATHER.
IS THAT ON HERE? THAT'S NOT INCLUDED IN THE PROJECT LIST.
AT THE TIME WE, WE DIDN'T THINK THAT THAT WOULD MEET THE STATUTE OF A TRANSPORTATION SALES TAX.
DID YOU HAVE A QUESTION, MS. ERICKSON? SO CAN YOU KIND OF TOP LINE THE STRUCTURE FOR US COMING TOGETHER AND DECIDING ON PROJECTS? UM, WHO PUTS THOSE FORWARD? WHO MAKES RECOMMENDATION? DO WE VOTE? I MEAN, I JUST WOULD LIKE TO GET A REALLY GOOD SOLID IDEA OF WHAT WE'RE JUMPING INTO AT THIS POINT, IF YOU DON'T MIND, SINCE YOU'VE BEEN ON THE LAST TWO.
SO I'VE BEEN IN TWO, NOW GRANTED BOTH OF THEM ARE UNSUCCESSFUL.
SO TAKE THAT WITH A GRAIN OF SALT
UM, BUT WHAT THE OTHER COMMITTEES HAD DONE IN THE PAST IS THEY KIND OF WENT AROUND THE ROOM RATHER THAN EVEN FOCUS ON THE PROJECT LIST THAT WE HAVE IN FRONT OF US BECAUSE IT IS A LOT OF INFORMATION AND WE THREW IT ALL AT YOU, UM, WAS WHAT DO YOU, WHAT DO YOU SENSE IS THE APPROPRIATE TIME AND WHAT DO YOU THINK THE COMMUNITY WOULD SENSE? I MEAN, IN TRANSPORTATION YOU CAN DO ONE YEAR TO 25 YEARS.
I HAVEN'T HEARD ANYBODY TALK ABOUT 25 YEARS.
SO THAT'S AN EASY PLACE TO START.
WELL, WE'RE NOT TALKING ABOUT 25 YEARS, BUT THEN AS YOU GET CLOSE IS FOUR YEARS, RIGHT? IS EIGHT YEARS TOO LONG? AND THOSE ARE THE PROBABLY STARTING POINTS, THEN YOU KIND OF BACK IN AND SAY, OKAY, WELL IF WE SAY SIX YEARS AND YOU LOOK AT THE LIST, SIX YEARS PRODUCES THIS OUT OF THAT, ARE THERE ANYTHING THAT WE CAN ALL RAISE OUR HAND ON AND GAIN CONSENSUS ON A PARTICULAR BIG ROCK PRIORITY? AND THEN WOULD IT MAKE SENSE, UH, OTHER, OTHER COMMITTEES, PEOPLE OFFERED OUT POTENTIAL IDEAS THAT WERE A STARTING POINT.
SO WHAT ABOUT IF WE SAID, UM, WE'VE GOT THREE PRIOR OR THREE, UM, AREAS THAT COUNCILS LAID OUT.
WHAT IF WE DID 33, 33, 33 AS A, SO WE SAID 600 MILLION.
SO 200 MILLION, 200 MILLION, 200 MILLION.
AND THEN THAT WASN'T NECESSARILY WHERE THEY ENDED, BUT THAT WAS A GOOD PLACE TO START.
AND THEN, YEAH, AND THEN I WATCHED, LIKE I SAID, I WATCHED THE 23 4 PENNY, UM, AND THEY WERE CONCERNED ABOUT THE SAME THING.
THEY ENDED UP RECOMMENDING A 10 YEAR PENNY.
UM, THEIR NUMBER WAS WAY HIGHER THAN WHAT THIS 10 YEAR, EIGHT YEAR PENNY SAYS.
I DON'T KNOW WHERE THEY CAME UP WITH 1.6 BILLION, BUT THAT'S WHAT THAT WAS.
15 YEAR WAS 1.6 AND THEN 10 WENT TO SEVEN 50.
WELL, IT WAS TYPING AND LISTENING AT THE SAME TIME.
UM, THEY JUST FOR Y'ALL TO KNOW, THE, THE CONVERSATION WASN'T DRASTICALLY AGAINST A LARGER NUMBER OF YEARS BASED ON THE SIX PEOPLE I WATCHED, AND THEY REPRESENTED EVERY PART OF BEAUFORT COUNTY.
UM, THEY CAME UP WITH A PENNY.
THEY, BUT THEY DIVVIED IT IN PERCENTAGES TO FOUR DIFFERENT AREAS.
GREENBELT CATEGORIES, WITHOUT NAMING SPECIFICS, WE KNOW THAT IS PROBABLY NOT SMART.
AND THEN THEY ACTUALLY HU THEY NIXED IT DONOR FUNDS TO ADJACENT COUNTIES.
SO THEY ALL DISCUSSED, THEY HAD STILL HAD SIMILAR RULES AS WE DO.
UM, IF YOU LIST, IF ALL OF THESE PROJECTS COLOR CODED, THAT'S ONE 1,350 MILLION.
YOU SAID MILLION AND NOT, AND SOME ARE NOT GONNA BE DONE FOR YEARS AND INFLATION'S GONNA CARRY IT.
AND THAT'S, UM, 10 ISH, 12 YEARS.
SO MAYBE WE SHOULD LOOK AT THAT.
I THINK TONIGHT WOULD BE GOOD TO THINK, WHAT ARE Y'ALL'S CONSENSUS BEING AROUND YOUR NEIGHBORS AND HEARING THIS? IS THAT A PROBLEM? SHOULD WE LOOK AT A HIGHER PENNY AND THEN WORK ON THE PROJECTS? CAN THE COUNTY DO PROJECTS QUICKLY? THAT WAS THE CONVERSATION THEN TOO.
UM, I HAD SEVERAL PEOPLE EMAIL ME AND SAY, HOW ARE WE GONNA DO THESE PROJECTS WHEN THE STATE IS PAVING 20 MILES OF HIGHWAY AND WIDENING? WHERE ARE WE GONNA FALL IN THAT RANKING UNLESS WE CAN PARTNER AND HAVE IT FASTER BECAUSE THEY'RE SOMEWHERE NEAR BUFORT SAY, OR THEY'RE CLOSER
[01:30:01]
TO HILTON HEAD OR BLUFFTON.SO THERE ARE BIG CONCERNS WITH THIS WORLD WE'RE IN WHEN THE STATE'S PAVING AND WIDENING.
RIGHT NOW WE HAD HOW MANY, DID YOU SAY EIGHT ASPHALT COMPANIES IN THE STATE? OH YEAH, PROBABLY IN THE STATE TWO LOCALLY.
AND IF Y'ALL HAVE BEEN TO GREENVILLE LATELY, THE OTHER ONES ARE P GREENVILLE AND SPARTANBURG.
SO I THINK THAT'S A GOOD STARTING POINT, BUT LET'S TALK AND ONE, ONE OTHER POINT TO YOUR NEXT MR. JONES TO ADD.
UM, SO I WAS JUST AT A DOT CONFERENCE, UM, TODAY AND YESTERDAY.
AND IN TALKING TO CHARLESTON COUNTY, THERE'S A BUNCH OF OTHER COUNTIES THAT ARE IN THE SAME BOAT AS WE ARE.
AND TALKING TO CHARLESTON COUNTY, THEY'RE EXACTLY WHERE WE ARE.
UM, THEY DON'T HAVE A COMMITTEE, BUT THEIR COUNCIL IS GOING THROUGH THE EXACT SAME DISCUSSION POINTS.
THEY, THEY HAVE HIRED, UM, A CONSULTANT, ACTUALLY FORMER SECRETARY OF TRANSPORTATION, TO HELP GUIDE THEM IN SOME STRATEGIC THOUGHT THOUGHT.
AND SOME OF THE FEEDBACK THAT SHE'S OFFERING IS THAT SOME OF THE PROJECTS ON THE LIST MAY BE REALLY HARD AND CHALLENGING TO GET COMPLETE.
FOR INSTANCE, LIKE A GOOD EXAMPLE FOR US IS IF WE WANTED TO DO A SIX YEAR OR A FOUR YEAR PROGRAM, 2 78 BRIDGE, WE ALL ARE EXPERIENCING TODAY WILL NOT BE DONE IN FOUR YEARS.
SO IF THAT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE HAVE PROJECTS DONE IN THE SAME TIMELINE AND COLLECTION, AND MAYBE IT IS, MAYBE IT ISN'T, THOSE ARE THINGS TO THINK OF.
OR IF ONE'S, UM, COMPLETELY FILLING IN THE MARSH IN ORDER TO MAKE A CERTAIN PROJECT THAT THAT'S GONNA BE A CHALLENGE.
NOT COMPLETELY FILLING, BUT YOU HAVE MARSH IMPACTS.
THOSE ARE GONNA BE CHALLENGING PROJECTS TO DELIVER IF YOU HAVE A MAJOR UTILITY LINE, IF YOU HAVE MAJOR RIGHT OF WAY ACQUISITION.
THE PATHWAYS ON 2018 ALL HAD MAJOR RIGHT OF WAY CONCERNS AND THEY'RE, THEY'RE BEING A CHALLENGE RIGHT NOW TO DELIVER.
SO THOSE ARE A COUPLE ELEMENTS TO CONSIDER AS YOU'RE THINKING TIME.
AND TO ADD TO THAT, THEN I'LL GO TO MR. JONES.
LOOKING AT THAT COMMITTEE MEETING, THEY HAD THE SIMILAR CONCERNS.
THEIR, THEIR CONCERN WAS COLLECT AND WE'LL COLLECT IT QUICKLY.
WE MAY COLLECT IT BEFORE OUR DEADLINE OF YEARS IS UP, BUT WE MAY NOT HAVE STARTED PROJECTS BACK THEN.
SO THE REASON THEY WENT TO THE 10 IN THEORY WAS TO HAVE A LOT OF THE PROJECTS AND DIRT MOVING AND ORANGE CONES AROUND YEAR FOUR OR FIVE TO BE DOING THINGS BEFORE THE PENNY COLLECTION HAD ENDED.
AND I THOUGHT THAT WAS REALLY INTERESTING.
AND THEY WORRIED ABOUT, YOU KNOW, THE COUNTY USED TO HAVING A PENNY IN THE GURLEY, THE COUNTY RESIDENTS ARE USED TO A SHORTER PENNY PERIOD, BUT YOU SEE PROJECTS FROM 21, 22, 23, 24 TO TODAY THAT HAVEN'T BEEN DONE AND IT JUST KEEPS ADDING UP.
UM, MY CONCERN IS THIS, I HATE TAXES.
I DON'T KNOW ABOUT ANYBODY ELSE,
UM, AND WHATEVER WE DO, I THINK WE NEED TO HAVE THE TAX EXTEND OUT FOR THE GREATEST PERIOD OF TIME TO COLLECT THE MOST MONEY THAT WE CAN SO THAT WE DON'T GO BACK TO THE FOLKS.
BECAUSE IF NOT, YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE THE SUCKER PUNCH SYNDROME WHEN YOU ASK FOLKS TO, TO, TO PAY ANOTHER, UM, PENNY TAX.
OR AT THAT TIME IT MAY BE A NICKEL TAX OR A DIME TAX
BUT THEY, UH, WE NEED TO DO OUR DUE D DILIGENCE TO MAKE SURE THAT WE REALLY CONSIDER AN AMPLE TIME PERIOD THAT'S GOING TO COVER THE BIGGEST AMOUNT OF MONEY THAT WE FEEL THAT, AND WE LOOK NOW AND LOOK TOWARDS 20, 30 OR BEYOND THAT'S GOING TO COVER THESE PROJECTS SO THAT WE DON'T END UP GOING BACK TO THE FOLKS AGAIN AND HOPING THAT THEY WILL, YOU KNOW, VOTE ON, UH, ANOTHER TAX.
WHAT, SO YOUR NUMBER OF YEARS JUST TO GET THIS STARTED.
IS ANYONE AGAINST A 15 YEAR MS. ERICKSON? OH, YOU'RE AGAINST IT.
I HAVE MY HAND UP FOR SPEAKING.
I HAVE MY HAND UP FOR SPEAKING.
UH, IF I COULD, I'M GONNA ADDRESS MR. FRA BUT NOT LOOK AT 'EM SO THE AUDIENCE CAN HEAR ME.
SO AFTER, UH, THE 2324 BOND REFERENDUM FAILURE, UM, YOU MENTIONED SOME, SOME FORENSICS THAT WAS DONE, WORKSHOPS OR WHATEVER.
WHAT WAS THE TAKEAWAY OF THAT, THOSE WORKSHOPS AS FAR AS WHY IT FAILED? WHAT WAS THE BIGGEST TAKEAWAY THAT YOU CAN GIVE US AS GUIDANCE? UH, A COUPLE OF THINGS.
UM, THE SPECIFICITY OF PROJECTS.
UM, PROJECTS NOT BEING COMPLETE FROM 2018.
UM, PUBLIC SENTIMENT AND TRUST
[01:35:01]
OVERALL, NOT JUST COUNTY, BUT NATIONALLY.UM, AND SOME OF THE PROJECTS, SPECIFIC PROJECTS, THERE WAS SOME POLARIZING PROJECTS THAT PEOPLE WERE EITHER FOR OR AGAINST IN A BIG WAY.
AND, UM, THERE'S PROBABLY THREE OF THOSE.
AND THEN THE BRIDGE ON HILTON HEAD, IT WAS, IT WAS, UM, ADDED TO THAT BECAUSE IT WAS ASKING FOR MORE FUNDING ON THAT EXISTING PROJECT.
SO THOSE ARE PROBABLY THREE OR FOUR HIGHLIGHTS.
I JUST, A COUPLE OF OBSERVATIONS OF HAVING GONE THROUGH THIS ONCE BEFORE.
UH, I THINK THAT THE TWO
WHEN WE DID IT IN 22, THE CHAIRMAN CAME IN AND SAID, UH, I THINK IT WAS THE FIRST MEETING AND SAID IT WAS SOMETHING VERY SIGNIFICANT THAT IT HAPPENED YESTERDAY.
WHAT WAS IT? EVERYBODY JUST KINDA SAT AROUND AND HE SAID, WELL, THE PENNY SALES TAX WENT OFF AND NOBODY KNEW THAT.
SO THE REALITY IS THAT NOBODY KNOWS WHEN IT GOES ON AND GOES OFF.
IT'S JUST, YOU DON'T, YOU DON'T EVEN FEEL IT.
BUT THE PERCEPTION WHEN YOU COME UP WITH A NUMBER, LIKE $3 BILLION, UM, AND THE PERCEPTION THAT WHEN YOU COME UP WITH YOU PRESENT TO THE PUBLIC BY SAYING 20 YEARS OR 15 YEARS, MAKES IT INCREASINGLY UNACCEPTABLE.
AND SO THE, I GUESS THE, IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE PASS SOMETHING, AND I DON'T DISAGREE WITH THE GENTLEMAN, UH, BUT IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE PASS SOMETHING AND THE, AND IT'S EASIER TO PASS SOMETHING THAT IS MORE PALATABLE IS FOR A FEWER NUMBER OF YEARS AND FOR A LESSER AMOUNT OF MONEY FOR SPECIFIC PROJECTS AND GET THOSE DONE AS OPPOSED TO TRYING TO THROW SO MANY THINGS IN THERE AND MAKE IT AT A BIG PACKAGE AND HAVE IT FAIL AGAIN.
SO THE CHALLENGE WE HAVE IS WE NEEDED TO PASS SOMETHING BECAUSE OTHERWISE THE WHOLE PROCESS THAT WE'RE GOING THROUGH IS JUST FOR NAUGH.
SO I RESPECT WHAT YOU HAD POINTED OUT IN A LARGER ASK.
I, I SEE, UM, WHERE YOU'RE TRACKING THERE, BUT WHO'S GOING TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU DON'T COME BACK OUT WITH YOUR HANDS OPEN, ASKING FOR MORE MONEY FOR FIVE YEARS DOWN THE ROAD? I MEAN, I THINK THERE'S A HUGE PART OF, OF PEOPLE THAT, I MEAN, LIKE YOU WERE SAYING, A PROJECT THAT'S A LITTLE BIT SMALLER IN SCOPE, LESS IN MONEY COULD GAIN, UM, A LOT MORE TRUST BACK WITH THE PEOPLE THAN PUTTING SOME PIE IN THE SKY, UH, NUMBER OUT THERE.
AND PEOPLE WILL SHUT DOWN AND, AND I MEAN, HILTON HEAD PAYS MOST OF THE TAX THEY DO.
AND SO, UM, IT WAS KIND OF SHOCKING TO SEE NUMBER FIVE WITH NOTHING ABOUT HILTON HEAD.
UM, BUT THAT'S TELLING OF THE COUNTY COUNCIL.
WHAT IS YOUR YEAR THAT YOU THINK, IF YOU TWO RAISED YOUR HAND, WHAT IS A YEAR? WHAT'S THE NUMBER OF YEARS THAT Y'ALL ARE THINKING? 3, 7, 6.
I'M JUST TRYING TO GET A NUMBER.
SEVEN WOULD RAISE CONSERVATIVELY $672 MILLION.
I WOULD START SMALL FIVE RAISES 460 BEFORE WE GET GRANTS OR ANY DIFFERENCE THAT COULD BE COLLECTED IF WE HAVE A BOOM TOURIST YEAR.
ARE YOU THINKING FIVE, FOUR OR FIVE MAYBE.
IT DEPENDS UPON WHAT WE'RE REALLY LOOKING, WE JUST HAVEN'T DUG INTO EVERYTHING YET.
BUT MR. STANFORD, DIDN'T YOU? YES.
A MAJOR TAKEAWAY FROM A MAJOR TAKEAWAY FROM, UH, THE FAILURE IN 22 TO ME WAS THE EDUCATION OF THE PUBLIC ABOUT WHAT WAS IN THE PROGRAM, WHAT HAD HAPPENED WITH PRIOR, UH, UH, PENNIES.
UH, I MEAN THE, THE WORD WAS OUT.
THEY HAVEN'T SPENT ALL THE MONEY YET THAT WE GOT FROM 2018 THAT COULD HAVE BEEN HANDLED BY POINTING OUT THAT ALL OF THAT MONEY HAD BEEN ALLOCATED TO SPECIFIC PROJECTS AND WAS FOR ALL PRACTICAL PURPOSES SPENT.
IT'S JUST BECAUSE OF THE DELAYS HAVING TO DO WITH PROCESSING AND PERMITS AND ALL THE REST.
THOSE PROJECTS HADN'T BEEN DONE.
SO I THINK IT'S VERY IMPORTANT THAT THIS COMMITTEE EMPHASIZED, UH, TO THE COUNTY, UH, THE IMPORTANCE OF EDUCATION GOING FORWARD.
NOW, WITH REGARD TO YOUR QUESTION, I WOULD SAY SIX TO EIGHT YEARS.
IF WE GET SOMETHING DONE TONIGHT,
[01:40:01]
IF WE CAN COME UP WITH WHAT WE WOULD AGREE ON, I THEN I THINK THE PROCESS GETS REALLY SIMPLIFIED TO ME, EVEN THOUGH I'M OVERWHELMED.UM, JUDGE, I'M SORRY JUDGE KLEIN'S BEEN TRYING TO INTERRUPT.
JUDGE KLEIN, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
HOW HAD THE EXPERIENCE FOURTH GENERATION ON SUCCESS WILL PROBABLY DO A SAY THAT AN I CAN'T EVEN UNDERSTAND WHAT MADE SUCCESS IF WAS BROUGHT UP SEVERAL TIMES.
NUMBER ONE, HAVING A
I THINK WHAT I'M SUGGESTING IS THAT WE HAVE TO THE SO FREQUENTLY, YOU KNOW, NO LESS THAN 10, I THINK YOU SAID NO LESS THAN 10.
YOU DID YOU SAY NO LESS THAN 10.
JUDGE KLON THE FACT THAT MOST THE MONEY, YOU CANNOT SPEND THE MONEY ON SOMETHING THAT IS NOT DEFINE IN SEVERAL.
MY SUGGESTION IS LET US LOOK AT WEALTH.
HOW MUCH MONEY CAN WE ESTIMATE FROM COMING FROM 10 YEARS AND BROKE DOWN FROM THAT AS A OKAY, THANK YOU.
I'M, WHO SAID FOUR TO FIVE YEARS? WHO, WHO SAID FOUR TO FIVE? I'M PUTTING IT ON OUR ROLL CALL.
AND THEN WHO SAID SIX TO EIGHT STANFORD.
UM, AND JUST TRYING TO GET EVERYONE'S THOUGHTS.
IF WE CAN LEAVE HERE AND HAVE AT LEAST WE CAN CHEW ON ALL THESE PROJECTS, IF WE ALL AGREE ON A TIMEFRAME, I THINK THAT'S A BIG STEP FORWARD.
MR. FREEMAN AND THEN YOU, MR. PERRY.
SO MY, MY NUMBER'S 10 BY THE WAY.
WHO ARE YOU POINTING AT? MR. TRASK CAN TRY TO, OH, I'M SORRY.
I, I HAVE A DIFFERENT POINT OF VIEW.
I WANT TO ASK JARED A QUESTION.
UH, WHAT DID CHARLESTON APPROVE DURATION WISE? THEY HAVEN'T APPROVED ANYTHING YET.
UM, THEY'RE, THEY'RE, THEIRS IS A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT.
THEY HAVE A HALF PENNY AND A HALF PENNY.
SO TO EQUAL TWO SEPARATE ONES TO EQUAL A PENNY.
THEY'RE BOTH 25 YEAR INCREMENTS.
THE FIRST HALF PENNY IS ROLLING OFF AND THEY'RE LOOKING TO GO OUT FOR A NEW HALF YEAR.
PENNY WAS THERE A FOR 25 YEARS? FOR 25 YEARS.
THAT WAS, THAT WAS WHAT I, THAT WAS THE POINT I WANTED TO TRY TO MAKE.
I, I THINK WE NEED TO GO FOR THE MAXIMUM AMOUNT OF TIME.
I THINK WE NEED TO RAISE THE MAXIMUM AMOUNT OF MONEY THAT WE POSSIBLY CAN.
AS FAR AS EDUCATION IS CONCERNED.
THE COUNTY DOES NEED TO EXPLAIN WHY THE 2018 PROJECTS HAVE NOT BEEN COMPLETED.
THAT GOES A LONG WAY TOWARDS EDUCATION.
THEY NEED TO EXPLAIN SPECIFICALLY WHAT'S GONE ON AND WHY THOSE PROJECTS HAVE NOT BEEN COMPLETED.
UM, I THINK THAT THE BEST EDUCATION IS TRYING TO DRIVE ON ONE 70 AT, AT THE CATHOLIC SCHOOL IN THE MORNING.
I MEAN, EVERYONE UNDERSTAND, EVERYONE COUNTYWIDE UNDERSTANDS.
THE TWO GENTLEMEN THAT SPOKE AT OUR, UH, THE CITY OF BEAUFORT MEETING, ONE OF THEM WAS TALKING ABOUT THIS LADY'S ISLAND DRIVE, CAT ISLAND SITUATION.
HE SPOKE TO ME PERSONALLY ABOUT IT AND I WENT OUT AND, AND MET WITH HIM.
THE OTHER GENTLEMAN, UH, WAS TALKING ABOUT MIDDLE ROAD.
SO THESE PEOPLE IN THEIR RESPECTIVE NEIGHBORHOODS RECOGNIZE THAT THEY'VE GOT A SERIOUS PROBLEM.
THE BYPASS, AS THE COLONEL EXPLAINED, DOES NOT EXIST IN THE CITY OF BEAUFORT.
I CAN'T SPEAK TO THE HILTON HEAD.
ISSUES ARE REALLY THE BLUFFTON ISSUES.
BUT THERE ARE AMPLE EXAMPLES, LEGITIMATE EXAMPLES OF IMPROVEMENTS THAT NEED TO BE MADE.
SO MY VIEWPOINT IS GO FOR THE 25 YEARS AND GO FOR THE MAXIMUM AMOUNT OF MONEY THAT WE CAN GET.
[01:45:01]
WANT IT TO FAIL.IF IT DOES FAIL, THEN WE'RE GONNA BRING IT UP AGAIN IN ANOTHER TWO YEARS AND SOONER OR LATER PEOPLE ARE GONNA UNDERSTAND THAT WE'VE GOTTA RAISE THESE FUNDS AND THAT'S THE WAY WE SHOULD PROCEED IN MY VIEW.
HAVE YOU AT 25, I'M GONNA GO TO MR. FREEMAN, THEN I'M GONNA GO TO MR. FOREST.
AND I APOLOGIZE, I KNEW YOU WERE YOUR FINGERS UP MR. FREEMAN AND I HAVE 10 YEARS FOR YOU.
WELL, AND I I I'M NOT AGAINST 25.
SO, UH, THAT SOUNDS LIKE GOOD LOGIC.
'CAUSE YOU KNOW, YOU NEED TO MAKE SURE YOU HAVE ENOUGH FUNDS TO COMPLETE THESE PROJECTS.
'CAUSE THERE'S A BIG PRICE TAG WITH IT.
UH, ONE POINT OF CLARIFICATION, IF I MIGHT, UM, SO THE, THE 18 LIST THAT IS ON THE COUNTY, BRIAN, IF I COULD ASK THIS TO YOU SPECIFICALLY, I'M, I'M SORRY TO CALL YOU OUT THE 18 THAT IS HERE AGAIN, PLEASE HELP ME UNDERSTAND.
SO THESE ARE JUST UNINCORPORATED PROJECTS THAT WERE NOT INCLUDED BY ANY OTHER MUNICIPALITY OR ANY OTHER DISTRICT.
BUT THIS, THIS IS WHERE THEY ARE.
THAT THAT'S WHAT YOU, Y'ALL DID OUR PRIORITIES AND THEY'RE ON THAT MASTER TALKING.
IT'S NOT THAT THESE ARE BEING EXCLUDED.
AND I MENTIONED, SOMEBODY MENTIONED HILTON ED.
THEY'RE ALREADY HERE, RIGHT? YES.
IS THERE A WAY TO NOTE THESE ON THIS BY ANOTHER COLUMN IF IT'S NOT COLOR? 'CAUSE IT'S GONNA BE A DIFFERENT COLOR.
'CAUSE YOU REPRESENT THREE COLOR CODES.
SO I DIDN'T PUT IN WHAT ONES WERE PRIORITIZED BY THE COUNTY.
BUT IF A PROJECT WAS RECOMMENDED BY A MUNICIPALITY THAT IS CALLED OUT ON THERE AND IT SAYS WHAT THE MUNICIPALITY WAS.
I'M SORRY, IS THE WORDING THE SAME, LIKE ONE 70 WIDENING 4 62 TO 2 78? IS THAT THE EXACT WORDING THAT'S ON THIS LIST? WE CAN CHECK THAT AND MAKE SURE, MAYBE THAT HELPS.
IF I COULD ALSO ASK THAT, IF YOU COULD HAVE LIKE NUMBER 12, IT SAYS NUMBER 12 HERE.
THAT WAY YOU CAN SAY THAT THAT IS RIGHT THERE.
JUST AS A CLARIFICATION FOR THANK YOU MR. FOREST.
BEFORD COUNTY IS NOT CHARLESTON COUNTY OR OR E COUNTY.
TO ME, ANYTHING MORE THAN 10 YEARS IS DOA.
AND BELIEVE IT OR NOT, MY OPINION IS THIS IS THE EASY PART.
DECIDING ON THE NUMBER OF YEARS AND THE MONEY THAT COMES WITH THAT.
THE RIO HARANG IS GONNA START WHEN WE START TALKING ABOUT WHAT PROJECTS WE'RE GONNA PUT IN NO MATTER HOW MANY YEARS IN MONEY IS THERE.
SO THAT'S GONNA BE THE REAL EFFORT.
AND LIKE I SAY, ANYTHING MORE THAN 10 DOA.
UM, ONE AT THE COUNCIL, COUNTY COUNCIL MEETING LAST MONDAY, I THINK IT WAS.
ANYWAY, THEY DID, UH, APPROVE, UH, THE GOING FORWARD WITH EDUCATION.
AND THAT WAS SUPPOSED TO HAVE BEEN, ACCORDING TO THE INFORMATION THAT I HAD, THAT WAS SUPPOSED TO HAVE THE RFP WAS SUPPOSED TO HAVE BEEN PREPARED, NOT TODAY.
AND IT WAS SUPPOSED TO GO OUT TODAY WITH I THINK ABOUT A TWO WEEK TURNAROUND TIME.
I DON'T KNOW WHETHER THAT HAPPENED.
I SEE MR. PASSMAN SHAKING HIS HEAD.
SO THERE IS A, UH, A, A REGIMENTED, HOPEFULLY REGIMENTED, UM, WAY THAT WE ARE GONNA GO ABOUT, UH, GETTING PROFESSIONAL HELP, UH, TO
HELP TO ENHANCE THE EDUCATIONAL CHALLENGE THAT WE HAVE.
AND ONE OF THE EDUCATIONAL CHALLENGES WE HAVE IS, AS WE'VE ALL POINTED OUT, UH, UH, THE, THE, THE, THE APPARENT, IT'S NOT FAILURE REALLY.
UM,
IT'S JUST HASN'T BEEN SPENT YET.
UH, AND THERE A LOT OF GOOD REASONS FOR THAT, AT LEAST AS TO THE BRIDGE PROJECT.
I, I WOULD, THE, THE ONLY THING I WOULD SUGGEST IS TURN TO EXHIBIT FIVE AGAIN.
UH, AND YOU'VE GOT, YOU, YOU'VE GOT A STRAW MAN THERE THAT PRESENTS SOME MEASURE OF CERTAINTY.
'CAUSE YOU'VE GOT, IF I'M READING THIS CORRECTLY, UH, YOU, YOU'VE GOT EIGHT YEARS AND YOU KNOW THAT IN EIGHT YEARS, IF YOU HAVE A 1 CENT SALES TAX, YOU'RE GONNA RAISE $775 MILLION A LITTLE BIT MORE.
UH, AND I WOULD SUGGEST TO THE GROUP, UH, THAT WE USE THAT AS A STRAW MAN TO, TO SEE WHAT WE CAN DO FOR $775 MILLION.
AND IF THERE ARE OTHER PROJECTS THAT FIT OUTSIDE OF THAT, THEN WE CAN EITHER GO LONGER OR WE CAN RAISE THE MONEY.
BUT AT LEAST WE HAVE A STARTING POINT OR A BOX, UH, THAT WE CAN PUT THINGS IN AND SEE WHAT WE COME UP WITH AND HOW HEAVY THE BOX IS AND WHETHER WE'RE GOING TO BE ABLE TO DO THE LIFT, UM, TO GET IT OVER THE LINE.
BECAUSE I, HAVING DONE THIS ONCE BEFORE, WITH ALL DUE RESPECT, I THINK IF YOU COME OUT WITH 10 YEARS OF ANYTHING MORE THAN 10 YEARS, UM, YOU'RE DOA, IT'S, IT'S, IT'S, IT'S, IT IS JUST, IT PRESENTS
[01:50:01]
ITSELF AS A PERCEPTION THAT'S HARD NO MATTER WHAT YOU DO IN EDUCATION.IT'S A PERCEPTION THAT'S HARD TO GRASP WHEN IN
AND THE IRONY IS THAT WHEN IN POINT IN FACT NOBODY KNOWS.
WHEN YOU SENSE WHEN ONE PENNY SALES TAX GOES ON OR OFF.
SO THAT'S A GOOD COMPROMISE AND IT'S A GOOD POINT OF HOW TO GO.
AND IT GIVES SOME INSTRUCTION TO Y'ALL FOR THE NEXT MEETING.
IS THERE ANYONE AGAINST STARTING WITH EIGHT? I I DON'T THINK WE CAN GO BELOW EIGHT.
BUT IF WE STARTED WITH EIGHT, LOOKED AT THE MONEY, ASKED THE QUESTIONS OF WHAT CAN BE UTILIZED TO GET MORE, WE MEET, GIVE STAFF THE INSTRUCTION ON WHAT ARE THE PROJECTS, THE BIG PROJECT, AND WHAT ARE SOME OF THESE THAT WILL TOUCH EVERY PART OF OUR COUNTY'S CITIZENS.
AND IF WE SEE THAT NUMBER IS 900 MILLION, WE MIGHT HAVE TO GO TO NINE YEARS OR 10 YEARS.
I MEAN, I THINK THAT'S A GOOD STARTING POINT IF Y'ALL AREN'T AGAINST IT.
'CAUSE WE HAVE A RANGE OF 25 YEARS DOWN TO, UH, FOUR MADAM CHAIR M AND THEN YOU.
WELL, IF LOOKING AT EIGHT YEARS OF PROJECTING 775 MILLION, THAT'S AVERAGE ABOUT 97.
UM, I'M NINE 970 MILLION A UH, A YEAR.
THEY'VE GOT 1.35 BILLION PROJECTED.
THAT'S TODAY'S PROJECTS NOT FIVE YEARS FROM NOW PROJECTS.
SO HOW, I MEAN, WE'RE NOT EVEN FORECASTING BEYOND TODAY, RIGHT? SO, YOU KNOW, WHY ARE WE LOOKING SO SHORT? SO I KNOW WE HAVE TO GET THIS PASSED.
UM, BUT YOU TAKE THE AMOUNT OF MONEY OVER, YOU KNOW, THAT 99 70, THAT'S 14 YEARS TO PAY OFF WHAT WE HAVE ALREADY PUT ON THE BOOKS AS NEEDED.
SO I DON'T, I DON'T KNOW HOW WE COULD JUST GO INTO THIS AND SAY SIX TO EIGHT YEARS WHEN WE KNOW WE'RE ALREADY BEHIND.
WE, WE NEED TO LOOK AS WHETHER IT'S 10 OR 25.
I THINK WE NEED TO PROJECT IT OUT AS FAR AS WE CAN.
WELL, WE CANNOT DO EVERY PROJECT THE COUNT, THEY'LL ALL LEAVE US.
I DON'T THINK WE CAN DO EVERY PROJECT ON THIS LIST.
BUT WHAT'S HIGHLIGHT, WHAT'S THAT 1 BILLION NUMBER IS WHAT'S HIGHLIGHTED.
AND PART OF THE HIGHLIGHTS IS A NUMBER OF 693 MILLION, WHICH I HAVEN'T LOOKED AT WHAT THAT TAB, WHAT THAT INCORPORATES.
SO IT'S A LARGE, THERE'S SOME LARGE NUMBERS ON THIS LIST THAT REFLECT THIS NUMBER.
AND LET ME GET MR. JONES AND THEN I'LL GO BACK TO YOU.
I THINK THE KEY AND ESSENTIAL POINT HERE IS OUTCOMES, OUTCOMES, OUTCOMES.
THE BOTTOM LINE OF IT IS, IS WHATEVER DOLLAR AMOUNT THAT'S SET, WE'VE GOT TO BE, WELL, WE, UM, THE COUNTY'S GOT TO BE ABLE TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY HAVE SOMETHING THAT FOLKS CAN ACTUALLY PUT THEIR HANDS ON, SMELL IT, TASTE IT.
IF YOU WANT TO REACH DOWN THAT LOW.
AND, BUT SOMETHING THAT, THAT PEOPLE CAN, UH, SAY, OKAY, I UNDERSTAND THAT'S, THIS IS WHERE MY MONEY AT MM-HMM
REGARDLESS OF, OF WHAT, HOW MANY YEARS WE'VE GOT TO, YOU'VE GOT TO HAVE SOME KIND OF OUTCOMES AND NOT JUST ONE OR TWO SMALL THINGS, BUT SOMETHING THAT PEOPLE CAN ACTUALLY HANG THEIR HATS ON TO SAY THAT THIS IS WHAT WE DID WITH THE TAX MONEY BECAUSE OTHER THAN THAT, WE'RE GONNA BE BACK AT TO THE POINT AND AGAIN, IT IS GONNA FAIL.
GRADY, WHAT'S YOUR NUMBER OF YEARS? UH, THAT'S OKAY.
WHAT WAS YOUR NUMBER? YEARS OVER 10 MINIMUM.
I, I ABSOLUTELY 10 YEARS MINIMUM.
I'D LIKE TO, SO A MAXIMUM AMOUNT.
I'D LIKE TO SEE IT LONGER, BUT I WOULD SAY 10 YEARS MINIMUM.
UM, A COUPLE OF THINGS, UH, I DID SPEAK TO MR. MOORE AT SO LOCO THAT WAS HERE AND THEY DID PASS IT.
DO Y'ALL WANNA SPEAK TO WHAT IT'S GONNA BE TOWARDS ONCE THE RFP IS OUT OR CAN YOU, AND IS IT FOR EDUCATION AND ADVOCACY? OR JUST EDUCATION? I CAN SPEAK TO THAT.
SO COUNTY COUNCIL, I'LL LET HIM SPEAK TO THE COUNTY COUNCIL, TO THE EDUCATION THAT WAS JUST ASKED.
COUNTY COUNCIL DIRECTED ADMINISTRATION, MR. MOORE AND STAFF TO ADVERTISE FOR EDUCATION CAMPAIGN.
SO NOT ADVOCATION, BUT EDUCATION.
SO WHAT HAVE WE DONE WITH THE PENNY OF THE TWO, 2018? HOW MUCH HAS BEEN COLLECTED, WHAT'S BEEN SPENT, WHAT'S BEEN ALLOCATED, UM, TO TRY TO, TO TRY TO BATTLE THE MISINFORMATION THAT'S OUT THERE AND CORRECT THE, THE RECORD STRAIGHT.
UM, WHAT THAT DOESN'T INCLUDE IS VOTE YES FOR A NEW PENNY.
SO THAT WOULD NOT BE INCLUDED IN THIS.
SO THE RFP IS EITHER OUT ALREADY OR SOON TO BE OUT THIS WEEK
[01:55:01]
AND IT WILL COME BACK TO COUNTY COUNCIL IN A COUPLE OF WEEKS FOR THEM TO, WELL, MAY NOT HAVE TO GO BACK TO COUNTY COUNCIL DEPENDING ON THE PROCUREMENT THRESHOLD, BUT IT'S OUT AND THAT FIRM WILL BE REVIEWED, SELECTED AND ONBOARDED IN THE NEAR FUTURE.AND I CAN'T SUGGEST ENOUGH IF WE WOULD GET WITH MR. PERRY.
'CAUSE HE'S WILLING TO COME UP WITH GOOD FEEDBACK FOR THIS GROUP.
UM, AND I'LL TELL YOU, I MET WITH, UM, MR. FREEMAN AND VAN WILLIS AND VAN DRIVES VAN'S TOUCHED BY ONE 70.
'CAUSE HE DRIVES TO JOHN PAUL TWO AND HE WAS GONNA HAVE SIGNS MADE UP.
ARE YOU TIRED OF THIS? ARE, YOU KNOW, SO THERE ARE PEOPLE OUT HERE HAVE GOOD IDEAS, BUT I'D URGE Y'ALL IF WE DON'T WANNA MEET MR. PERRY KINDLY SUGGESTED HE KIND OF TAKE OWNERSHIP OF IT, SEND HIM THE IDEAS, AND WE CAN PUT 'EM ALL TOGETHER AND SEND 'EM TO THE COUNTY TO GIVE TO THIS GROUP.
THE, THE LAST PENNY, AND I DON'T KNOW ABOUT TWO PENNIES BEFORE WE HAD A TOTALLY DIFFERENT ADMINISTRATION, WE HAD A TOTALLY DIFFERENT COUNCIL AND I DON'T BELIEVE THEY FELT THE NEED TO PAY FOR THE EDUCATION.
I THOUGHT I HEARD THAT IN THE VIDEO.
IF I'M WRONG, Y'ALL TELL ME I'M WRONG.
AND I LOVE THIS COUNCIL HAS UNDERSTOOD, THEY'VE LOOKED IN THE MIRROR WHETHER THEY WERE THERE OR NOT, AND THEY REALIZED WE'VE GOT TO EDUCATE.
SO I, I MET WITH A VERY COMMON NAME THAT YOU WOULD HEAR IN BEAUFORT.
UM, AND SHE TOLD ME, SHE GOES, I'M VOTING NO.
I SAID, WHY? BECAUSE I VOTED NO LAST TIME.
I SAID, NO, I'M GONNA COME SIT WITH YOU AND WE'RE GONNA TALK.
BECAUSE YOU CAN'T JUST DO THAT BASED OFF OF OLD INFORMATION.
BUT SHE IS THE REPRESENTATIVE OF OUR COUNTY RIGHT NOW BASED OFF OF THE CHATTER OF THE 18 PENNY.
SO WE GOT A LOT OF WORK TO DO.
AND DO I HAVE YOUR NUMBERS? I NEED YOUR NUMBERS.
YOU WERE THE FOUR TO SIX? YES.
AND WHAT WERE YOU EIGHT QUESTION.
UM, HOW MUCH, WHAT IS THE ALLOTMENT OF MONEY THAT IS PROJECTED FOR MARKETING? THE, UM, TAX REFERENDUM AND UM, SORRY.
AND UM, WHERE'S THE MONEY COMING FROM? I SAW SOME OF THE COUNCIL MEETING AND THERE WERE THINGS THROWN AROUND, SO I WAS JUST WONDERING.
UM, YOU KNOW, DOLLARS AND CENTS.
THAT'S WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT.
SO I'D REALLY LIKE TO KNOW, AND I THINK THE PUBLIC WOULD LIKE TO KNOW AS WELL THAT THAT IS OUT OF OUR PURVIEW.
BUT I THINK IT'S GOOD TO KNOW WE, IT WOULDN'T COME OUT OF OUR PENNY FOR ANY REASON.
NO, THIS WOULD, AND EDUCATION CAN BE DONE BY ELECTED OFFICIALS.
AND THAT, UH, THE EDUCATION THAT I JUST DESCRIBED IS GENERAL FUND MONEY OUT OF COUNCIL'S CONTINGENCY THAT THEY HAVE IN THEIR OPERATING BUDGET FOR THIS FISCAL YEAR.
UH, WE DON'T HAVE THE FINALIZED PRICING BACK, BUT IT'S IN THE THOUSANDS TO A HUNDRED, A THOUSAND, NOT MILLIONS OF DOLLAR TYPE BUDGETS.
A 50, A HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS RANGE ISH.
WOULD YOU LET US KNOW WHEN THAT, WHEN THAT COMES BACK IN? JUST SO THE GROUP WOULD KNOW? I THINK THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION.
NOW, ADVOCACY IS A WHOLE DIFFERENT THING, WHICH WE KNOW IT CAN'T BE DONE BY ELECTED OFFICIALS.
I DON'T THINK IT COULD BE DONE BY US EITHER.
I THINK THE KEY IS, THE WORD IS ED, IS, UM, EDUCATION.
EDUCATION, WHICH I THINK WE, WE KNOW WE ALL NEEDED IT.
SO I, JERRY IS NOT HERE, BUT I KNOW JERRY REEVES HAS SAID THE MAXIMUM.
SO I KNOW THAT'S HOW HE FEELS.
UM, JOY, MS. COE? UM, I WOULD SAY, UH, SIX TO EIGHT, PROBABLY EIGHT.
AND I HAVE A QUESTION ON THAT.
IF, IF YOU NORMALLY HOW YOU DO THE TAXES, YOU SAY IT'S EIGHT YEARS RX AMOUNT.
CAN IT JUST BE FLAT? EIGHT YEARS BECAUSE WE OVER, I MEAN, BECAUSE THAT HAPPENED ON THE 20, THE GREEN SPACE MONEY.
THE STATUTE AS IT'S WRITTEN FOR TRANSPORTATION IS EITHER OR.
SO IF YOU SAY EIGHT YEARS AND 800 MILLION, WHICH EVERYONE GETS THERE.
SO IF WE COLLECT 800 MILLION AND THAT'S NOT THE RIGHT NUMBER, BUT 800 MILLION IN SIX YEARS, THEN THE TAX COMES OFF.
IF WE GET TO EIGHT YEARS AND WE HAVEN'T COLLECTED, WE'D ONLY COLLECTED 700 MILLION, THE TAX COMES OFF.
SO IT'S EITHER, THAT'S EITHER STATE LAW, STATE STATUTE.
SO, SO YOU CAN'T JUST KEEP COLLECTING TILL THE END OF THE, BECAUSE I ACTUALLY CALLED, I'M, I, I CHECKED WHEN, BECAUSE I, I WORKED FOR A COMPANY THAT CHARGES SALES TAX AND IT WAS SUPPOSED TO END BACK IN NOVEMBER THE 22 AND, OR DECEMBER 31ST.
WELL, IT DIDN'T, AND I CHANGED ALL MY RATES JANUARY 1ST AND THEN HAD TO LIKE, CHANGE 'EM BACK.
BUT, UM, I CALLED THE DEPARTMENT OF REVENUE AND THEY ACTUALLY SAID, OH NO, IT GOES TO THE END OF APRIL.
AND I SAID, NO, I THINK IT'S EITHER OR.
AND SHE SAID, WELL, THAT'S NOT THE WAY I'VE BEEN INSTRUCTED.
[02:00:01]
I'M JUST ASKING THE QUESTION, WHAT HAPPENS IF YOU, BECAUSE WE DID OVER COLLECT.SO WHAT HAPPENS TO THAT? WHAT HAPPENED THERE IS, UM, THE DOR SENDS OUT A NOTIFICATION TO BUSINESS OWNERS WHEN TO TURN IT ON AND WHEN TO TURN IT OFF.
SO IF YOU HAVE A CASH REGISTER, THAT'S HOW THAT'S, AND THEN, UM, THEY'LL SEND A NOTIFICATION, THEY ONLY TURN IT OFF AT THE END OF A QUARTER.
SO SAY IF YOU COLLECTED IT AT THE BEGINNING OF A QUARTER, YOU'VE GOT TWO AND A HALF MONTHS LEFT BEFORE DOR SAYS STOP.
AND THEN ONCE THEY SAY STOP, UM, IT'S UP TO THE, THE BUSINESS OWNER TO RATCHET IT BACK DOWN AT THE CASH REGISTER.
SO WHAT HAPPENED IN 2018? UM, IT STOPPED RIGHT AT THE BEGINNING OF A QUARTER.
SO WE GOT TWO AND A HALF MONTHS OF EXTRA COLLECTION AND THEN THEY TOLD EVERYBODY STOP.
AND THEN SOME PEOPLE STOPPED AND SOME PEOPLE KEPT COLLECTING.
AND WE HAD PROBABLY FOR A YEAR TAILINGS OF PEOPLE OF COLLECTIONS THAT WERE STILL COLLECTED.
SO ULTIMATELY $120 MILLION WAS SUPPOSED TO BE COLLECTED IN FOUR YEARS.
IT WAS COLLECTED IN TWO AND A HALF YEARS.
BUT BY THE TIME THE TAILINGS PEOPLE QUIT TURNING IT OFF AT THE REGISTER, WE HAD COLLECTED 146 MILLION.
SO WHAT HAPPENED TO THE OVERAGE? SO THAT, THAT OVER COLLECTION WENT TO PROJECTS? WE OBVIOUSLY HAD PROJECTS THAT WERE ESCALATED COSTS.
SO IT JUST GOT ADDED TO THE PROJECTS THAT ARE WITHIN THE PROJECT.
SO THAT IS, IT CAUSED IT OUT IN STATE STATUTE TO HANDLE IT AS, AS WE DID.
SO WE HAVE EVERYONE THAT'S HERE AND I DID PUT JERRY, 'CAUSE I KNOW JERRY WAS LIKE 15 PLUS.
UM, I MEAN IT AVERAGES OUT TO ABOUT A 12 YEAR, 10 TO 12 YEARS.
JUDGE THAT JUDGE KLINE, JUDGE KLINE, UM, NO, HE SAID NOT LESS THAN 10.
SO JUDGE KLINE SAID NOT LESS THAN SIR.
UM, I MEAN IT AVERAGES OUT TO ABOUT 12 YEARS KNOWING PEOPLE FEEL LIKE IT'S GONNA FAIL.
BUT THEN KNOWING EVERYONE'S GONNA WANNA COVER
I THINK EVERY CITIZEN IN THIS TOWN RIDES ONE 70.
THEY COME FROM BEAUFORT, THEY'RE GOING TO SAVANNAH.
SO THAT'S CITIZENS IN BEAUFORT, IN PORT ROYAL, YOU HAVE PEOPLE ON HILTON HEAD LEAVING, GOING WHEREVER YOU THERE'S IS TOUCH IN EVERY CITIZEN THAT RESPONDS TO EVERY SURVEY THAT IS FRUSTRATED WITH OUR TRANSPORTATION.
THAT COULD BE 350 MILLION PLUS OF THIS MONEY.
BUT THAT DOES LEAVE US WITH HILTON HEAD PROJECTS, BEAUFORT PROJECTS, PORT ROYAL PROJECTS, UNINCORPORATED PROJECTS, UM, BLUFFTON PROJECTS, WHICH REALLY JUST FOLLOWED LATS.
UM, IT COULD MAKE US REALIZE WE GOTTA GO UP AND IT COULD MAKE US REALIZE WE CAN GO DOWN.
SO I GUESS I'M ASKING, ARE WE OKAY TO GIVE THEM DIRECTION ON, WHAT DID I SAY, 10 YEARS? MADAM CHAIRMAN? YES, SIR.
AT ONE POINT I THINK THERE MAY BE A LITTLE BIT OF FLEXIBILITY HERE AND THAT I THINK, JARED, YOU CAN CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG, YOU CAN SAY X NUMBER OF DOLLARS.
SO IN THIS CASE, IF YOU LOOK AT, I'M JUST LOOKING AT THE NUMBERS.
IF YOU PROJECTED OUT IT'S ABOUT A MILLION, ABOUT A BILLION DOLLARS, UH, AND 10 YEARS, UH, WHICH WHICHEVER COMES FIRST.
SO IF YOU RAISE THE X NUMBER OF DOLLARS IN LESS THAN 10 YEARS, THAT CUTS IT OFF.
IT DOESN'T NECESSARILY MEAN THAT IT GOES 10 YEARS, BUT YOU HAVE THAT FLEXIBILITY TO BE ABLE TO SAY X UP TO 10 YEARS OR, OR, OR, OR WHENEVER YOU GET TO THAT NUMBER.
AND I THINK YOU HAVE AN ILLUSTRATION OF HOW THAT MIGHT WORK WITH THE 2018 TAX.
WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS? WHAT, WHAT'S GOING ON IN CHARLESTON IS A GOOD EXAMPLE.
SO THEY HAD A LONG YEAR HORIZON, 25 YEAR HALF PENNY.
AND THEIR FIRST ONE WAS DONE IN 2004.
SO IT WOULD BE SET TO EXPIRE IN 2029.
WELL, THEY'RE OVER COLLECTING.
THEY'VE GOT MORE GROWTH OVER THE LAST 20 YEARS THAN THEY ANTICIPATED.
SO IT'S ANTICIPATED THAT THAT COLLECTION EXPIRES IN 2027.
IT'LL THE EITHER OR WILL SET IN EARLY.
WELL, KNOWING THAT THEY ALREADY HAD FORECASTED THAT A COUPLE YEARS AGO THEY WENT FOR A PENNY IN 2024 AND YOU CAN APPROVE THE PENNY AND HAVE IT SITTING READY GO.
SO IF IT EXPIRED IN 27, THEY HAD THREE YEARS LEFT, BUT IT WOULD'VE BEEN READY, SIT AND GO, IT FAILED IN 24.
SO THEY'RE DOING IT AGAIN IN 26, JUST LIKE WE ARE.
[02:05:01]
THAT 27, THE ORIGINAL HALF PENNY ROLLS OFF THIS, WHAT THEY PASSED NOW WILL JUST CONTINUE AND THERE WILL BE NO YO-YO EFFECT.UM, SO THAT'S WHAT THEY'RE DOING.
YOU, YOU KIND OF NEED A LITTLE BIT OF LEAD IN A LONGER TIME TO FORECAST THAT.
BECAUSE FOR INSTANCE, IN THE FOUR YEAR 2018, WE HAD NO IDEA THAT IT WOULD COLLECT THAT FAST.
SO IN TWO AND A HALF YEARS WE WEREN'T PREPARED AT AN ACCOUNT LEVEL TO GO BACK FOR ANOTHER PENNY AT THE CONCLUSION OF TWO AND A HALF YEARS.
UM, SO HAVING A, A LITTLE BIT LONGER RUNWAY GIVES COUNTY COUNCIL THE OPPORTUNITY TO REACT BECAUSE IN A PERFECT WORLD WE'VE GOT MORE INFRASTRUCTURE THAN WE HAVE MONEY.
SO THEN PERFECT WORLD WITH A PENNY, YOU WOULD HAVE A CONTINUATION WITHOUT THE GOING UP AND DOWN.
UM, YOU JUST KEEP THAT CONSTANT.
SO, AND THAT WAS THE MINDSET OF THE 24 GROUP TO GET AHEAD OF OUR SKIS WHERE YEAR THREE OR FOUR, YOU'RE STARTING TO SEE PROJECTS START, UM, AND YOU'RE GOING THROUGH THEM BY THE TIME YOU GET TO THE END.
I, I I'M ON THE GROUP OF LARGER, I'M KIND OF 10 TO 12 ONLY BECAUSE I LISTENED TO THAT MEETING AND IT REALLY MADE SENSE TO ME LISTENING TO SIX BUSINESS PEOPLE REALLY THINK ABOUT EVERY END FROM FRI TO HILTON, HEAD TO BLUFFTON, YOU KNOW, TO BEAUFORT.
AND THEIR COMMENT WAS IT, THE REASON IT FAILED WASN'T THE NUMBER OF YEARS, IT WAS THE VAGUENESS OF THE PROJECTS, BUT THEY WERE COMFORTABLE WITH 10 AND THEY WANTED TO GO TO 15, BUT I THINK THEY SETTLED ON 10 BASED OFF OF JUST THE WEIGHT ON ADMINISTRATION GETTING THE PROJECTS DONE.
THE 6, 5, 6 PENNY, THERE WERE 20 PROJECTS AND IT TOOK WHAT, 13 YEARS AFTER THE COLLECTION TO EVEN GET ON TO GET, GET IT GOING.
SO I MEAN, IF WE VOTED, I THINK YOU'RE GONNA HAVE THE MAJORITY GO AT LEAST 10 YEARS.
BUT WE CAN VOTE OR WE CAN JUST SAY, LET'S GIVE IT A SHOT.
ARE YOU GONNA DIE ON YOUR SWORD ON FOUR MADAM CHAIR? YES.
UH, JARED HAS SOME NUMBERS NOW THAT MAY BE APPEALING TO US BEFORE WE GO TO, OH, GIVE US NUMBERS JARED.
SO JUST, THIS IS INTER INTERPOLATING WHAT WE GOT RECEIVED FROM DOR.
SO, UH, IF YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT 10 YEARS, UM, 10 YEARS IS ESTIMATED AT ONE, JUST 1,000,000,002, UH, 20,000.
UM, ONE DO ONE COMMA AND THEN ONE COMMA 0, 2 0.
SO 1,000,000,020 TH $1 BILLION, 1 BILLION, 1 BILLION, 20 MILLION.
SORRY, MY GETTING MIXED UP ON MY COMMENTS.
UM, AND THEN 15 IS 1.7 BILLION, 20 IS 2.5 BILLION AND 25 IS 3.5 BILLION.
AND TO PUT THAT IN RESPECT TO OTHER COUNTIES, SO HORRY COUNTY JUST PASSED 25 YEAR 5.3 BILLION, OR EXCUSE ME, 6.4 BILLION AND CHARLESTON'S COUNTY HALF YEAR FOR 25 YEARS IS 5.3.
SO THAT WOULD BE A FULL PENNY OF 10.6 BILLION.
SO OURS IS A REALLY STRONG PENNY.
I KNOW THAT DOESN'T SOUND AS STRONG AS THEIRS, BUT THIS NUMBER THREE IN THE STATE AS FAR AS STRENGTH OF PENNY, WHAT CAN Y'ALL HANDLE? IS THAT OUR NEXT MEETING? LIKE IF WE DECIDE ON A YEAR, CAN YOU TELL US OVER EIGHT YEARS WE CAN HANDLE THIS AMOUNT OF WORK? CAN YOU DO THAT? YEAH, I MEAN WE'RE, IF IT'S A SMALLER PROGRAM, WE'LL BE ABLE TO EXECUTE THAT AS COUNTY STAFF.
IF IT'S A LARGER PROGRAM, WE'LL SEEK HELP AND, UM, CONSULTANT HELP.
AND WHAT WE HAVE SO FAR, GIVEN THE PARAMETERS THAT COUNCIL GAVE US, WE DON'T HAVE MEGA PROJECTS.
WE HAVE A COUPLE BIG WIDENING PROJECTS.
CHARLESTON AND ORIE COUNTY HAD SOME MEGA PROJECTS.
THEY HAVE ONE PROJECT THAT'S $1.2 BILLION A POINT.
WE DON'T HAVE SOMETHING LIKE THAT WHERE WE'RE SITTING TODAY, WE DON'T HAVE A LIST OF PROJECTS THAT WE'VE HEARD FROM ALL THE MUNICIPALITIES.
THAT IS MORE THAN, WE'VE GOT THE WHOLE LIST RIGHT HERE AND IT'S $1.2 BILLION.
SO TO ME THAT'S YOUR HIGH END, UM, IS 1.2 BILLION IS 12 YEARS.
SO IF YOU WANT TO DO EVERYTHING ON THE LIST, YOU COULD BE DONE TONIGHT AND SAY EVERYTHING ON THE LIST AT 12 YEARS FOR 1.2 BILLION.
UM, THE ONLY THING I'D LIKE TO DO, AND I'LL, AND Y'ALL RAISE YOUR HAND, I WANNA LOOK AT THIS LIST AND COMPARE IT.
THERE'S ONE THAT, THERE'S SOME NUMBERS THAT AREN'T ON HERE
[02:10:01]
OR NOT EVEN ON HERE.SO I GUESS QUESTION ONE IS THAT NUMBER NOT INCLUDE ESTIMATED COSTS NOT BEING FILLED OUT.
NUMBER TWO, THERE IS ONE ON A, ON THIS BOOK THAT WAS A NEW ROAD AND I DIDN'T THINK WE WERE DOING NEW ROADS.
SO WE GOTTA, I THINK WE GOTTA LOOK AND TAKE AWAY THE ONES THAT REALLY DON'T FIT THE PARAMETERS.
AND THEN I, I THINK I'M TEAM ADAPTIVE LIGHTING AND I THINK THAT NEEDS TO GO IN THERE.
IF WE'RE GONNA GO FOR A LARGER PENNY, LET'S TRY TO FIGURE OUT THAT'S NOT AN EASIER PROJECT TO DO WITHIN THE FIRST THREE YEARS.
SO MR. JONES AND DON'T, UH, ISN'T THE ISSUE WITH THE SECOND PHASE OF 2 78? UM, I KNOW THEY HAVE FUNDING TO COMPLETE ONE SIDE OF IT, BUT WE NEED TO BE LOOKING DOWN THE ROAD IF WE ARE ABLE TO COLLECT THAT MONEY TO BE ABLE TO DO THE OTHER SIDE, THIS WOULD BE THE, THE, TO ME, THE BEST OPPORTUNITY TO GO AHEAD AND PUT IT, YOU KNOW, ON THE, ON THE, IN THE BUDGET SO THAT WE DON'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT WHAT WE WENT THROUGH YEAH.
ONE, ONE THING I WOULD SUGGEST, I THINK WE CAN, COUNTY COUNCIL'S GONNA MAKE THE DECISION, YES, THEY COULD TAKE OFF HALF THESE PROJECTS AND THINK WE'RE CRAZY, WHICH THEY MAY BE THINKING RIGHT NOW.
I THINK I'M CRAZY RIGHT NOW, BUT WE'VE GOTTA BE CAREFUL TO STICK WITHIN THEIR PARAMETERS.
WE COULD SEND 'EM OUR LIST AND SAY, BUT IF WE ARE GONNA DO A 20 YEAR PENNY, WE WOULD SUGGEST TO COUNTY COUNCIL TO CONSIDER WHATEVER'S NOT ON IT.
AND IN FACT, EVEN WHATEVER YEAR WE SELECT, WHETHER IT'S EIGHT YEARS OR FOUR YEARS, COUNTY COUNCIL IS THE ONE THAT'S GOING TO PUT THEIR, UH, NICKEL TO THE, TO THE, UH, NOW I WILL TELL YOU AS A FORMER COUNCIL, IT'S NOT THE SAME COUNCIL OR LEADERSHIP, BUT UM, MS. TABER WAS THERE ON BOTH OF THE MEETINGS THAT I SAW AND IT, THERE WAS FUSSING GOING ON WITH COUNTY COUNCIL YET WHEN IT GOT THERE, THEY UNANIMOUSLY VOTED FOR THE TENURE.
'CAUSE THEY SEE THE WORK WE'RE DOING.
THAT'S A WHOLE NOTHER THING WHEN WE GET TO THE RECOMMENDATION HOW TO WRITE IT THAT WE WOULD RECOMMEND AND BE VERY SPECIFIC.
SO 15, CAN WE VOTE? YEAH, WE YES SIR.
JUDGE KLINE, AND I KNOW WE'RE GETTING CLOSE.
UH, DID I HEAR A STATEMENT FROM THE EFFECT THAT 10 YEARS COULD BRING 1,000,000,002 AND THAT WOULD COVER THE RECOMMENDATION AND THE RECOMMENDATION? CLOSE, CLOSE.
AND I, I THINK I SAID 1.2 WAS THE WHOLE LIST.
I THINK IT'S 1.5 IS ALL COUNTY AND MUNICIPALITY RECOMMENDATIONS IS 1.5 AND 10 YEARS IS 1 BILLION.
SO IT'D BE TWO THIRDS OF THE LIST WOULD BE COVERED BY 10 YEAR TAX.
SO JUDGE KLEIN THE LIST, THE LIST I THAT SHORT COULD BE MADE.
UM, SO WHEN THE MONEY COMES IN, WE DO PUT IT IN THE INTEREST BEARING ACCOUNT.
IT'S NOT GONNA GENERATE THAT LEVEL OF FUNDING.
IT WILL GENERATE SOME, UM, AND WE WOULD PURSUE GRANTS AS MENTIONED PREVIOUSLY, BUT THAT WOULDN'T, I WOULDN'T SUGGEST PUTTING PROJECTS THAT, UH, NEED THE GRANT MONEY TO MAKE IT HAPPEN.
I JUST WANTED TO, I THINK THE GREAT THING IS ON THE GOING BE THAT MONEY, MONEY
GOING BACK AND, AND I AGREE MS. ERICKSON, I THINK LET'S HAVE A SHOW OF HANDS.
I I'M GONNA SUPPORT ANYTHING THAT GETS THE UNANIMOUS VOTE AND I HOPE WE ALL DO.
UM, YOU SAID ONE SEVEN DOES EVERY SINGLE PROJECT, IF WE MADE THAT RECOMMENDATION ESTIMATED, RIGHT? SO IS THERE ANY NEED TO GO BEYOND THAT? IS THERE ANY NEED TO GO BEYOND A VOTE FOR 15 YEARS? WHAT? I'M SORRY, WHAT ARE WE VOTING ON? WELL, MR. MS. ERICKSON WANTED US TO TAKE A VOTE ON YES SIR.
[02:15:01]
HAVE AS PROJECT LIST IN FRONT OF US, UM, IS COVERED FULLY WITH 14 YEARS.14 YEARS PRODUCES 1.55 5,000,001 1,555 MILLION.
PLEASE CLARIFY EVERYTHING ON THIS LIST.
EVERYTHING COUNTY MUNICIPALITIES IS 1.5 MILLION.
THAT'S WHAT WE OUGHT TO BE DOING.
SO THE AVERAGE OF THE LOWER END WAS FIVE YEARS, THEN THERE'S A 10 YEAR AT A MILLION BILLION, 20 MILLION.
THERE'S A 15 YEAR AT A BILLION, 700 MILLION.
AND THIS, Y'ALL, WE'RE NOT SAYING THAT'S THE RIGHT NUMBER, BUT AT LEAST IT GIVES FOCUS ON WHAT WE'RE DOING NEXT MEETING MM-HMM
SO I IF YES SIR, WE'LL CALL FOR THE VOTE IF Y'ALL WOULD LIKE, AND WE CAN YEAH.
I I THINK WE IS WAY PREMATURE TO TAKE A VOTE ON A GROSS AMOUNT, UH, OF MONEY.
UH, BECAUSE I THINK THERE ARE PROJECTS EMBEDDED WITHIN EACH OF THESE RECOMMENDATIONS THAT ARE NOT GOING TO BE ACCEPTABLE TO MANY PEOPLE WITHIN THE COUNTY.
UH, AND SO IF WE JUST TAKE THE BROAD BRUSH WAY AND SAY, WELL WE'RE GONNA, WE'RE GONNA PUT EVERYTHING IN THE BUCKET AND TRY TO DO IT.
WE'RE GONNA MAKE, WE'RE GONNA, WE'RE GONNA DO OURSELVES OR WE'RE GONNA DOOM THE, THE REFERENDUM TO FAIL.
AND SO I THINK IF YOU'RE GOING TO DO THIS, YOU, YOU'VE GOT TO COME TO A, A MUCH FINER GRAIN AND, AND MAKE SOME MAYBE HARD DECISIONS ABOUT WHAT YOU WANT TO PUT IN AND WHAT YOU DON'T WANT TO PUT IN THAT'S GOING TO BE ACCEPTABLE TO THE, TO THE BROAD RANGE OF PEOPLE IN THE COUNTY AND NOT JUST, JUST THROW EVERYTHING IN THE BUCKET AND SAY, HERE IT IS.
I, I'LL AGREE WITH YOU ON THAT.
THAT'S WHY I FIRST, AND I KNOW YOU'RE UP, THAT'S WHY I FIRST SAID, CAN WE ALL AGREE ON LIKE A 10 YEAR POSSIBLE TO SEE WHAT WE NEED TO GO UP OR GO DOWN ON? AND I THINK 1 BILLION, 20 MILLION IS GONNA STILL BE A LOT OF WORK FOR US TO FIGURE THAT OUT.
UM, WELL ONE, THIS IS KIND OF LIKE A CHRISTMAS WISHLIST AND I MEAN, YOU KNOW, LIKE THE TOWN OF HILTON HEAD HAS LIKE SIX OR SEVEN PROJECTS.
I THINK CITY OF BEAUFORT HAS FIVE, PORT ROYAL HAS FIVE.
AND I MEAN, COULD THEY MAYBE NARROW IT DOWN TO THE THREE MOST IMPORTANT ONES? AND I THINK WITH MR. PERRY, I THINK IT SHOULD BE EIGHT YEARS MAX.
AND IF WE NEED TO GO A LITTLE OVER, WE MIGHT GO OVER.
BUT I THINK 10 YEARS, I'M SORRY, BUT FROM PEOPLE I HEARD OF 10 YEARS WAS TOO LONG.
AND THAT WAS ONE OF THE MAIN REASONS IT FAILED WAS THEY DIDN'T LIKE THE 10 YEARS AND THE AMOUNT.
UM, SO I'M JUST THINKING IF YOU WANT IT TO PASS AND YOU'RE GONNA HAVE THIS LAUNDRY LIST OF ALL THESE, YOU KNOW, AND IT'S EVERYBODY'S WISHLIST, I THINK IT'S GONNA FAIL.
I DON'T WANNA, I DON'T WANNA WALK AWAY AND DO EVERYTHING HONESTLY.
I THINK WE'RE SETTING YOU UP TO FAIL, ESPECIALLY WITH I 95, BUT ALSO KNOW WE NEED TO COLLECT THE IT, YOU KNOW, MAYBE WE NEED TO GO THROUGH THAT EXERCISE.
AND I SAID 10 YEARS ONLY BECAUSE THAT'S AN AVERAGE OF WHAT EVERYONE HERE SAID.
WE HAD A FOUR, A SIX TO EIGHT, A SIX TO EIGHT, AND THEN AN EIGHT AND THE MAJORITY WAS 10 OR GRADER.
SO, UM, MR. FRA MENTIONED THAT THE COUNTY BEING ABLE TO REACT IN THE TWO YEAR THAT SHADOWED, AND I'M, I'M PARAPHRASING HERE, FORGIVE ME, UH, THAT THEY DIDN'T HAVE ENOUGH REACTIONARY TIME FOR THAT.
SO I THINK SHORTER TIME, FOUR YEARS, FIVE YEARS IS STILL NOT ENOUGH TIME TO REACT.
SO CONSIDER THAT IN YOUR, IN YOUR DELIBERATIONS WHEN WE, WHEN WE TALK ABOUT TIME, AND FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO WERE AROUND SIX AND UNDER, DO Y'ALL UNDERSTAND THAT THERE'S JUST NOT ENOUGH TIME TO GET THINGS STARTED? WE'RE GONNA BE OVER OUR SKIS BEFORE WE START.
THOSE MEETINGS ARE REALLY PROVIDED CLARITY.
UM, IF YOU HAVE TWO HOURS AND 45 MINUTES TO SIT AND LISTEN TO THEM ALL, UM, BECAUSE THEY ALL AGREED WE'VE GOTTA GIVE THE COUNTY SOME LEEWAY.
UM, AND WE DON'T KNOW WHY PEOPLE VOTED IT DOWN.
BUT COULD HAVE BEEN THE NUMBER OF YEARS, IT PROBABLY WAS THE, I BELIEVE IT WAS THE VAGUENESS OF IT AND PROJECTS THAT PEOPLE JUST COULD GO BE AGAINST.
SO DO Y'ALL WANNA VOTE? I THINK WE GOTTA HAVE SOMETHING TO GIVE IF WE CAN END TONIGHT, AND I KNOW WE'RE RUNNING LATE, UM, I'M GONNA GO BACK TO THE ORIGINAL.
ARE Y'ALL COMFORTABLE? OR WE COULD VOTE.
ARE YOU COMFORTABLE WITH AT LEAST STARTING, WE COULD START AT 10, WE COULD START AT EIGHT, BUT MAYBE WE NEED GUIDANCE EVEN FROM ENGINEERING ON WHAT THEY FEEL IS RIGHT TIME TO AT LEAST LOOK AT THIS.
THE POINT OF CLARIFY, THIS IS A STRAW, A STRAW MAN VOTE.
SO WE'RE SETTING UP A STRAW MAN AND WE'RE SEEING WHAT WE CAN DO WITH THAT STRAW MAN.
IS THAT WHAT WE'RE VOTING ON? I DON'T KNOW WHAT A STRONG MAN VOTE IS.
IT, IT MEANS THAT YOU, YOU HAVE A HYPOTHETICAL BOX
[02:20:01]
OUT THERE THAT YOU WANT TO FILL AND YOU SAY IT'S EIGHT YEARS OR IT'S 10 YEARS AND IT'S X NUMBER OF DOLLARS.AND YOU SAY, WHAT CAN WE DO FOR THIS? IT'S, IT GOES BACK TO LIKE A, WHAT THEY USED TO CALL A ZERO BASED BUDGETING.
IF YOU HAD TO DO ONE THING, WHAT WOULD THAT ONE THING BE? IF YOU DO TWO THINGS, WHAT ARE 10 THINGS? WHAT ARE THE 10 THINGS YOU'RE GONNA DO? AND I AGREE WITH YEAH, IT'S REALLY JUST A GOOD STARTING POINT.
IT'S JUST DESTROY, IT'S A, IT'S A METHODOLOGY VOTE NOT A FINAL VOTE.
SO THIS IS NOT GONNA PAINT US INTO A CORNER.
WE COULD STILL CHANGE IT 10 YEARS, EIGHT YEARS OR WHATEVER.
IS THAT, IS THAT CORRECT? THAT'S MY FAULT.
IS THAT, THAT'S WAS MY SUGGESTION.
UNLESS JARED WHO'S BEEN THROUGH TWO MORE OF THESE THINKS NO, I THINK WHAT Y'ALL ARE DOING IS COMPLETELY HEALTHY AND COMPLETELY NORMAL.
LIKE THIS IS THE RIGHT DISCUSSION AND AGAIN, JUST LIKE YOU WATCHED IT TWO HOURS OR TWO YEARS AGO, THIS IS WHAT IT TAKES TO GET THIS TO THE FINISH LINE.
SO I THINK WHERE Y'ALL ARE TALKING THE DISCUSSION TO GET TO A NUMBER AS A STARTING POINT TO END TONIGHT AND TO START THE NEXT TIME IS A, IS A GOOD PLACE TO BE AT LEAST IT KIND OF GIVES YOU SOME BOOKENDS FOR THE NEXT DISCUSSION.
AND NOW YOU MIGHT GET THERE AND SAY, YOU KNOW WHAT, WE REALLY DON'T NEED THE 10 YEARS AND WE JUST NEED EIGHT OR WE NEED TO ADD TWO TO IT.
AND, BUT AT LEAST STARTING AT A NUMBER GETS YOU STARTED NEXT TIME.
I'VE GOT MR. STANFORD AND THEN YOU MR. JONES.
I THINK THE COUNTY IS STILL REELING FROM THE PREVIOUS VOTE THAT WENT DOWN IN FLAMES.
I THINK WE NEED TO COME BACK WITH A LIMITED LIST, A SMALLER LIST OF PROJECTS THAT CAN REALISTICALLY BE BUILT.
WE TALK ABOUT BUILDING, PUTTING OUT FOR ALL OF THESE PROJECTS HERE.
UH, I THINK WE'RE SETTING OURSELVES UP FOR FAILURE FROM THE BEGINNING.
SO I THINK IT NEEDS TO BE SIMPLIFIED.
AND FRANKLY I LOVE JIRA'S APPROACH.
IF YOU'VE GOT A BUCKET, YOU GOT A BUCKET OF $700 MILLION AND WE START PUTTING THINGS IN THERE AND WE FILL IT UP PRETTY QUICK, UH, THAT TO ME MAKES THE MOST SENSE ABOUT THIS.
BUT IF WE START TALKING ABOUT $1.2 BILLION, I DON'T SEE IT PASSING IN THIS COUNTY.
OKAY, MS. I DIDN'T SEE YOU AT ALL AND I LOOKED AND PARDON ANY KIND.
YOU HAVE NOT SAID ONE THING, SO YOU GET TO COMMENT.
I I HONESTLY THINK WITH THE, THE CURRENT TAXPAYER BASE, I THINK ANYTHING OVER 10 YEARS IS GONNA BE STICKER SHOCK AND IT'S GONNA BE DOA.
SO WE'RE MOVING MORE TOWARD THE EIGHT YEAR LOOK, THIS IS NOT A VOTE WE'RE TAKING, WE'RE NOT TELLING THE PUBLIC WE AGREE ON EIGHT YEARS AND $775 MILLION, BUT WE'VE GOTTA HAVE SOMETHING INTERNAL TO WHITTLE THIS DOWN.
SO DO Y'ALL WANNA VOTE? DO YOU WANNA JUST SAY YES, THAT'S A GOOD TARGET TO SEND TO JARED, UM, TO BE START AT EIGHT? IT COULD GO TO 10, IT COULD GO TO SIX DEPENDING ON Y'ALL'S THOUGHTS AND WHAT YOU CONSIDER A REAL PROJECT TO BE DONE.
THAT DOES AFFECT EVERYONE IN THIS COUNTY.
AND I KNOW WE HAVE THE LATS PROJECTS AND THINGS, BUT WE REALLY GOTTA MAKE THESE DRIVERS FEEL LIKE WE'RE DOING SOMETHING FOR THEM.
MADAM CHAIR, ARE YOU LOOKING FOR A MOTION? I DO Y'ALL WANT A MOTION TO SEE OR DO YOU MOTION WOULD BE A VOTE OF THIS COMMITTEE.
I THINK WE NEED A STRAW POLL TO PROVE SOMETHING.
SO THE NOTION OF A, OF A STRAW BALLOT MAKES MORE SENSE.
IT DOESN'T BIND YOU, BUT I'M CONCERNED ABOUT MAKE HAVING A FORMAL MOTION AND HAVING IT APPROVED.
WHO'S AGAINST EIGHT YEARS IS FOR, FOR PRACTICING PURPOSES.
IS ANYONE REALLY OPPOSED TO IT? MR. FORREST IS OR HE WANTS TO TALK? SORRY MADAM CHAIRMAN, I WOULD LIKE TO MAKE A MOTION.
WE'RE NOT, WE'RE NOT GONNA MAKE A MOTION.
NO, BECAUSE THEN WE'RE BOUND BY IT.
MAD CAN JUST MAKE, CAN WE NOT MAKE A MOTION TO START OFF AT 10 YEARS FOR A STRAW MAN? IF YOU, IF YOU, I DON'T KNOW WHO TO ASK FOR THAT.
WE DON'T, I'M, I'M NOT A, UH, ROBERT RULES, BUT I DON'T, I DON'T THINK YOU'RE, THIS IS AN ADVISORY COMMITTEE AND EVEN THOUGH WE'RE OPERATING THROUGH ROBERT'S RULES AND BY ROBERT'S RULES, I DON'T THINK THAT PUTS YOU IN A BAD PLACE.
IF YOU USE IT AS A MOTION FORMALLY, THAT'S FINE.
I DIDN'T SLEEP IN HOLIDAY INN, BUT I, I DON'T KNOW EITHER.
WHAT COULD WE DO? COULD WE DO THE, A MINIMUM OF SIX YEARS AND A MAXIMUM OF 10 AND PRETTY MUCH EVERYBODY'S ON BOARD AND WE DECIDE SOMETHING IN BETWEEN THAT DEPENDING ON THE PROJECTS THAT WE END UP WITH.
AND IT MAY GO, YOU KNOW, IF IT'S AN ESSENTIAL YES WE GOTTA HAVE IT AND IT ENDS UP GOING 10, IT GOES 10 IF IT'S NOT ESSENTIAL MATTER.
I'VE GOT MR. FREEMAN THEN MR. JONES AND MR. PERRY.
SO I WOULD LIKE TO MAKE A RECOMMENDATION,
[02:25:01]
NOT A MOTION THAT WE GIVE STAFF, UH, DIRECTION TO BEGIN AT A CERTAIN YEAR AND END AT A CERTAIN YEAR AND THEN GIVE US THE INFORMATION OF WHAT THAT GENERATES HARD, THE, YOU KNOW, THE NEW, NEW DATA AND THEN WE GET THE NEXT MEETING, WE START GETTING PROJECTS AND HANGING PROJECTS ON THAT, THAT DOLLAR AMOUNT.AND WE'RE NOT MARRIED TO ANYTHING AT THIS POINT.
I JUST THINK WE NEED TO GET TO SOME STARTING POINT, WHICH IS WHAT YOU'RE AFTER.
THAT'S WHAT I'M TRYING TO GET TO.
BUT JUST ASK STAFF TO DO THAT.
SO WE KNOW WE WE'RE GOING IN NEXT MEETING WITH MORE INFORMATION OF WHAT THE DOLLAR GENERATED WOULD BE.
I THINK HE HAS IT, HE JUST GOTTA PRINT IT.
OKAY, WELL LET'S GO AROUND THE ROOM AND THEN IF THE MOTION DOESN'T BIND US, I THINK Y'ALL ARE HEARING FROM EVERYONE A LOWER TO A SOMEWHAT HIGHER, UM, THAT WE CAN WORK WITHIN MR. JONES.
I THINK WE MAKING THIS A LITTLE TOO COMPLICATED.
AND SO I DON'T THINK WE NEED TO GO THROUGH A RESOLUTION ABOUT, UM, GOING THROUGH A MOTION.
IT'S JUST THAT WE KNOW THAT WE'D LIKE TO START AT NO MORE THAN 10, NO LESS THAN SIX.
AND THEN FROM THE NEXT MEETING WE'LL START BUILDING THE BOX.
WELL WE'RE GONNA PUT THIS TO A CONCLUSION.
SEE IF ANYBODY OBJECTS TO THAT.
DOES ANYONE HAVE A REALLY STRONG OBJECTION TO NO LESS THAN SIX, NO MORE THAN 10, TO GIVE GUIDANCE TO STAFF TO START LOOKING AT BIG PROJECTS AND BUCKETS? IS THERE ANYONE AGAINST THAT? ARE YOU AGAINST IT? I PREFER TO SEE EIGHT TO 10.
YOU GOT NO LESS THAN SIX TO EIGHT.
ARE WE GOOD WITH THAT? WELL THE SPREADSHEET WILL SHOW 6, 7, 8, 9, AND 10.
SO THEN WE HAVE THE NUMBERS YEAH.
OF WHAT WE WOULD COLLECT AND WE CAN DECIDE.
SO BETWEEN SIX AND EIGHT IS ABOUT A HUNDRED MILLION DOLLARS, WHICH WE USED TO THINK THAT WAS A LOT
UM, I DON'T THINK IT MATTERS TOO MUCH WITH THAT NUMBER 'CAUSE THEN WE COULD GO DOWN.
SO SIX SEEMS TO SIX SEEMS TO BE WHAT HALF OF THIS GROUP FEELS IS GONNA PASS.
SO I I THINK THAT TAKES CARE OF ALL OF US.
IT'S A HALF OF IT'S 500 MILLION DIFFERENCE ROUGHLY.
UM, I THINK I ARE WE OKAY WITH THAT? JUST OKAY.
JUST TO MAKE SURE WHAT WE'RE INSTRUCTING STAFF TO DO.
IT'S NOT JUST THE COUNTY'S PRIORITIES, IT'S THE OVERALL LIST THAT THEY'RE SUPPOSED TO BE PUTTING IN THERE.
BUT BEFORE WE ADJOURN AND I THINK IT'D BE GOOD FOR ALL OF US TO REALLY LOOK AT THIS, LET'S GET THE RIGHT COLUMNS SO WE CAN GO BACK TO THIS BOOK AND REALLY LOOK AT IT.
UM, ON OTHER BOARDS I'VE BEEN IN, WHEN WE VOTE, WE ALL, WE COME WITH A CERTAIN NUMBER OF THOUGHTS LIKE MAYBE WHAT FIVE PROJECTS AND TRY TO BE ABOVE IT ALL.
TRY TO THINK OF THE GOOD OF BEAUFORT COUNTY.
I KNOW WE ALSO THINK ABOUT OUR OWN TOWNS, BUT REALLY TRY TO THINK ABOUT THOSE CITIZENS, UM, WHO FEEL TRANSPORTATION IS VERY IMPORTANT AND THAT'S THE PEOPLE RIDING.
AND THEN IN ONE OF YOUR PROJECTS, MAYBE IT GOES TO YOUR AREA THAT YOU'RE FROM.
I THINK THAT COULD GET US ON A GOOD, GOOD LIST OF MAYBE 30 PROJECTS AND THEN WE CAN FIGURE OUT WHAT IT COSTS.
IS THAT A GOOD HOMEWORK SUGGESTION? DO YOU WANT THAT BEFORE APRIL 22ND? OR DO YOU WANT IT ON APRIL 22ND? UM, WHAT DO YOU WANT STAFF TO DO? DO YOU WANT STAFF TO COLLECT THAT? DO YOU WANT THAT TO BE THE COMMITTEE TO IF THE HOMEWORKS ASSIGNMENT BRING IN TOP, TOP FIVE PROJECTS TO EVERYBODY MM-HMM
AND THEN, UM, WE CAN COLLECT THAT AND HAVE THAT READY TO DISPERSE.
UM, AND IF YOU WANT TO HAVE IT READY TO DISPERSE, THEN WE NEED IT A LITTLE BIT BEFOREHAND.
UM, WHAT DATE BEFORE THE 22ND? 'CAUSE YOU'RE GONNA GET US AN UPDATED VERSION OF THIS, RIGHT? THAT YEAH, WE'RE GONNA ADD THE TABS THAT WE'VE TALKED ABOUT AND THE COLUMNS TO CLEAN IT UP TO MAKE IT REFERENCE TO DIFFERENT STUFF.
JUST A CLEANED UP VERSION OF WHAT YOU HAVE TONIGHT.
AND THEN, UM, WE'LL BASED OFF THE HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT, WE'LL COLLECT EVERYBODY'S TOP FIVE AND PUT THOSE IN A LIST THAT EVERYBODY CAN HAVE THOSE AND SEND THOSE OUT AHEAD OF THE MEETING AS WELL.
AND UM, I GUESS A QUESTION FOR YOU ALL IS BASED OFF WHERE
[02:30:01]
WE ARE IN THE SCHEDULE, WE HAVE, UM, TWO MEETINGS LEFT.WE HAVE APRIL 22ND, COMMUNITY MEETING NORTH.
WHERE'S NORTH AT SHANKLIN SHANK BURTON, WEST BURTON.
WELLS BURTON, WELLS COMMUNITY REC CENTER.
AND THEN A WORKING MEETING ON MAY 6TH.
AND THEN A FINAL RECOMMENDATION IS A, BASICALLY A PRESENTATION TO COUNCIL ON FEBRUARY 11 OR MAY 11TH.
MAY, MAY, MAY 6TH IS IN BEAUFORT AS WELL.
SO MAY 6TH WE'RE GONNA SIT AND YOU'RE GONNA BE WITH YOUR PAD TALKING ABOUT HOW WE WRITE THE RECOMMENDATION.
MAY 6TH AT THE END OF THE NIGHT WAS YOU GUYS ARE FINALIZED AND IT'S JUST A MATTER OF US NOTE TAKING AND THEN WE CAN SIT WITH YOU AS THE CHAIR TO DRAFT IT OUT BEFORE MAY 11TH.
SO WHEN DO YOU NEED IT BY THE 15TH? IT'S 14 DAYS.
AND I, AND IF ANYONE WANTS TO SIT, I WILL.
HELPING AND LOOK AND GOING BACK, UM, I THINK ANY OF US WOULD SIT WITH ANYBODY.
UM, AND LET'S REALLY TRY TO LOOK AT IT.
I THINK IT'D TAKE THREE GOOD HOURS TO REALLY LOOK ONCE WE KNOW EXACTLY WHERE TO GO IN THIS BOOK AND TALK TO OUR COUNCIL MEMBERS, TALK TO OUR MUNICIPALITIES, MAKE SURE EVERYTHING, IF IT'S NOT RANKED, YOU KNOW, WHAT ARE, WHAT ARE OUR TOP FIVE? YES SIR.
SO MADAM CHAIR, OUR DIRECTION AS A COMMITTEE IS TO COME UP WITH FIVE PROJECTS, SAY, OR JUST A NUMBER OF PROJECTS.
PRESENT THAT TO YOU AS A LIST.
WE'LL PRESENT IT TO JARED AND BRIAN AND WHEN DO YOU NEED THAT DATE? WHEN YOU NEED TO BUY MM-HMM
THAT'S TWO WEEKS FROM THE DAY.
IF WE COULD HAVE IT ON THE 13TH, WHICH IS A MONDAY, THAT WOULD REALLY GIVE US THE OPPORTUNITY TO SEND IT OUT BY THE END OF THAT WEEK.
SO YOU HAVE A WEEKEND IF WE GET IT ON THE 13TH, A MONDAY.
SO 10 DAYS FROM NOW, UM, WE SUBMIT IT BACK TO YOU GUYS BY THE 17TH.
UM, THAT WAY YOU HAVE A FEW DAYS TO LOOK AT IT AND PUT YOUR HEAD AROUND IT BEFORE THE MEETING ON THE 22ND, IF THAT WOULD BE SUFFICIENT.
AND MADAM CHAIR, IF I COULD FOLLOW UP.
AND THE 22ND IS GONNA BE A WORKING WORKSHOP WHERE WE ARE DEBATING THESE PROJECTS.
IS THAT CORRECT? I I FEEL THAT WE'LL SEE WHO OVERLAPS.
THE 22ND WILL BE JUST LIKE, IT'LL BE AN EVENING MEETING.
SO IF IT'LL BE NORTH OF THE BROAD.
SO IF PUBLIC WANTS TO COME, THEY'RE MORE THAN WELCOME.
WE DON'T HAVE ANY MORE SPEAKERS ON OUR SIDE THAT WE PLAN TO ASK TO SPEAK.
SO IT'S JUST WHAT WE'RE DOING RIGHT HERE FOR THE WHOLE TWO HOURS.
I, I THINK THAT WE DON'T NEED ANY MORE PRESENTATIONS, BUT Y'ALL CAN LET ME KNOW IF YOU FEEL THAT WAY.
UM, AND THAT'S AN EVENING MEETING.
MR. TRASK, HOW YOU GO MR. TRASK? MR. JONES? YEAH.
UH, JUST FOR CLARIFICATION, SO THE TOP FIVE, WE SHOULD DIRECT THAT TO STAFF OR TO THE GROUP AT LARGE.
JARED, WHAT'S BEST SAY THAT, I'M SORRY.
THE TOP FIVE, OUR TOP FIVE THAT WE'RE GONNA CREATE AND SEND, SHOULD THAT BE DIRECTED TO YOU STAFF OR SHOULD IT BE DIRECTED TO THE GROUP AT LARGE? I'M GONNA JUMP IN.
I THINK THAT'S ALMOST A COMMITTEE BY EMAIL.
I THINK JUST SEND IT TO STAFF.
'CAUSE I DON'T IF ANY OF US ACCIDENTALLY COMMENT, WE'RE HOLDING A MEETING.
SHOULD WE SEND IT TO MADAM CHAIR? WHAT DO YOU THINK? I MEAN, 'CAUSE YOU'RE THE LIAISON BETWEEN THE COMEDIAN AND STAFF.
IF YOU WANNA COPY ME, JARED AND BRIAN, I WOULD ACTUALLY PREFER IT GO TO SARAH.
EVERYBODY'S SEEN SARAH SEND STUFF OUT.
SARAH, WHICH IS SARAH AND ASHLEY, BUT JUST, BUT THAT'S NOT SARAH.
UM, OUR OTHER, OTHER, UM, AND THEN SHE'LL, SHE'LL BE A BETTER CONDUIT.
SO WE HAVE THAT CONDUIT RATHER THAN ME AND BRIAN WE'LL GET IT AS WELL.
UM, IF YOU WANT TO COPY ME AND BRIAN, THAT'S FINE TOO, BUT SARAH WILL BE A BETTER CONDUIT TO GRAB EVERYTHING.
I'LL SEND EVERYONE AN EMAIL AND PUT SARAH'S LINK AGAIN THERE AND I'M, I CAN PUT ME IF Y'ALL WANT TO, I WOULD JUST BE GATHERING IT ALONG WITH HER.
BUT JONES, I KNOW MR. JONES IS NEXT.
DON'T MEAN TO PROLONG UH, THE MEETING ANY LONGER, BUT SHOULD WE BE THE TOP FIVE OR TOP 10? I JUST THREW OUT FIVE.
I THINK WE'RE GONNA OVERLAP, BUT I THINK WE'LL COME UP WITH PROBABLY 30 PROJECTS.
THE TOP FIVE PROJECTS, LIKE AM I PICKING FOR LIKE MY DISTRICT OR SOMETHING OR AM I JUST PICKING THAT LIKE I KNOW ONE 70 NEEDS TO GET DONE AND IT'S MOST IMPORTANT FOR THE COUNTY WHEN I'M PICKING THESE FIVE PROJECTS OR YOU KNOW, LIKE FOR MR. STAFFORD, HE'S PROBABLY GONNA BE PICKING THE TOWN OF HILTON
[02:35:01]
HEAD PROJECTS, WHICH ONES HE THINKS ARE PRIORITY.SO I'M NOT, I MEAN I'M NOT SAYING THAT YOU'RE DOING IT DISTRICT.
YEAH, I THINK YOU'VE GOTTA LOOK AT IT.
WHAT IS IN THE BEST INTEREST OF OUR CITIZENS TODAY THAT ARE DRIVING NORTH TO SOUTH, EAST TO WEST THAT AREN'T ELECTED THAT WILL HELP THEIR LIVES.
AND I MAY PICK, I'VE HEARD HIM SAY CHALON CREEK, THAT MIGHT BE ONE OF MY PROJECTS.
I'M, I WANT WHAT'S BEST FOR THESE CITIZENS.
YOUR FIVE CAN BE ANYTHING YOU WANT.
I WOULDN'T, DON'T PICK ON ON CERTAIN PEOPLE ON WHAT WE THINK.
'CAUSE WE DON'T KNOW WHAT PEOPLE ARE GONNA PICK.
SO, AND JUST AN EXAMPLE, BLUFFTON DOES NOT HAVE A BLUFF BLUFFTON PROJECT.
OUR PROJECTS CAME FROM LATS AND IT'S EASY AND IT'S, IT'S UNINCORPORATED BEAUFORT COUNTY.
SO I'M, YOU KNOW, IF YOU WANNA DO SEVEN AS A COMPROMISE, IF TEN'S TOO MANY AND FIVE'S TOO LITTLE, LET'S DO SEVEN, SEVEN PROJECTS.
AND UNLESS Y'ALL ARE AGAINST IT, I, I GUESS WHAT IS, WHAT IS THE POINT OF PICKING THAT? IS THAT TO PICK, WE'RE TRYING TO PICK LIKE THE TOP BIG ONES, RIGHT? TO GO INTO YOUR BUCKET AND THEN YOU FILL IN THE REST.
SO IS THAT WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO PICK IS THE ONES THAT ARE GONNA GO IN THE BIG KEY NUMBER PROJECTS? YEAH, I MEAN IF YOUR BUCKET, IF YOU WANNA DO 1 70 46 RE BY ROAD, WHICH IS WHAT I HAD SUGGESTED, THAT'S THREE OF THE PROJECTS THAT YOU PICK AND WE'LL PUT IT UP AND SEE WHERE THE CONSENSUS OF THIS COMMITTEE IS.
UM, AND IT IS HARD WORK, BUT WE'VE GOTTA DO IT.
BUT WE CAN'T JUST LOOK AT 75 PROJECTS OR WE'RE GONNA BE HERE UNTIL JUNE 11TH.
BUT THE POINT IS TO TRY TO LOOK FOR THE BIG, LIKE I'M NOT GONNA PICK SOMEONE THAT'S LIKE $140,000 AS MY PROJECT.
RIGHT? YOU HAVE EVERY RIGHT TO PICK WHAT YOU WANT.
YOU ARE ONE 15 FOR THIS COMMITTEE.
I MEAN IT WAS SEEMS TO BE THE CRITERIA SHOULD BE THAT WHAT WE UH, THINK IS IN THE BEST INTEREST OF THE PEOPLE OF BEAUFORD COUNTY AS A WHOLE.
NOT SPECIFIC TO OUR DISTRICT, BUT AS A WHOLE, WHAT'S GONNA BENEFIT THE COUNTY THE MOST.
AND THOSE ARE THE ONES WHETHER IT'S 5, 6, 7, 8, IT REALLY DOESN'T MATTER.
JUST PICK A NUMBER AND THEN THAT'S THE CRITERIA UPON WHICH YOU WRITE THOSE DOWN.
NOW THERE ARE, THERE ARE PEOPLE THAT ARE GONNA WALK, THEY'RE GETTING TALKED TO EVERY DAY ABOUT THEIR AREA.
AND I KNOW ONE OF THOSE COULD BE THAT, BUT PUT IT ON THERE.
YOU KNOW, JUDGE KLEIN IS GONNA DO DIRT ROADS.
MR. JONES IS GONNA DO CHOW AND CREEK, YOU KNOW, AND WHAT HAVE YOU HEARD THAT GIVES YOU SYMPATHY TOWARD AN AREA THAT YOU DON'T LIVE IN.
BUT IT IS THE BETTERMENT OF THESE CITIZENS.
UM, AND I WILL REMIND YOU, THE TOWN OF BLUFFTON AND THE REALTORS ASSOCIATION DID SURVEY SEPARATELY.
THE NUMBER ONE ISSUE, AND THESE ARE PEOPLE WORKING HARD, WAS TRANSPORTATION.
THIS IS GOING TO GAIN TRACTION TO THE PEOPLE VOTING.
SO WHAT'S GONNA HELP THOSE PEOPLE THAT WE CAN MAKE THEIR LIVES BETTER.
AND IT COULD BE DIRT ROADS, GOING TO WHALE BRANCH.
IT COULD BE CHOW AND CREEK, IT COULD BE ONE 70.
I THINK THE NUMBER OF US, 15 OF US, WE'RE GONNA HAVE OVERLAP AND WE'RE GONNA FIND THAT BIG BUCKET REALLY QUICK THAT WHAT WE CAN AGREE ON.
SO, AND THIS IS, WE'RE GONNA GIVE THIS, THIS IS A STUPID QUESTION.
WHAT DAY ARE WE DECIDED WE GOING TO DO? WELL THE 13TH.
I WILL EMAIL TONIGHT WHEN I GET HOME.
APRIL 13TH, SEND TO THE, THE SARAH SITTING HERE.
PICK A NUMBER, PLEASE DON'T SAY THE WHOLE LIST.
I'M JUST TELLING YOU I'M NOT, I'M NOT GONNA GIVE Y'ALL 12 PROJECTS, BUT WE WILL HAVE OVERLAP AND I THINK WE'LL FIND, WE HAVE CONSENSUS AMONG US ON 10 OF THE PROJECTS.
I REALLY FEEL ALL OF US ARE DEDICATED TO THIS.
SO IF IT'S A PERSONAL PROJECT, PUT IT ON THERE.
YOU KNOW, YOU HAVE EVERY RIGHT, YOU REPRESENT A GROUP OF PEOPLE, BUT WE'VE GOTTA REPRESENT THE CITIZENS OF THIS COUNTY.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? 'CAUSE I KNOW WE'RE RUNNING LATE.
SO IF I WAS JUST SAY IF I WAS PICKING, I DON'T KNOW, THE THIRD ONE DOWN GATEWAY, DO YOU WANT ME TO PUT HDR R 10 AND THEN WRITE GATEWAY TO PORT ROYAL? IS THAT WHAT YOU WANT ME TO HAVE? AND THEN ALSO, LIKE, IF I WANTED TO DO SAY THE DIRT ROAD PAVING, WOULD I JUST SAY ALL THE DIRT ROADS? I MEAN, OR DO YOU WANT ME SPECIFICALLY? I MEAN, PROBABLY THAT'S WHAT SHOULD BE DONE.
IF YOU ARE USING AN EXCEL SPREADSHEET, HIGHLIGHT THE PROJECT NAME AND THE PROJECT ID, I THINK THAT'S ALL YOU REALLY NEED.
HIGHLIGHT IT, CUT AND PASTE IT, PUT IT IN AN EMAIL.
[02:40:01]
THAT'S THE BEST WAY THAT YOU CAN DO IT BECAUSE THEY NEED TO KNOW PROJECT NAME NEEDS TO BE ACCURATE WITH WHAT'S WRITTEN BECAUSE WE NEED TO KEEP APPLES TO APPLES.IF YOU'RE NOT SAVVY ON THE EXCEL SPREADSHEET, LOOK, WRITE IT DOWN EXACTLY THE WAY IT'S WRITTEN.
I THINK THAT'S THE AND PLEASE EXACTLY HOW IT'S WRITTEN BECAUSE IT'S, THEY'RE LIKE 80 PROJECTS THAT ARE ALSO SIMILAR.
UM, LAUREL BAY, JOE FRASER ROUNDABOUT, BUT THEN THERE'S A LAUREL BAY BAY PINES ROUNDABOUT.
SO WRITE IT EXACTLY AS THEY HAVE IT ON THE DESCRIPTION.
AND ALSO WHEN WE SUBMIT THE LIST, IF WE COULD SEE IT IN THE MAP VIEW OF WHERE THEY'RE GEOGRAPHICALLY LOCATED IN THE COUNTY WOULD BE HELPFUL.
AND TO SEE THAT OVERLAP WHEN WE HAVE THEM, WHEN WE MEET BACK TO YES.
YEAH, WHEN I THINK WE'LL GET THE LIST AND WE'LL COMPILE IT THAT WEEK THAT WE HAVE IT AND WE'LL ESTABLISH THAT SO WE CAN REFLECT IT IN ONE GIS MAP AND SHOW YOU ON THE SCREEN AS WELL AS ON A EXCEL.
WE COULD ALSO SAY IF, UM, ONE PROJECT PARTICULAR HAD 10 OUT OF 15, WE CAN DESIGNATE, WE CAN REFLECT THAT, THAT THIS PROJECT HAD 10, NOT VOTES, BUT 10 WONDERFUL THINGS.
SO YOU CAN SEE HOW HOW PRIORITIZED IT WAS WITH THAT.
THIS IS HARDER THAN ANY OTHER COMMITTEE.
AND YOU'VE BEEN ON ONE MR. JONES, MAYBE I'M WRONG, BUT I'VE NOT BEEN PART OF SOMETHING THAT WE'VE GOTTA WHITTLE DOWN BECAUSE WE'VE HAD FROM 18 TO 28 YEARS OF NOTHING AND IT JUST COMPOUNDS AND THE PRICES GO UP AND WE, I JUST WANT US ALL TO BE FOR THIS IF WE ARE, UM, IF WE'RE NOT, YOU KNOW, STAY HOME AND DON'T TALK TO YOUR NEIGHBOR
BUT, UM, OKAY, SO DO WE HAVE DIRECTION? I'LL EMAIL YOU APRIL 13TH IS THE DEADLINE.
[9) ADJOURNMENT]
ANYONE TO TALK ABOUT IT, FEEL FREE.JUST DON'T MEET WITH EIGHT OF US.
UM, I'LL SEND YOU SARAH'S EMAIL AND THE DEADLINE AND THEN WE'LL HAVE READY TO GO ON THE 22ND.
AND THEN WE'RE MAKING A MOTION TO A ADJOURN.
I MAKE A MOTION THAT WE ADJOURN.
YOU'RE WATCHING BC TV LIVE, WORK PLAY 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 A 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 KAISER LING, 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.
[02:45:01]
UH, 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.
THE FIVE IMAGES WITHIN THE SEAL DEPICT SOME OF THE COUNTY'S DISTINGUISHING FEATURES.
ANCIENT LIVE OAK TREES, THE SEAFOOD INDUSTRY, RICH NATURAL RESOURCES AND 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 DEAR 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 STEMS ON THE SEAL REPRESENTED, UM, ASPECTS OF LIFE IN BEAUFORT COUNTY.
THERE IS A SLIGHT CHANGE IN THE ORIGINAL ON 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, ASPECTS OF BUT 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 BE COUNTY CULTURE SHRIMPING, ESPECIALLY AT THAT TIME, WOULD BE REFLECTED ON THE SEAL.
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.