* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. [00:00:02] THE SEPTEMBER 14TH, [1.CALL TO ORDER] REGULAR COUNTY COUNCIL MEETING TO ORDER. PLEASE RISE FOR THE, UM, PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE. AND THEN MARK LAWSON WILL LEAD US IN THE INVOCATION PLEDGE. ALLEGIANCE IS DUE FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, AND TWO, THE REPUBLIC FOR WHICH IT STANDS, ONE NATION UNDER GOD, INDIVISIBLE, WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE OF FATHER THAT PRAY. LORD, WE ASK FOR YOUR BLESSING. LET US BE QUICK TO LISTEN, SLOW TO SPEAK, AND SLOW TO ANGER. LET US USE THE WISDOM YOU'VE GIVEN US TO MAKE DECISIONS THAT ARE BEST FOR MANY AND NOT JUST A FEW. LET US PROTECT THOSE WHO CANNOT PROTECT THEMSELVES. LET US PUT OUR PRIDE AND PERSONALITIES ASIDE SO WE DO WHAT'S BEST FOR ALL THAT WE REPRESENT. PLEASE BLESS THE CITIZENS OF THIS BUFORT COUNTY, ITS EMPLOYEES, STAFF, AND ELECTED OFFICIALS, AND ESPECIALLY BLESS AND PROTECT OUR LAW ENFORCEMENT AND FIRST RESPONDERS AND KEEP THEM SAFE. WE THANK YOU FOR BLESSING US AND ALLOWING US TO LIVE IN SUCH A BEAUTIFUL PLACE. AMEN. AMEN. ALL RIGHT, MS. BROCK, UM, DO WE HAVE THIS MEETING'S BEEN ADVERTISED IN COMPLIANCE WITH STATE LAW FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT? YES, MA'AM. IT HAS. ALRIGHT, THANK YOU. UM, I WOULD [4.APPROVAL OF AGENDA ] LIKE TO ENTERTAIN A MOTION TO APPROVE THE AGENDA. I'LL MAKE THE MOTION TO APPROVE THE AGENDA. AND A SECOND, I'LL SECOND IT. I SECOND BY COUNCILMAN LAWSON. ALL IN FAVOR BY SHOW OF HANDS TO APPROVE THE AGENDA. AND THAT IS UNANIMOUS. THANK YOU. WE HAVE MINUTES, UH, [5.APPROVAL OF MINUTES] FROM CAUCUS AND COUNTY COUNCIL DATED AUGUST 10TH. WE HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE THOSE. OKAY. I'LL MAKE THE MOTION TO APPROVE THE MINUTES. I DID READ 'EM. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU AGAIN. UH, VICE CHAIR AND COUNCILMAN LAWSON. ALL IN FAVOR TO APPROVE THOSE MINUTES. AND THAT IS UNANIMOUS. WE HAVE, [6.PROCLAMATION] UM, THREE PROCLAMATIONS TODAY. THE FIRST ONE IS GOING TO BE PRESENTED BY MS. TABER NECK. IT'S A PROCLAMATION RECOGNIZING FIRE SAFE SOUTH CAROLINA COMMUNITY DESIGNATIONS. I NEED ALL MY FIRE CHIEFS, ALL MY WHITE SHIRTS. I CALL COME ON UP. IT'S ALL, IT'S EVERYBODY. YOU CAN KEEP IT. OKAY. THANK YOU. SO GOOD TO SEE ALL OF YOU . HELLO AND WELCOME. THANK YOU FOR COMING. OH, ANYBODY A LONG TIME? NO. SEE, WILL YOU FIX HER MICROPHONE? OKAY. COME ON UP. TURN IT AND THEN SHE'S GONNA PASS ALL THOSE OUT. YEAH. OKAY. I GOT YOU. THANKS RAY. OKAY. ALL THE DISTINGUISHED PEOPLE BEHIND ME, THIS IS A PROCLAMATION WHEREAS THE SAFETY AND WELLBEING OF THE RESIDENTS AND AND VISITORS OF BEAUFORT COUNTY ARE STRENGTHENED THROUGH THE DEDICATION, PROFESSIONALISM, AND SERVICE OF OUR LOCAL FIRE DEPARTMENTS. AND WHEREAS THE FIRE SAFE, SOUTH CAROLINA COMMUNITY DESIGNATION RECOGNIZES FIRE DEPARTMENTS THAT DEMONSTRATE AN OUTSTANDING COMMITMENT TO COMMUNITY RISK REDUCTION THROUGH PUBLIC EDUCATION, FIRE PREVENTION INITIATIVES, HOME SAFETY PROGRAMS, AND DATA-DRIVEN EFFORTS TO REDUCE FIRE RELATED INJURIES AND FATALITIES. AND WHEREAS BEAVER COUNTY IS PROUD TO RECOGNIZE ALL OF ITS FIRE DEPARTMENTS THAT HAVE EARNED THE FIRE SAFE SOUTH CAROLINA COMMUNITY DESIGNATION FOR THEIR COLLECTIVE COMMITMENT TO BUILDING SAFER COMMUNITIES THROUGH COLLABORATION, EDUCATION AND PREVENTION, INCLUDING BLUFFTON TOWNSHIP FIRE DISTRICT. RAISE YOUR HAND, PLEASE. THERE YOU GO. UH, CITY OF BEAUFORT, TOWN OF PORT ROYAL FIRE DEPARTMENT. THANK YOU. DUSKY ISLAND FIRE RESCUE, FRIPP ISLAND FIRE DEPARTMENT, HILTON HEAD, ISLAND FIRE RESCUE LADIES ISLAND, ST. HELENA FIRE DISTRICT, AND SHELDON TOWNSHIP FIRE DEPARTMENT. AND WHEREAS THESE DEPARTMENTS EXEMPLIFY EXCELLENCE IN PUBLIC SERVICE AND CONTINUE TO ENHANCE THE QUALITY OF LIFE THROUGHOUT BEAVER COUNTY BY PROACTIVELY REDUCING FIRE RISKS AND PROMOTING A CULTURE OF SAFETY. NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT BEAVER COUNTY COUNCIL DOES HEREBY RECOGNIZE AND CONGRATULATES THE FIRE SAFE SOUTH CAROLINA COMMUNITIES OF BEAUFORD COUNTY FOR EARNING THIS DISTINGUISHED DESIGNATION AND EXTENDS ITS SINCERE APPRECIATION TO THE FIREFIGHTERS, EDUCATORS, OFFICERS, STAFF, AND VOLUNTEERS WHOSE DEDICATION AND SERVICE HELP MAKE BEAUFORT COUNTY A SAFER PLACE TO LIVE, WORK, AND VISIT DATED THIS FOUR 14TH DAY OF SEPTEMBER BY ALICE HOWARD BEAUFORT, COUNCIL CHAIR. AND HERE WE ARE. WHO DIDN'T GET ONE YET? OH, OF COURSE IT SHOULD BE YOU. . [00:05:07] THIS IS A VERY BIG DEAL. THAT'S WHY WE'RE DOING THIS. SO, UH, ON BEHALF OF ALL THE FIRE DISTRICTS, IF YOU MAY, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. COUNTY COUNCIL FOR THE PROCLAMATION. AND, UH, YOU NEED TO GET READY TO DO THESE EVERY YEAR. 'CAUSE WE WIN 'EM EVERY YEAR. THAT WOULD BE GREAT. GREAT. YOU ALL COULD TALK. IT'S YOUR MOMENT IN THE SUN. WE GOT PLENTY OF THEM. OKAY. WELL, WE APPRECIATE ALL THEY DO. THEY WORK EVERY DAY. FIRE SAFETY AND EDUCATION. THAT'S THE IMPORTANT PART TOO. SO WE WANT TO CONGRATULATE THEM. THANK YOU FOR COMING. I KNOW IT'S NIGHTTIME. I'M SORRY. EVERYBODY LOOK AT ME AND SMILE. THANK YOU. OKAY, NEXT WE HAVE A PROCLAMATION RECOGNIZING THE WEEK OF SEPTEMBER 17TH THROUGH THE 23RD AS CONSTITUTION WEEK PRESENTED BY COUNCILMAN JOE PASSMAN. YES, THANKS FOR COMING. THANK YOU FOR COMING. THEY IGNORE THE FIRE CODE VIOLATION RIGHT NOW, PLEASE. AND THANK OKAY, , LET IT GO. IT'LL, IT'LL CLEAR OUT, I PROMISE. THEY, THEY DON'T PUT IT OUT. IT'S OKAY. THEY'RE IN CHARGE WHERE SEPTEMBER 17TH, 2026 MARKS THE 239TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE DRAFTING OF THE CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA BY THE CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION. AND WHEREAS IT IS FITTING AND PROPER TO ACCORD OFFICIAL RECOGNITION OF THIS MAGNIFICENT DOCUMENT AND ITS MEMORABLE ANNIVERSARY AND TO THE PATRIOTIC CELEBRATIONS, WHICH WILL COMMEMORATE THE OCCASION. AND WHEREAS PUBLIC LAW 9 1 5 GUARANTEES THE ISSUANCE OF A PROCLAMATION EACH YEAR BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES DESIGNATING SEPTEMBER 17TH THROUGH THE 23RD AS CONSTITUTION WEEK. NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT BEAUFORT COUNTY COUNCIL DOES HEREBY PROCLAIM SEPTEMBER 17TH THROUGH THE 23RD AS CONSTITUTION WEEK. AND WE ASK OUR CITIZENS TO REAFFIRM THE IDEALS OF THE FRAMERS OF THE CONSTITUTION AND WHAT THEY HAD IN MIND IN 1786 BY VI VI DILIGENTLY PROTECTING THE FREEDOMS GUARANTEED TO US THROUGH THIS GUARDIAN OF OUR LIBERTIES, REMEMBERING THAT LOST RIGHTS MAY NEVER BE REGAINED. DATED THIS 14TH DAY OF SEPTEMBER AND SIGNED BY ALICE HOWARD, CHAIR OF BUFORT COUNTY COUNCIL. PRESENT THIS TO YOU. THANK YOU, SIR. THANK YOU. WOULD YOU LIKE TO SAY SOMETHING? YES, MA'AM. PLEASE. THANK YOU. MEMBERS OF COUNTY COUNCIL FOR THIS PROCLAMATION. ON AUGUST 2ND, 1965, PRESIDENT EISENHOWER OFFICIALLY ENACTED THE RECOGNITION OF CONSTITUTION WEEK EVERY YEAR SINCE THE DAUGHTERS OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION HAS REQUESTED PROCLAMATIONS FROM THEIR LOCAL GOVERNMENTS FOR THE RECOGNITION OF SEPTEMBER 17TH THROUGH THE 23RD AS CONSTITUTION WEEK, THE THOMAS HAYWARD JUNIOR CHAPTER WILL RECOGNIZE THE ADOPTION OF THE US CONSTITUTION ON THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 17TH. IN HENRY C. CHAMBERS WATERFRONT PARK, WE WILL HAVE A CONSTITUTION DISPLAY, CONSTITUTION HANDOUTS, AMERICAN FLAG HANDOUTS, AND WE WILL RING THE BELLS AT FOUR O'CLOCK FOR THE RECOGNITION OF SIGNING OF THE CONSTITUTION. PLEASE JOIN US AND HELP US RECOGNIZE THIS GREAT DOCUMENT THAT HAS SUSTAINED OUR COUNTRY FOR THE LAST 239 YEARS. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. NEXT WE HAVE OUR PROCLAMATION RECOGNIZING SEPTEMBER, 2026 IS NATIONAL RECOVERY MONTH. AND OUR COUNCILMAN LARRY MCALLEN WILL DO THE HONORS. ANYONE HERE TO ACCEPT THIS? UH, NEXT FOR RECOVERY WEEK. RECOVERY WEEK. YOU, IF YOU'RE THERE. COME ON UP. YEP. CAN. HELLO? HI. HELLO. HELLO. UM, THIS IS A, UM, PROCLAMATION, UH, FOR, UM, NATIONAL RECOVERY MONTH. I LEARNED IN THE LAST QUARTER OF THE LAST CENTURY THAT YOU CANNOT ARREST YOUR WAY OUT OF A DRUG PROBLEM IN AMERICA. YOU NEED A THREE-LEGGED STOOL TO DEAL WITH THE ISSUES OF [00:10:01] DRUG ABUSE. THE FIRST ONE IS A VERY STRONG LAW ENFORCEMENT PRESENCE. THE SECOND IS A VERY STRONG PREVENTION AND EDUCATION PROGRAM. AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST, IS A VERY GOOD TREATMENT AND REHABILITATION PROGRAM. AND WE'RE HONORING THE PEOPLE HERE TONIGHT WHO HELPED PEOPLE ON THEIR PATH TO WELLNESS. WHEREAS NATIONAL RECOVERY MONTH IS OBSERVED EACH SEPTEMBER TO CELEBRATE THE MILLIONS OF PEOPLE LIVING IN RECOVERY FROM SUBSTANCE ABUSE AND MENTAL HEALTH CHALLENGES. RECOGNIZE THE FAMILIES AND COMMUNITIES WHO SUPPORT THEM. AND WHEREAS BEHAVIORAL HEALTH IS AN ESSENTIAL PART OF OVERALL HEALTH AND WELLBEING, AND SUBSTANCE USE DISORDERS ARE TREATABLE HEALTH CONDITIONS IN WHICH PEOPLE CAN AND DO RECOVER. WHEREAS ADDICTION AND MENTAL HEALTH CHALLENGES AFFECT INDIVIDUALS, FAMILIES, WORKPLACES, SCHOOLS, AND COMMUNITIES ACROSS EVERY REGION. EVERY BACKGROUND AND POLITICAL AFFILIATION AND RECOVERY IS STRENGTHENED BY ACCESS TO EVIDENCE-BASED TREATMENT, PEER SUPPORT, HARM REDUCTION, STABLE HOUSING, EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES, FAMILY AND COMMUNITY CONNECTION, AND PUBLIC POLICIES THAT REDUCE BARRIERS TO CARE. PUBLIC LEADERS, HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS, RECOVERY, COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS, EMPLOYERS, SCHOOLS, FAITH COMMUNITIES AND RESIDENTS ALL HAVE A ROLE TO PLAY IN BUILDING COMMUNITIES WHERE PEOPLE CAN ASK FOR HELP WITHOUT SHAME. AND WHEREAS LASTING RECOVERY IS BUILT UPON THE INTERCONNECTED PILLARS OF HEALTH, HOME, COMMUNITY, AND PURPOSE, DIRECTLY REFLECTING THE 2026 THEME. RECOVERY IS REAL RESTORING EVERY ASPECT OF LIFE AS INDIVIDUALS SHIFT FROM SIMPLY SURVIVING TO TRULY THRIVING. AND WHEREAS NATIONAL ADDICTION PROFESSIONS, SORRY, NATIONAL ADDICTION PROFESSIONALS DAY IS OBSERVED ON SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 20TH, 2026, AS PART OF NATIONAL RECOVERY MONTH TO HONOR THE HARD WORK, COMPASSION, AND DEDICATION OF COUNSELORS, PHYSICIANS, NURSES, AND PEER SPECIALISTS WHO SUPPORT INDIVIDUALS ON THEIR PATH TO WELLNESS. AND WHEREAS NATIONAL RECOVERY MONTH PROVIDES AN OPPORTUNITY TO CELEBRATE PEOPLE IN RECOVERY, HONOR THOSE WE HAVE LOST SUPPORT FAMILIES AND LOVED ONES, AND RECOMMIT TO BUILDING RECOVERY READY COMMUNITIES. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED THAT BEAUFORT COUNTY COUNCIL PROCLAIMS SEPTEMBER, 2026 AS NATIONAL RECOVERY MONTH IN BEAUFORT COUNTY AND ENCOURAGES ALL RESIDENTS TO SUPPORT INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE IN RECOVERY, RECOGNIZE THE STRENGTH AND RESILIENCE, RESILIENCE OF OUR RECOVERY COMMUNITY, AND HONOR THE PROFESSIONALS WHO MAKE RECOVERY POSSIBLE. DATED THIS 14TH DAY OF SEPTEMBER, ALICE HOWARD, BEAUFORT COUNTY COUNCIL CHAIR. SO CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL THOSE WHO PARTICIPATE IN THAT VERY IMPORTANT AREA OF TREATMENT AND REHABILITATION. ONE LEG OF THAT THREE-LEGGED STOOL. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. ON BEHALF OF NEXUS CARE OF BEAUFORT COUNTY, WE ARE GRATEFUL TO, UH, THE COUNCIL MEMBERS AND TO THE PRESENTER OF THIS PROCLAMATION. AND IT IS AN, I THINK I SPEAK FOR, UH, MY PEERS HERE, THAT IT IS AN HONOR AND A PRIVILEGE TO BE ALIVE TO ACCEPT THIS BECAUSE WE ARE ALL PEOPLE WHO ARE IN RECOVERY AND ARE GRATEFUL TO OUR CREATOR FOR THE CHANCE TO BE UPRIGHT AND SMILING AND EMPLOYED. UH, BUT MOST OF ALL OF SERVICE, MOST OF ALL, WE'RE GRATEFUL TO BE OF SERVICE BECAUSE HOW SELFISH WOULD WE BE TO TAKE WHAT WE WERE GRANTED AND KEEP IT UNDER A BUSHEL? SO THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE HERE. THAT'S GREAT. THANK YOU. THAT WOULD BE GREAT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU. OKAY. AT THIS TIME, [7.ADMINISTRATOR'S REPORT ] MR. MOORE, YOU HAVE OUR ADMINISTRATOR'S REPORT. NO, I JUST NEED TO CHARGE MY PHONE. HEY, GOOD EVENING, MADAM CHAIR, MEMBERS OF COUNCIL. WE HAVE SOME RECOGNITIONS TO START OFF [00:15:01] WITH THIS EVENING. SO FIRST OFF, WE'VE GOT SOME LONGEVITY PENNINGS. UM, WE'RE GONNA START OFF WITH DE MARIO ALSTON, UH, FOREMAN WITH, UH, PUBLIC WORKS AND THE STORMWATER DE DEPARTMENT, 20 YEARS OF SERVICE. SO DEMARIO BEGAN HIS CAREER WITH PUBLIC WORKS AS A MAINTENANCE WORKER IN 2006. HE DEMONSTRATES STRONG DESIRE TO LEARN IN ADVANCE, EARNING HIS CLASS A AND B COMMERCIAL DRIVER'S LICENSE, MOVING QUICKLY FROM OPERATOR ONE TO OPERATOR TWO, AND ULTIMATELY EARNING A PROMOTION TO OPERATOR THREE. HE EVENTUALLY TRANSFERRED THAT EXPERIENCE IN LEADERSHIP TO STORMWATER DIVISION, WHERE HE JOINED THE TEAM AS A FOREMAN, NOT TAKE LONG FOR HIM TO SEAMLESSLY BECOME PART OF THE STORMWATER FAMILY, WHERE HE QUICKLY EARNED RESPECT AND TRUST OF THOSE AROUND HIM. HE'S A STRONG LEADER WHO LEADS BY EXAMPLE AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, SOMEONE WHO HIS COWORKERS APPRECIATE AND ENJOY WORKING ALONGSIDE. ON BEHALF OF THE COUNTY AND PUBLIC WORKS AND THE CITIZENS WE SERVE, CONGRATULATIONS TO FOR 20 YEARS OF HARD WORK, DEDICATION, AND SERVICE. I WOULD LIKE TO SAY SOMETHING. THANK YOU, . THANK YOU. OKAY. NEXT UP WE'VE GOT, UM, EBONY SANDERS, THE ASSESSOR FOR 25 YEARS OF SERVICE. THANK CONGRATULATIONS. SO EBONEE BEEN RECOGNIZED FOR 25 YEARS OF DEDICATED SERVICE TO THE COUNTY WITH A CAREER THAT REFLECTS TREMENDOUS GROWTH, UH, COMMITMENT AND DEDICATION, UH, TO THE COUNTY AND TO THE ASSESSOR'S OFFICE. SHE BEGAN IN 1996 AS A REAL PROPERTY RECORDS TECHNICIAN, AND THEN RETURNED IN 2001 AS AN APPRAISER TECHNICIAN MARKED THE BEGINNING OF HER CURRENT 25 YEARS OF SERVICE. SHE PROGRESSED THROUGH THE POSITIONS OF APPRAISER ONE TO APPRAISER THREE. SHE SERVED AS A SUPERVISING APPRAISER BEFORE BEING PROMOTED TO DEPUTY ASSESSOR IN 2014. IN 2019, SHE STEPPED INTO THE ROLE OF INTERIM ASSESSOR AND WAS LATER NAMED COUNTY ASSESSOR. THE POSITION SHE PROUDLY HOLDS TODAY, HER JOURNEY FROM AN ENTRY-LEVEL POSITION TO LEADING THE ASSESSOR'S OFFICE IS A WONDERFUL REFLECTION OF HER HARD WORK, PERSEVERANCE, AND COMMITMENT TO SERVING THE COUNTY AND ITS CITIZENS. WE'RE GRATEFUL FOR EBONY'S SERVICE AND LEADERSHIP AND CONGRATULATE HER ON REACHING THIS WILL DESERVED MILESTONE. CONGRATULATIONS. YOU GOT SOMETHING TO SAY, RIGHT? GOOD. YES. WHAT A JOY AND HONOR IT IS TO CELEBRATE 25 YEARS OF SERVICE AT BEAUFORT COUNTY AND MORE THAN 31 YEARS IN TAXATION. I BEGAN MY CAREER IN AN ENTRY-LEVEL POSITION, AND THROUGH THE YEARS OF HARD WORK, DEDICATION, AND CONTINUED GROWTH, I HAD THE PRIVILEGE TO BECOME BEAUFORT, THE BEAUFORT COUNTY ASSESSOR. I AM PROUD OF THE WORK THAT I'VE DONE, THE PEOPLE THAT I SERVE, AND THE REPUTATION THAT I'VE BUILT THROUGH INTEGRITY, PROFESSIONALISM, AND THE SERVICE IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAW. MY RECORD OF SERVICE SPEAKS FOR ITSELF AND I'M DEEPLY GRATEFUL FOR THIS COMMUNITY'S TRUST AND SUPPORT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MS. OKAY, NEXT WE HAVE, UH, GLENN, UH, ZAN TI A MAJOR WITH THE BEAUFORT COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE WITH 35 YEARS OF SERVICE. WOW. UH, MAJOR ZAN Z LOTTI BEGAN HIS LAW ENFORCEMENT CAREER FOLLOWING EIGHT YEARS, DISTINGUISHED SERVICE IN THE UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS. THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE. HE JOINED THE BEAUFORT COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE AS A PATROL DEPUTY ASSIGNED TO THE NORTHERN ENFORCEMENT DIVISION, WHERE HE QUICKLY ESTABLISHED HIMSELF AS DEDICATED AND RELIABLE PUBLIC SERVANT. IN 2006, HE'S PROMOTED TO THE RANK OF LIEUTENANT AND ASSIGNED TO THE SOUTHERN ENFORCEMENT DIVISION. THROUGHOUT HIS CAREER, HE HAS CONTINUED TO ADVANCE IN LEADERSHIP ROLES. AFTER WRITING TO HIS CURRENT RANK OF MAJOR, HE SERVED IN THE ENFORCEMENT DIVISION AND PRESENTLY SERVES THE ADMINISTRATION DIVISION AS THE ASSISTANT BRANCH COMMANDER. 35 YEARS OF COMMITTED SERVICE, UH, MAJOR ZA OTTIS, UH, CAREER REFLECTS LEADERSHIP, INTEGRITY AND STEADFAST DEDICATION TO THE CITIZENS OF BEAUFORT COUNTY. CONGRATULATIONS. [00:20:08] COMMENTS? I'D LIKE TO THANK THE MEMBER OF COUNCIL YOURSELF, YOUR STAFF, UM, FOR TAKING THE TIME TO RECOGNIZE THE EMPLOYEES THAT SERVE HERE AT BEAUFORT COUNTY. IT GOES A LONG WAY AND IT MAINTAINS THAT THIS IS A GREAT COUNTY TO WORK FOR AGAIN. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OKAY. NEXT UP WE HAVE MS. CHERYL HARRIS FOR 50 YEARS OF SERVICE. THANK TONIGHT WE HAVE THE EXTRAORDINARY PRIVILEGE OF RECOGNIZING CHERYL FOR AN INCREDIBLE 50 YEARS OF SERVICE TO BEAUFORD COUNTY. SHE BEGAN HER CAREER WITH THE COUNTY IN 1976 AS A SECRETARY AND STAFF SERVICES, AND LATER JOINED THE CLERK TO COUNCIL'S OFFICE BEFORE TRANSITIONING INTO HER CURRENT ROLE AS SENIOR EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT TO THE COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR. AND THE PERSON I SEE EVERY MORNING WHO GREETS ME WHEN I COME IN. SO, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. OVER THE PAST FIVE DECADES, CHERYL'S BEEN A CONSTANT AND VALUED PRESENCE IN BEAUFORT COUNTY, SERVING ALONGSIDE COUNTLESS EMPLOYEES, ELECTED OFFICIALS, COUNCIL MEMBERS, AND ADMINISTRATORS, AND WITNESSING MANY CHAPTERS IN THE COUNTY'S HISTORY. HER REMARKABLE LONGEVITY SPEAKS NOT ONLY TO HER DEDICATION AND COMMITMENT, BUT ALSO TO THE PRIDE SHE'S ALWAYS TAKEN AND SERVED THE COUNTY AND ITS CITIZENS. WHEN ASKED THE SECRET TO REACHING SUCH AN INCREDIBLE MILESTONE, HER ANSWER IS SIMPLE, BUT IT SAYS EVERYTHING ABOUT YOU. I JUST REALLY LOVE WHAT I DO. MM-HMM. AND WE APPRECIATE THAT CHERYL. 50 YEARS OF SERVICE IS, IS A TRULY REMARKABLE ACHIEVEMENT, AND WE'RE HONORED TO CELEBRATE YOU. AND THANK YOU FOR A LIFETIME OF ACCESSIBLE SERVICE AND DEDICATION TO BEAUFORD COUNTY. SO WE HAVE A PLAQUE FOR YOU AS WELL. SPEECH. I AM TRULY GRATEFUL FOR THIS RECOGNITION OF MY 50 YEARS OF SERVICE WITH BEAUFORT COUNTY. WHEN I FIRST STARTED, I NEVER THOUGHT THAT I WOULD BE STANDING HERE TODAY RECEIVING THIS LONGEVITY RECOGNITION. THIS RECOGNITION ISN'T JUST ABOUT ME, IT'S ABOUT ALL OF US WORKING TOGETHER AND ACHIEVING GREAT THINGS AS A TEAM TO MY FORMER AND CURRENT ADMINISTRATORS. THANK YOU FOR MAKING EVERY DAY A WORKABLE EXPERIENCE. I AM PROUD TO BE PART OF THIS ORGANIZATION AND EXCITED FOR WHAT THE FUTURE HOLDS DO ANOTHER SHE GONE. OKAY. OKAY. UM, THAT CONCLUDES OUR SERVICE. AND NOW WE HAVE A RETIREMENT. UH, SO WE HAVE, UM, MS. SHIRLEY SMITH, AND SHE'S BEEN A FIXTURE IN THE REGISTER OF DEEDS FOR 37 YEARS. WOW. GOOD TO SEE YOU. NOT ONLY THAT, SHE HAS 48 YEARS OF SERVICE WITH THE COUNTY, HAVING ALSO SERVED IN THE CLERK OF COURT, PROBATE COURT, AND FAMILY COURT OFFICES. PRIOR TO JOINING THE REGISTER OF DEEDS OFFICE, IF ONLY WALLS COULD TALK, STORIES BE TOLD OF NUMEROUS EMPLOYEES SHE HAS TRAINED, INFLUENCED, MENTORED, OR SIMPLY BEEN A FRIEND TO, THROUGHOUT THE YEARS, SHE'S BEEN MORE THAN JUST EMPLOYEE. SHE'S BEEN A MENTOR AND A LEADER IN EVERY POSITION SHE'S HELD, BEGINNING AT THE ENTRY LEVEL AND WORKING HER WAY UP TO A DEPUTY POSITION, WHICH SHE'S HELD FOR THE PAST 15 YEARS. THROUGHOUT HER TENURE, SHIRLEY HAS WORKED WITH FIVE REGISTRARS THROUGHOUT HER TENURE. FLOYD, DALTON, THERESA MORRIS, JACK SULLIVAN, DALE BUTTS, AND PRESENTLY, UH, PATSY GREEN. YEAH. IN RETIREMENT. SHE LOOKS FORWARD TO SPENDING TIME WITH FAMILY AND FRIENDS AND DOING WHATEVER GOD MAY LEAD HER TO DO. SHE'S TRULY A BELOVED FRIEND, EMPLOYEE, MENTOR, AND COUNSELOR TO MANY. SHE'LL CERTAINLY BE MISSED, BUT NEVER FORGOTTEN. SO, CONGRATULATIONS. I TOO WOULD LIKE TO THANK YOU FOR CONNIE FOR THE OPPORTUNITY, UH, TO SERVE THE PEOPLE. I ENJOYED MY WORK. [00:25:01] UM, I ENJOYED THE CUSTOMERS THAT CAME IN AND JUST TRIED TO HELP THEM IN ANY WAY THEY CAN. I THANK MY FORMER BOSSES, THEY WERE GREAT. I HAD FIVE. WELL, PATTY'S IN THERE. I HAVE FOUR AND A HALF. GREAT PATTY. PATTY IS GOOD. WE'VE ALL HAD UPS AND DOWNS IN YOUR OFFICE WHENEVER, YOU KNOW, WHATEVER OFFICE YOU ARE IN. BUT GOD ALWAYS SEEMED TO WORK EVERYTHING OUT FOR US. AND I THANK THE LORD FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY TO DO THIS, TO BE HERE. ALRIGHT, THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OKAY. I'D ALSO NOW LIKE TO INTRODUCE OUR NEW DETENTION CENTER DIRECTOR. IF DR. KELVIN BURRELL WOULD PLEASE COME FORWARD. THERE HE IS. WELCOME. SO HE BEGAN SERVING, UH, AS THE DETENTION CENTER DIRECTOR ON AUGUST 31ST, 2026. HE HAS MORE THAN A DECADE OF EXPERIENCE IN CORRECTIONS, JUVENILE JUSTICE, COMMUNITY SUPERVISION, AND PUBLIC SECTOR LEADERSHIP. HE'S HELD PROGRESSIVELY RESPONSIBLE LEADERSHIP ROLES, OVERSEEING FACILITY OPERATIONS, STAFF DEVELOPMENT, SAFETY, AND ORGANIZATIONAL ACCOUNTABILITY. HE WAS A DOCTOR OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION FROM SOUTH COLLEGE ALONG WITH A MASTER OF SCIENCE AND BACHELOR OF SCIENCE AND CRIMINOLOGY FROM INDIANA STATE UNIVERSITY BIG YEAR LAST YEAR FOR Y'ALL. EASY. SO, UM, HIS LEADERSHIP PHILOSOPHY EMPHASIZES ACCOUNTABILITY, STAFF DEVELOPMENT, OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCE, AND MAINTAINING A SAFE AND PROFESSIONAL ENVIRONMENT FOR STAFF. THOSE IN CUSTODY AND THE COMMUNITY WE'RE, WE'RE, UH, REALLY PLEASED TO HAVE YOU HERE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. YEAH. I JUST WANNA SAY THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME. AND I, I STRIVE TO BE HERE 50 YEARS, JUST, JUST LIKE THAT ONE. SO IN 50 YEARS, I LOOK FORWARD TO BEING UP HERE ACCEPTING MY AWARD. SO THANK YOU. THANK YOU. YOU'LL BE A LITTLE GRAY IN 50 YEARS. AND CONGRAT TELL YOU SOME. THANK YOU. GOOD LUCK. NOW I'D LIKE TO RECOGNIZE OUR EXCHANGE CLUB. FIRST RESPONDER OF THE YEAR, RECEIVED THIS AWARD, UH, SEAN GLEASON, UM, IF HE COULD COME FORWARD. OH, HE WAS RECOGNIZED LAST WEEK, BUT I, I THOUGHT IT APPROPRIATE TO RECOGNIZE HIM HERE AS WELL. HE'S DEDICATED MORE THAN 20 YEARS OF HIS LIFE TO EMS AND THE PROFESSION OF PARAMEDICINE. HIS CAREER INCLUDES SERVICE, UH, DURING THE SEPTEMBER 11TH, 2001 TERRORIST ATTACKS. UH, AN EXPERIENCE THAT SPEAKS NOT ONLY TO THE LENGTH OF HIS SERVICE, BUT TO EXTRAORDINARY CIRCUMSTANCES UNDER WHICH HE'S ANSWERED THE CALL TO HELP OTHERS. HE CURRENTLY SERVES AS THE SEA CREW SUPERVISOR WITH BEAUFORT COUNTY EMS, WHERE HIS LEADERSHIP EXTENDS FAR BEYOND THE RESPONSIBILITIES OF HIS TITLE. HE'S A KIND OF LEADER, LEADER WHO REMAINS PRESENT, DEPENDABLE, AND WILLING TO STEP IN WHENEVER HIS CREW NEEDS HIM. HE'S A RESPECTED LEADER AND A FIRST RESPONDER WHO TRULY REPRESENTS THE MEANING OF SERVICE ABOVE SELF. CONGRATULATIONS, SEAN. CONGRATULATIONS. AND SOME OF YOU MAY LIKE TO KNOW THAT HIS DAUGHTER IS FOLLOWING IN HIS FOOTSTEPS. SHE'S IN ORANGEBURG, RIGHT? YEAH, SHE WORKS IN ORANGEBURG. I'M VERY FORTUNATE, YOU KNOW, I HAVE, UH, THREE KIDS. THEY'RE ALL FOLLOWING MY FOOTSTEPS. MY DAUGHTER GRADUATES NEXT WEEK FROM PA SCHOOL AND MY SON'S IN MEDICAL SCHOOL WHO ALSO WORKED AS AN EMT. AND, UH, MY YOUNGEST DAUGHTER IS WORKING AS AN EMT IN ORANGEBURG. NICE BUSINESS. SO, YES, AND I JUST WANTED TO THANK YOU GUYS FOR, FOR ALL THIS, AND, UM, IT'S GREAT HONOR. I DULY APPRECIATE IT BEING THE RECOGNITION AND I CAN'T SAY ENOUGH HOW COMING, MOVING HERE, WORKING FOR BEFORD COUNTY EMS REALLY MEANS A LOT TO ME AND SAVED MY CAREER. SO I THANK YOU GUYS ALL. I APPRECIATE IT. THANK YOU. OKAY, THAT CONCLUDES THE RECOGNITION. I DO HAVE A FEW UPDATES FOR YOU ALL. UPDATE. UM, FIRST OFF, ON THE 2026 TRANSPORTATION PENNY REFERENDUM, UH, AS EVERYONE KNOWS, UM, THE COUNTY WILL, UH, VOTERS WILL DECIDE ON THE TRANSPORTATION SALES TAX, UH, REFERENDUM, UH, TO FUND INFRASTRUCTURE IMPROVEMENTS FOR SAFETY, MOBILITY AND CONNECTIVITY AS AN UPDATE. UM, WE'VE BEEN WORKING CLOSELY WITH NP STRATEGY, OUR PARTNER, AND, UH, WE'VE ENGAGED THE COMMUNITY REGARDING THIS PENNY TAX. WE'VE RECEIVED A LOT OF QUESTIONS AND THOSE HAVE BEEN RESPONDED TO, UH, PROVIDING OPPORTUNITIES [00:30:01] AND FACTUAL INFORMATION TO REFLECT, UH, THE COMMUNITY CONCERNS. UM, THE 2026 WEBSITE WENT LIVE ON AUGUST 10TH. I BELIEVE I MENTIONED THAT LAST TIME. SINCE THEN, IT HAS BEEN UPDATED, UH, TO, UH, ADDRESS FAQS WE'VE RECEIVED. AND, UH, WE'VE MOVED THE INTERACTIVE MAP TO THE FRONT PAGE TO MAKE IT EASIER TO ACCESS. UM, WE HAVE UPDATED OUR COMMUNITY PRESENTATION AND SHARED IT WITH STAFF TO USE AT TOWN HALLS, NEIGHBORHOOD MEETINGS, AND STAKEHOLDER EVENTS. THIS HAS BEEN VETTED BY THE, UH, ETHICS COMMISSION. SO THIS, UH, PRESENTATION AND ONE PAGE ARE AVAILABLE ON THE WEBSITE, UH, FOR YOU ALL AND THE PUBLIC TO USE. AND, UH, WE HAVE A NUMBER OF, OF MEETINGS. WE'VE ALREADY HAD A FEW MEETINGS, UM, WITH COUNCIL MEMBERS. ON SEPTEMBER 10TH, WE HAD A MEETING WITH, UH, VICE CHAIR TABER, COUNCIL MEMBER CUNNINGHAM, AND COUNCIL MEMBER BROWN OF THE COMMUNITY MEETING ON THE 15TH. COUNCIL MEMBER MCALLEN AND COUNCIL MEMBER REEDS WILL HOST A MEETING ON HILTON HEAD, UH, ISLAND. AND ON THE 24TH VICE CHAIR, TABER AND COUNCIL MEMBER CUNNINGHAM WILL HOST A COMMUNITY MEETING. AND, UH, THOSE HAVE BEEN UPDATED ON THE WEBSITE NOW AS WELL. UH, WE'VE HAD INITIAL INTERVIEWS WITH LOCAL MEDIA, HELPS SPREAD INFORMATION ABOUT THE PENNY TAX. UH, JARED AND AND BRIAN BOWER WERE BOTH, UH, INTERVIEWED AND, AND ANSWERED QUESTIONS. UH, WE'LL CONTINUE TO SET UP MEETINGS WITH LOCAL REPORTERS AND ANSWER QUESTIONS ABOUT THE REFERENDUM AND THE PROJECTS. UM, WE'RE CONTINUING TO POST CONTENT, UH, WE DID LAST MONTH AND INTO THIS MONTH. AND AGAIN, RESPONDING TO QUESTIONS THAT WE RECEIVE. AND WE'LL INCORPORATE VIDEO IN FUTURE SOCIAL MEDIA CONTENT TO SHOWCASE SOME OF THE PROJECTS IN THE REFERENDUM AND, AND FROM COUNSEL. JUST WE WANNA MAKE YOU AWARE OF THAT AND YOU CAN CONTINUE TO SERVE, UH, AS VOICES IN YOUR DISTRICTS TO SHARE FACTUAL INFORMATION AND POINTING RESIDENTS TO THE COUNTY WEBSITE. AND IF YOU HAVE GROUPS THAT WOULD LIKE INFORMATION, PLEASE LET, UH, OUR, LET US KNOW AND WE'LL MAKE SURE THAT GETS SCHEDULED. NEXT ON THE 2 78 BRIDGE, UH, REPLACEMENT PROJECT AND KEEP 'EM WITH TRANSPORTATION. UH, WE'RE, UH, DESIGN UTILITY COORDINATION, PERMITTING, AND RIGHT OF WAY ACQUISITION. CONTINUE ADVANCE WITH THE PROJECT SCHEDULE. UH, DESIGN AND PERMITTING ARE ANTICIPATE TO BE SUBSTANTIALLY COMPLETED BY NEXT SUMMER, FOLLOWED BY BIDDING AN AWARD DURING THE FALL AND WINTER OF 2027. AND WE ANTICIPATE CONSTRUCTION TO BEGIN IN EARLY 2028. WE RECENTLY RECEIVED FEEDBACK FROM THE FEDERAL HIGHWAY ADMINISTRATION FHWA ON THE LARGE BRIDGE APPLICATION, UH, GRANT THAT WAS SUBMITTED IN AUGUST, 2025. THE INITIAL REVIEW DETERMINED THE CA APPLICATION DID NOT ADVANCE. HOWEVER, THE COUNTY WAS PROVIDED WITH A DEBRIEF AND AN OPPORTUNITY TO ADDRESS THE IDENTIFIED CONCERNS AND RESUBMIT. UH, THE REVISED APPLICATION TO ANSWER THE QUESTIONS HAS BEEN REEVA WILL NOW BE REEVALUATED BY, UH, FHWA FOR FINAL RECOMMENDATION TO THE US DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION. WE DON'T HAVE ANY TIMELINE ON THAT, UH, WHEN THAT'S GONNA BE MADE. BUT, UH, GIVEN THE PROJECT'S REVISED SCOPE AND FUNDING, UH, FUTURE GRANT AWARDS WOULD NEED TO BE CAREFULLY EVALUATED IN COORDINATION WITH THE PROJECTS, OTHER FUNDING PARTNERS BEFORE ACCEPTANCE. AND THE CLOSER WE GET TO THE PROJECT, THE MORE WE'LL HAVE TO WORK WITH THE COLLABORATE TO, TO MOVE FORWARD ON THE ALL JOY PATHWAY PROJECT. UM, LAST WEEK THE COUNTY ISSUED, UH, CORRESPONDENCE TO THE CONTRACTOR, UM, REGARDING A FAILURE TO CURE AND, UH, TO MOVE TO TERMINATE THE CONTRACT. UH, WE'RE NOW COURTING WITH S-C-D-O-T AND, UH, CONTRACTOR SURETY ON THE APPROPRIATE NEXT STEPS TO MOVE FORWARD ON THIS PROJECT. AND LASTLY, ON THE STATION, 39 EMS FIRE STATION AND SUN CITY, UH, CONSTRUCTION IS PAUSED DUE TO A SITE CONSTRAINT INVOLVING, UM, REQUIRED OFFSETS FROM EXISTING TRANSMISSION LINES. UH, THE CONTRACTOR HAS ADVANCED A REDESIGN AND COORDINATED THE REVISED APPROACH WITH, UH, BEAUFORT, JASPER WATER AND SEWER AND BEAUFORT COUNTY. UH, BOTH AGENCIES HAVE PROVIDED VERBAL CONCURRENCE AND THE REVISED ENGINEERING PLANS ARE RESUBMITTED. LAST WEEK. WE ANTICIPATE FINAL APPROVAL IN SEPTEMBER 25TH, 2026, WITH A CONTRACTOR PREPARED TO REMOBILIZE WITHIN ONE WEEK OF THAT APPROVAL AND PENDING. ANY QUESTIONS? YOU ALL HAVE ANY QUESTIONS FOR ADMINISTRATOR? NO. NO. SEEING NONE. OKAY. OKAY. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. NEXT ON OUR [8.PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD - 30 MINUTES TOTAL] AGENDA IS PUBLIC COMMENT. I'D LIKE TO REMIND THE PUBLIC THE SPEAKER WILL BE PERMITTED NO MORE THAN THREE MINUTES TO COMPLETE THEIR COMMENTS TO COUNSEL. EVERYONE SPEAKING BEFORE COUNSEL WILL BE REQUIRED TO DO SO IN A CIVIL MANNER. COUNSEL WILL NOT TOLERATE PERSONAL ATTACKS ON INDIVIDUAL COUNCIL MEMBERS, COUNTY STAFF, OR ANY PERSON OR GROUP. RACIAL SLURS AND PROFANITY WILL NOT BE PERMITTED. COUNSEL WILL LISTEN TO PUBLIC COMMENTS BUT NOT RESPOND. PLEASE NOTE THAT ANY HANDOUTS THAT YOU PRESENT WILL BE BECOME OFFICIAL PART OF THE RECORD AND WILL BE ATTACHED TO THE AGENDA. UM, FOR, FOR THOSE MINUTES, OUR FIRST SPEAKER IS QUIN. UH, MS. GOODWIN. GOOD EVENING EVERYBODY. EVENING GLAD. [00:35:01] DAY ONE MORE AGAIN BEFORE BEFORD COUNTY COUNCIL AND I COME THIS EVENING FOR CRACK MAITE. ONE MORE AGAIN ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF THE CULTURAL PROTECTION OVERLAY DISTRICT FOR SANEL ISLAND. AND ONE OF THE THINGS I EVEN CRACKED MY TEETH WITH THIS YEAR, THE STUDY WITH THIS THING, I THOUGHT WITH THIS SONG, AND I GOT IT RIGHT TO THE TREE OF LIFE. AND SO SINCE THE LAST TIME YOU SAW ME, I'VE BEEN AMIDST THE TREES OF ST. HELENA ISLAND ALONG THE SIDES OF CREEK SHORES DOCUMENTING 50 BURIAL AREAS. THERE ARE TWO TO THREE MORE AND THERE MAY BE SOME PEOPLE IN PEOPLE'S YARDS THEY DIDN'T TELL ME ABOUT AS WELL, BUT THE ONES THAT ARE KNOWN AND DOCUMENTED, 3,200 NAMES FROM HEADSTONES AND GRAVE MARKERS. AND TRULY IN MANY OF THESE PLACES THAT ARE REALLY ALONG THE SHORELINE, ALL I THOUGHT OF WAS, WE ARE THE TREE PLANTED BY THE RIVERS OF THE WATER. GULLAH GEECHEE CULTURE SHALL NOT BE MOVED. SO I PRAY THAT THIS BODY CONTINUES TO REALIZE THE IMPORTANCE OF THE LEGACY AND THE CULTURE IN THE CULTURAL PROTECTION OVERLAY DISTRICT. IT IS EVEN MORE EMPHASIZED AND I GIVE MORE OF A SALUTE IN THIS MILITARY TOWN TO THE PEOPLE WHO FOUGHT FOR US TO HAVE THAT LAND. BECAUSE THERE ARE OVER 100 SOLDIERS, THERE ARE 30 SOMETHING PLUS US COLOR TROOP SOLDIERS BURIED ON ST. HELENA AND TWO SPANISH AMERICAN WAR SOLDIERS. AND I AM RELATED TO MANY OF THIS US COLOR TROOP MEMBERS AND ONE OF THOSE SPANISH AMERICAN WAR SOLDIERS. AND I DIDN'T KNOW THAT BEFORE I WENT OUT TO STAND BENEATH THOSE TREES PLANTED BY THE RIVERS OF THE WATER. AND SO IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE UPHOLD OUR COMPREHENSIVE PLAN IN OUR CULTURAL PROTECTION OVERLAY DISTRICT, NOT ONLY BECAUSE IT IS A PLACE OF REST, BUT IT IS TRULY A HISTORICAL LOCATION DOCUMENTED THAT LIVES OUT AMERICAN HISTORY. AND SO I COULD HAVE SAID A LOT OF THINGS, THAT'S WHY I WROTE Y'ALL A LETTER AND SENT IT BY EMAIL EARLIER BECAUSE I WANTED TO COME TONIGHT TO SPEAK FOR MY ANCESTORS, TO RAISE THEIR VOICES, TO RAISE PEOPLE'S KNOWLEDGE IN THIS COUNTY. THERE ARE PLENTY OF WE ANCESTORS AND THINGS LIKE THAT, THAT DESERVE A SALUTE. AND I SALUTE ALL OF YOU FOR CONTINUING TO UPHOLD THAT CULTURAL PROTECTION OVERLAY DISTRICT AND TO DO THE WORK IN THAT ST. HENA SPOTLIGHT TO CONTINUE TO ENSURE THAT THOSE FOLKS WILL REST PEACEFULLY IN THOSE MANY BURIAL AREAS IN THE SALT MARSH BECAUSE THEY MATTER. 'CAUSE WE WOULDN'T BE HERE TODAY AND BE ALLOWED TO BE IN THIS SPACE HAD THEY NOT FOUGHT FOR US TO BE ABLE TO DO SO. SO TANKY TANK IT ALL A HUNTER CHILLING. AND AS I ALWAYS SAY, HUNTER MUST TAKE CARE OF THE ROOT FOR HEAL THE TREE. SO I'VE DUG DEEPER TO BRING UP THIS LEGACY AND I PRAY YOU CONTINUE TO HONOR THAT PEACE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. UH, NEXT IS, UH, ANEZ ANEZ MILLER. ANEZ MILLER OR MILLER ANEZ? DID I ANEZ MILLER. OH, OKAY. IT'S ANEZ MILLER, RIGHT? YEP. SHE'S COMING. COMING. ALRIGHT. AND AFTER EVERYONE, OKAY. I'M ANEZ MILLER SAYING HELLO. I WANNA ASK YOU TO PLEASE CONTINUE TO UPHOLD THE CPO AND NOT CALL ABOUT ANYTHING OUT OF IT FOR ANY SPECIAL PERSON THAT PRAYED THAT WAS DONE TONIGHT TO PROTECT OUR COMMUNITIES AND TAKE CARE OF IT. IT IS SOMETHING THAT GOD GAVE US. SO PLEASE, I BEG OF YOU TO DO THAT. WE ARE TIRED OF COMING BEFORE YOU AND I'M SURE YOU TIRED OF SEEING US UNLESS WE INVITE YOU OVER FOR SOME GOOD SHRIMP AND GRITS AND FISH AND GRITS, THEN I MEAN, WE NEED TO HAVE THE PROTECTION THERE ON ALAMA ROAD ON ST. HELENA. PLEASE UPHOLD THE CPO. DON'T FORGET, BUT WE ALL FOUGHT FOR HELL. AND IF YOU APPRECIATE THAT, YOU'LL SHOW US ALL PRAISES. GO TO THE GOOD MASTER. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. ALRIGHT, UM, NEXT IS MS. SHELLY DAYJA. GOOD EVENING COUNSEL. THANK YOU. UM, THANK YOU FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK PUBLICLY. UM, MY NAME IS SHELLY GAY YUHAS AND I'M RUNNING FOR STATE HOUSE DISTRICT 1 21, WHICH INCLUDES ST. HELENA ISLAND. WHEN I WAS FIRST RESEARCHING THIS PROJECT, I WENT TO THE 2040 COMPREHENSIVE PLAN, A PLAN THAT ALL OF YOU ARE VERY FAMILIAR WITH. AND I STUDIED IT COVER TO COVER TO FORM AN OPINION ABOUT WHERE I STOOD, WHAT MY OPINION WAS ABOUT, WHETHER I WOULD SUPPORT OR WHETHER I MIGHT HAVE OTHER THOUGHTS ABOUT THAT. BUT WHEN I READ THE PLAN, IT [00:40:01] WAS COMPLETELY FULL OF RESPECT FOR THE ST. HELENA COMMUNITY. THE HISTORY THAT, UH, WE JUST HEARD ABOUT THE CULTURE, THE, THE PLACES THAT ARE HISTORICALLY SIGNIFICANT THAT WE WOULD NEVER BE ABLE TO REPLACE AGAIN. IT REMINDS ME OF THE ENCOURAGEMENT FROM OUR SENATOR OF THE SAME DISTRICT, SENATOR CHIP CAMPSEN, WHO SAID, DON'T LET HAPPEN. WHAT HAPPENED TO CHARLESTON, HAPPENED TO BEAUFORT. AND THOSE WORDS RING IN MY EAR FREQUENTLY WHEN I'M DRIVING DOWN HIGHWAY 21, ACROSS ST. HELENA ISLAND. SO THE GUIDING DOCUMENT THAT WAS CREATED BY A LOT OF HARD WORK BY A LOT OF COMMUNITY CITIZENS THAT TOOK A LOT OF RESOURCES FINANCIALLY, OUR RESOURCES TO DEVELOP IT IS VERY CLEAR THAT WE AS CITIZENS OF BEAUFORT COUNTY ARE CALLED TO PROTECT THE SPECIAL AREA. SO I KNOW WHO YOU ARE, I KNOW MOST OF YOU BY FIRST NAME WITH YOUR NUMBERS IN MY PHONE, AND I KNOW YOU ARE PEOPLE OF INTEGRITY AND I HAVE HIGH REGARD AND RESPECT FOR EACH OF YOU. I AM CALLING ON YOU TO JUST SUPPORT THIS GUIDING DOCUMENT AND I ASK FOR YOU TO SUPPORT THE CPO AND TO MAKE SURE THAT WE CONTINUE TO PROTECT AND PRESERVE THIS SPECIAL AREA THAT WE HAVE IN BEAUFORT COUNTY. UM, I HEARD SOMEONE SAY JUST THIS PAST WEEK, WE CAN'T HAVE FARM TO TABLE WITHOUT FARMS. WE CAN TALK ABOUT THE CULTURAL HERITAGE, BUT WE HAVE SEEN EVEN IN A MEETING ON THURSDAY NIGHT WITH THE PLANNING COMMISSION THAT WE HAVE FARMS THAT ARE AT RISK. SO IN THE SEABROOK AREA ON ST. HELENA ISLAND, WE DON'T WANT TO SPOIL THESE SPECIAL AREAS. I ASK YOU TO SUPPORT THE CPO. THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU. ALRIGHT. NEXT IS, UM, MARK MARGIE, FARROW FARRELL. MARGIE FARRELL. AM I PRONOUNCING THAT RIGHT? MARQUI MARQUEE. MARQUEE. AL MM-HMM . AL. OKAY. MARQUIS, HE'S HERE. IS MARQUEE FARROW, IS HE OUTSIDE? IS SHE OUTSIDE? NEXT PERSON? ALL LET'S, ALL RIGHT, LET'S GO. WE'LL COME BACK TO HER. MS. MAJORS. CARRIE, MAJOR . IS SHE COMING AROUND? OKAY, WE'LL, WE'LL DO, WE'LL CATCH HER AFTER MS. CARRIE. IT'S A HIM. IT'S A HIM, IT'S A HENRY. MM-HMM . UM, GOOD AFTERNOON. UM, GOOD EVENING. UH, THANK YOU FOR ALLOWING ME TO DO THIS. UM, AGAIN, IT'S BEEN A WHILE, BUT MY CONSCIOUS SAYS THAT I NEED TO REMIND, UM, YOU ALL OF WHAT OUR NEEDS ARE ON ST. HELENA ISLAND. UM, WE'VE, THEY'RE BUILDING A, A INADEQUATE BUILDING FOR US ON ST. HELENA. AND WE ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO A PHASE TWO AT LEAST, SO THAT WE CAN HAVE, UM, SOMETHING FOR OUR YOUTH AND OUR COMMUNITY. UM, THEY WILL MOVE THE SENIOR CENTER, THE SENIOR CITIZENS WHO ARE MEETING AT LEROY BRA CENTER RIGHT NOW INTO THAT BUILDING. AND OF COURSE THEY'RE NOT, UM, VERY HAPPY WITH THAT BECAUSE OF THE SIZE OF THE BUILDING. UM, THE BUILDING LOOKS LIKE, AND I HATE TO SAY THIS, IT LOOKS THE DESIGN IS SPECIFICALLY FOR AFRICAN AMERICAN COMMUNITIES, I MUST SAY. BECAUSE AS I LOOK AROUND, UM, SHELDON, LOOK AROUND DALE AREA, UM, LOOK AT ST. HELENA. IT'S THE SAME DESIGN. IT LOOKS LIKE A STORAGE UNIT WITH A PORCH. UM, AS WE LOOK AT BULK, WALTER, WE LOOK AT BURTON WELLS, TOTALLY DIFFERENT. SO WE ARE EXPECTING ON ST. HENA ISLAND, SOMETHING MORE THAN THAT. SOMETHING ELSE THAT WE CAN USE TO HOUSE OUR YOUTH TO DO YOUTH PROGRAMS THERE AS WELL AS THE SENIORS CAN MEET THERE. UM, AND OTHER AFTERSCHOOL ACTIVITIES, SPORTING EVENTS, ALL OF THOSE THINGS. WE DESIRE THAT ON ST. HELEN ISLAND. SO WE ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO COUNCIL, UM, CHANGING AND ADDING THOSE THINGS TO US. AND WE'LL KEEP COMING AS LONG AS THE LORD SAY SO, UM, TO REQUEST THIS BECAUSE HE SAID IT. SO IT'S GOING TO HAPPEN. I DON'T KNOW WHEN IT WILL BE. IT MAY BE WHEN SOME OF YOU ARE OFF COUNCIL, BUT I KNOW IT WILL HAPPEN. AND AGAIN, I SAID THE LORD SAID SO. UM, THAT'S WHY I'M HERE. I COULD BE AT HOME RELAXING AND TRYING TO RETIRE. UM, ALSO WHEN I THINK ABOUT THE CPO, WE WERE ASKING YOU IF YOU PLEASE CONTINUE, UM, TO JUST HOLD ONTO YOUR DECISIONS, THE DECISIONS THAT YOU MADE, BECAUSE WE ALL CAME FORTH, UM, [00:45:01] AND SPENT OUR MANY HOURS. AND IT'S BEEN SOME YEARS TALKING ABOUT THE CPO. I DON'T KNOW WHY WE ARE CONTINUING TO TALK ABOUT IT WHEN THE DECISIONS ARE MADE ALREADY. AND THE LAW IS THE LAW. SO I DON'T KNOW WHY WE ARE CONTINUING TO NOT UPHOLD THE CPO OR THINKING ABOUT IT. SO I THANK YOU THAT YOU WILL STAND BY YOUR DECISIONS. OKAY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU MS. MAJORS. OKAY. MARK MARQUI, THE PERSON THAT WAS OUTSIDE MARQUI, I APOLOGIZE. OH NO, THAT'S FINE. OH WAIT, CAN YOU SAY YOUR NAME FOR THE RECORD, JUST SO MARQUEE. YES. MARQUI FAR. THANK YOU. UM, I'M MS. MADAM CHAIR, MEMBERS OF, UH, THE COUNCIL. I'M HERE TO SUPPORT THE CULTURAL PROTECTION OVERLAY AND URGE THIS COUNCIL TO REJECT THE DEVELOPER'S LATEST PROPOSAL TO REMOVE PINE ISLAND PROPERTY FROM THE CULTURAL PROTECTION OVERLAY. THE CPO EXISTS BECAUSE GULLAH GEECHEE COMMUNITIES OF THE SEA ISLANDS REQUIRE MORE THAN KIND WORDS AND CEREMONIAL RECOGNITION. THEY REQUIRE ENFORCEABLE PROTECTION FROM DEVELOPMENT THAT THREATENS OUR LAND, OUR CULTURE, OUR ENVIRONMENT, AND OUR TRADITIONAL WAYS OF LIFE. ONCE THE LAND IS LOST, ONCE THE RURAL CHARACTER OF THIS COMMUNITY IS DESTROYED, AND ONCE THE LONG TIME RESIDENTS ARE DISPLACED BY RISING COSTS, WE CANNOT SIMPLY PASS ANOTHER ORDINANCE AND BRING EVERYTHING BACK. THIS LATEST PROPOSAL REMINDS ME OF THE MONSTER FROM STEPHEN KING'S. IT PENNYWISE DID NOT APPEAR DISAPPEARED SIMPLY BECAUSE THE PEOPLE STOPPED LOOKING FOR HIM. HE WAITED UNDERGROUND AND RETURNED ON A PREDICTABLE, A PREDICTABLE CYCLE, WEARING A SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT FACE, BUT BRINGING THE SAME DANGER. THAT IS WHAT THIS PROPOSAL FEELS LIKE. THE SEWER CLOWN THAT SHOWS UP LIKE CLOCKWORK. EACH TIME ONE VERSION IS CHALLENGED, ANOTHER VERSION RISES FROM THE DRAIN, UNRE, REPACKAGED, RENAMED, AND SLIGHTLY REVISITED. THEN COUNCIL AND COUNTY STAFF ARE EXPECTED TO SPEND MORE TIME, MORE PUBLIC MONEY AND MORE RESOURCES REVIEWING A DEVELOPMENT CONCEPT THAT REMAINS INCOMPATIBLE WITH THE PURPOSE OF THE C-P-C-P-O. AND PREDICTABLY IT THROWS A TEMPER TANTRUM ENSUES. THE COMPARISON IS NOT ABOUT ATTACKING THE PERSON, IT'S ABOUT RECOGNIZING A PATTERN. THE PUBLIC SHOULD NOT HAVE TO KEEP FIGHTING THE SAME THREAT EVERY TIME IT REAPPEARS IN A NEW COSTUME. THE DEVELOPER MAY PRESENT PROMISES OF GROWTH, INFRASTRUCTURE AND ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY, BUT BEAUFORT COUNTY MUST ASK GROWTH FOR WHOM OPPORTUNITY FOR WHOM AND AT WHOSE EXPENSE. JUST AS THE SEWER EXPANSION IS NOT MERELY A UTILITY DECISION, A GOLF COURSE IS NOT MERELY A RECREATIONAL DECISION. THEY CAN OPEN UP THE DOOR FOR GREATER DENSITY, ACCELERATE SPECULATION, INCREASE DEVELOPMENT PRESSURE, AND MAKE SURVIVAL HARDER FOR THE HARDWORKING FAMILIES TRYING TO REMAIN ON THE LAND THAT THEIR ANCESTORS STRUGGLED TO PRESERVE. COUNCIL SHOULD NOT ALLOW ANY DEVELOPMENT TO BECOME A SEWER LINE FOR DISPLACEMENT. AS ALWAYS, I THANK YOU FOR HEARING US. I THANK YOU FOR SEEING US. I REMIND YOU THAT YOU MUST PROTECT THE LAND, THAT YOU MUST PROTECT THE PEOPLE THAT YOU MUST PROTECT THE CULTURE STAND WITH THE CULTURAL PROTECTION OVERLAY BECAUSE ALIEN SEWER CLOWNS DO NOT CARE ABOUT ANY OF IT. THANK YOU. ALRIGHT, UM, NEXT ON THE LIST IS MR. SKIP HOAGLAND, UH, SKIP HOAGLAND HILTON HIT EXCUSE MY HEARING, UH, BULLET POINTS TONIGHT. FIRST, AI HAS REPLACED A NEED FOR MANY LAWYERS LEGAL SERVICES. OUR CITY DOGE AI PLATFORM CAN DRAFT CONTRACTS, ORDINANCES, LAWSUITS, AND DO FORENSIC AUDITS OF THE COUNTY BUDGET AND THE YEAR END. AUDITS FOR FREE TOWN LAWYERS NEED TO BE AUDITED FOR OVERCHARGED LEGAL FEES, INCLUDING OUTSIDE LAWYERS HIRED. HILTON HAD COVERED THIS ISLAND IN THE ISLAND. PACKET STORY LAWSUITS KEPT GOING VERSUS, VERSUS SETTLEMENTS TO GENERATE MORE LEGAL FEES, THIS HAS GOTTA STOP. NUMBER TWO, AI NEEDS TO ANALYZE ALL CONTRACTS AND CONTRACTORS TO ASSURE FULL TRANSPARENCY AND NOTHING ILLEGAL, NO CONFLICTS, NO INSIDERS, FAVORS, ET CETERA. NUMBER THREE, A TAX AND OTHER TAX FUNDS ARE ISSUED AND USED ILLEGALLY BY SOME A TAX RECIPIENTS. THIS COUNCIL IS VIOLATING TAXPAYERS BY NOT REQUIRING FULL ACCOUNTING AND TRANSPARENCY ON HOW THESE TAX FUNDS ARE USED, UH, LEGALLY AND PROPERLY AND GET A DEFUND THEM. NUMBER [00:50:01] FOUR, I WANT TO CONFIRM ALL STRIP CAVITY SEARCHES HAVE STOPPED AND NOW ONLY A BODY SCAN IS USED IN OUR DETENTION CENTER. I WAS A VICTIM OF THIS WHEN A JUDGE WAS ARRESTED AND NOT SUBJECTED TO THIS. NUMBER FIVE, I WANT TO GET PASSED INTO STATE AND FEDERAL LAW, A NEW LEGISLATION IN A SOUTH CAROLINA HOUSE BILL TO ALSO HAVE IN BEAUFORT COUNTY. I'M CALLING THIS THE ELDERLY INCARCERATION CARE ACT. FOR ANYONE OVER 65 YEARS WHO HAS COMMITTED LOW LEVEL CRIMES, CRIMES OF NONVIOLENCE, AND DETERMINED NOT TO BE A THREAT TO SOCIETY, THEY WOULD BE SENTENCED TO A HOUSE ARREST ONLY. THIS WOULD NOT ONLY SAVE OUR COUNTRY AND OUR STATE, HUNDREDS AND MILLIONS OF BILLIONS IN INCARCERATION COSTS. IT WOULD PREVENT THE ELDERLY FROM CONDITIONS DANGEROUS TO THEIR HEALTH AND EVEN EARLY DEATH. IT IS INHUMANE TO TREAT OUR ELDERLY IN SUCH CONDITIONS. MANY WHO WERE FATHERS, MOTHERS, GRANDFATHERS, GRANDMOTHERS WHO SACRIFICED SO MUCH OVER THEIR 65 YEARS. PLEASE JOIN ME IN HAVING SENATOR DAVIS AND OTHER STATE OFFICIALS PASS THIS LAW. WE MUST PROTECT THE MOST VULNERABLE PEOPLE IN OUR SOCIETY. THAT'S OUR ELDERLY AND OUR CHILDREN. LASTLY, AI IS YOUR BEST FRIEND AND CAN NOW STOP 90% OF THE CORRUPTION THAT WE'RE DEALING WITH BY JUST FOLLOWING THE MONEY. I JUST FILED SEVEN LAWSUITS IN BEFORD COUNTY AND ALL DRAFTED BY AN AI ROBOT, NOT A LAWYER. ALL FREE AND DONE IN MINUTES AND SECONDS AND HOURS, NOT DAYS AND MONTHS. THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT, NEXT IS, UM, MR. MARK FEINBERG. GOOD EVENING. UH, I'M MARK FEINBERG, UH, MADAM CHAIRPERSON AND COUNTY COUNCIL. UH, I'M SPEAKING TO YOU TONIGHT AS THE CHAIRMAN OF THE COUNTY STORMWATER UTILITY MANAGEMENT BOARD. I'VE HAD THE PRIVILEGE OF SERVING ON THIS BOARD SINCE 2014. AS YOU ALL ARE AWARE, THE PROJECTS RELATED TO THE CONTROL AND MITIGATION OF STORMWATER ARE FUNDED BY A FEE THAT ALL PROPERTY OWNERS IN THE COUNTY PAY BASED ON A FORMULA OF IMPERVIOUS SURFACES. THIS FEE ESTABLISHES STORMWATER AS AN ENTERPRISE DEPARTMENT TO ENSURE ADEQUATE FUNDING IS CONSISTENTLY AVAILABLE. CURRENTLY, WALPERT ENGINEERING IS CONDUCTING A RATE STUDY WITH ITS FINDINGS EXPECTED IN THE NEXT 60 DAYS. THE DEVELOPMENT IN OUR COUNTY HAS CREATED ISSUES THAT NEGLECTED THE DOWNSTREAM EFFECTS ON EXISTING COMMUNITIES. EXAMPLES INCLUDE SHELL POINT, ALL JOY BAY PINES. ROYAL PINES, NOT TO MENTION OTHERS THAT EXIST IN THE FOUR INCORPORATED TOWNS WITHIN BEAUFORT COUNTY. WE NEED A STRONGER STORMWATER DEPARTMENT. IT SHOULD BE AN INDEPENDENT ENTITY, AND ALL CONSTRUCTION SHOULD BE APPROVED BY THAT DEPARTMENT. THE STORMWATER UTILITY BOARD BELIEVES THAT THERE SHOULD BE ADDITIONAL ENGINEERS HIRED IN THE STORMWATER GROUP THAT WOULD ELIMINATE THE NEED FOR OUTSIDE CONSULTANTS. WHEN A PROJECT IS IDENTIFIED. THERE HAVE BEEN VARIOUS ATTEMPTS TO PLACE THE FEES FROM STORMWATER INTO THE GENERAL FUND, THEREBY CIRCUMVENTING THE MANDATE TO KEEP THE FUNDS SEPARATE HAS BEEN BROUGHT TO MY ATTENTION THAT PRIOR TO 2024, COUNTY MANAGEMENT HAS QUOTE UNQUOTE RATED THESE FUNDS IN AMOUNTS EXCEEDING $300,000 ANNUALLY FOR PROJECTS NOT DIRECTLY RELATED TO STORMWATER. WE MUST NOT ALLOW THAT TO OCCUR. AGAIN, THE CONCEPT OF SEPARATE STORMWATER FEES IS GAINING TRACTION IN VARIOUS LOCALES ACROSS THE COUNTRY. MOST RECENTLY, THE CITY OF SAVANNAH HAS CREATED A SEPARATE STORMWATER FEE. THE STORMWATER ISSUES IN BEAUFORT COUNTY ARE NOT GOING AWAY. STORMWATER CONTROL IS GOING TO BE WITH US FOR A LONG TIME. ALTHOUGH BEAUFORT COUNTY IS THE LEADER IN THE STATE, WE SHOULD CONTINUE TO MAKE IMPROVEMENTS WHEREVER POSSIBLE. THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION. THANK YOU. ALRIGHT, NEXT IS MS. JOYCE GIBBS HAM. HELLO. HELLO. MY NAME IS JOYCE. MY LAST NAME IS HAM. I'M HERE TODAY STANDING FOR MY BROTHER AND I HAVE POWER OF ATTORNEY FOR HIM. UM, MY MOTHER PASSED AND SHE WANTED HER HOME TO BE IN HIS NAME, BUT BECAUSE HE'S INCARCERATED, I'M BEING ASKED TO PROVIDE A DRIVER'S LICENSE FOR HIM, A VEHICLE REGISTRATION FOR HIM. AND I'M ALSO BEING ASKED TO BRING A TAX RETURN FOR HIM TO GET REDUCTION FOR TAXES ON THE PROPERTY THAT WE HAVE HAD FOR A LONG [00:55:01] TIME IN OUR FAMILY. UM, I HEARD YOU ALL SPEAK OF 239 YEARS OR, UH, SINCE, I GUESS THAT'S SINCE 1790, THE FIRST CENSUS. AND SO WITH THE, YOU ALL ALSO HAD THE DAUGHTER OF REVOLUTION THAT YOU ALL WERE SPEAKING OF ABOUT HERE EARLIER THIS EVENING. WELL, MY FAMILY HAS BEEN HERE SINCE THE BEGINNING OF THE UNITED STATES. SO I AM A FOUNDATIONAL BLACK AMERICAN. OKAY. AND I STILL OWN THE PROPERTY THAT MY FAMILY HAS SINCE 1866 WHEN MY GREAT, GREAT GRANDFATHER FOUGHT IN THE CIVIL WAR. AND SO, BECAUSE WE HAVE BEEN HERE IN BEAUFORT COUNTY, NOT JUST YESTERDAY, LAST YEAR TO YEAR BEFORE, AND EVERY TIME ONE OF OUR FAMILY MEMBERS DIE, YOU GUYS WANNA PUSH THE TAXES UP AND ACT LIKE IT HAS A SALE HAS OCCURRED WHEN NO SALE HAS OCCURRED. THIS PROPERTY HAS PASSED ON TO OUR FAMILY MEMBERS AND WE ARE MERELY JUST FILLING OUT FORMS BECAUSE YOU ASKED US TO. BUT I DON'T HAVE A DRIVER'S LICENSE FOR HIM. WELL, I DO, BUT THE DRIVER'S LICENSE IS OUTDATED BECAUSE I STILL HAVE HIS INFORMATION. SO WHEN HE COME HOME NEXT YEAR OR THE YEAR AFTER, AND WE ARE EXPECTING AND WE ARE EXPECTING HIM TO COME HOME IN THE NEXT YEAR OR SO. BUT, YOU KNOW, WITH, UM, WHAT DO YOU CALL THAT THING? UM, SWEAT EQUITY. I THINK THAT'S WHAT THEY'RE LOOKING FOR SO THEY CAN KEEP, YOU KNOW, THEIR BEDS FULL. UM, I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT THAT, THAT WE ARE ABLE TO, UH, THE PEOPLE THAT HAS BEEN ON THIS PROPERTY FOR AN EXTENSIVE PERIOD OF TIME. AND I KNOW I'VE BEEN HERE, YOU KNOW, MY FAMILY BLOODLINE HAS BEEN HERE SINCE 200 FOR 239 YEARS. AND SO I'M ASKING FOR AN EXEMPTION ON THIS EXPECTATION FOR A DRIVER'S LICENSE. NOT UNLESS YOU'RE WILLING TO USE THE LAST ONE THAT I HAD FOR HIM. AND I'M ASKING FOR AN EXEMPTION ON A VOTER'S REGISTRATION AND A VEHICLE REGISTRATION AND AN INDIVIDUAL TAX RETURN JUST SO THAT WE CAN GET, UM, OUR PROPERTY TAXES REDUCED. THANK YOU, MS. ANDERSON. CHAIRWOMAN. CAN WE GET A COPY OF THAT? NO COMMENT. NO. BROCK, HE KNOWS BETTER. UM, THERE'S A, THERE'S A WAY TO DO THAT. COUNCILMAN REITZ. ALRIGHT, NEXT IS JOHN RI WITH, WITH OUR EXISTING STAFF, JOHN RICHARDSON. ANGELA YOUNG, TOGETHER. YES. OKAY. THAT'S A NEW ONE. NO, NO, NO. TOGETHER, TOGETHER. IT'S BEEN A LONG NIGHT. OKAY. YOU GOOD EVENING, MADAM CHAIR AND COUNCIL, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALLOWING US TO SPEAK THIS EVENING. I DON'T KNOW IF THIS IS PROPER PROTOCOL OR NOT, BUT ANYHOW, HERE WE ARE. WE LIVE, UM, IN THE BIGGEST STATE JENKINS AREA AND OUR PROBLEM IS OUR ROADS. EVERY TIME, UM, IT STORMS OR IT STARTS TO RAIN, MY ANXIETY FLARES UP BECAUSE I DON'T KNOW IF I'M GONNA BE ABLE TO GET OUT. UM, STORM DRAIN PEOPLE HAVE COME OUT QUITE A FEW TIMES BECAUSE I COULDN'T GET OUT. I HAVE PICTURES, UM, PRIMARILY TO SHOW WHAT IT ACTUALLY LOOKS LIKE. WE HAVE SIGNED PETITIONS. UM, I KNOW THIS HAS BEEN GOING ON FOR ABOUT THE LAST, UH, 20 YEARS. UM, WE HAVE HARASSED OUR COUNCILMAN IN A VERY GENTLE WAY ABOUT WHATEVER HE COULD DO TO HELP US. AND, UH, UH, JOE STROMAN, HE WAS INSTRUMENTAL IN TRYING TO MAKE SURE THINGS WORK OUT FOR THE AREA. AND IT'S AN INTERSECTION OF SORTS. FLOYD ROAD AND ORRY ROAD. AND THAT LEADS UP TO THE BALL FIELD THAT WE HAVE OUT THERE THAT WE WERE TRYING TO, UM, PRESERVE BECAUSE IT'S A LOT OF HISTORY OUT THERE. AND I JUST WISH YOU GUYS COULD SEE IT. IT'S BEAUTIFUL AND I LOVE IT. I GREW UP OUT THERE. IT'S GREAT, BUT WE JUST NEED SOME HELP. AND THAT'S WHAT WE'RE ASKING FOR. JUST SOME HELP. OKAY. I DIDN'T NEED A LOT OF TIME. . THANK YOU. IS IS THE BOSS GONNA TALK? IT SAYS I'M THE BOSS. I'LL TAKE THE OTHER ONE AND A HALF MINUTES, BOSS. YEAH. THAT'S WHAT IT SAYS I'M ASKING FOR. I'M RETIRED FROM THE MILITARY. 26 YEARS, MOVE BACK HOME AND INHERIT A ROAD WITH A BLUE SIGN. I FEEL I'M BEING PENALIZED PAYING TAXES. THOSE PEOPLE WHO DIDN'T DO WHAT THEY WERE SUPPOSED TO DO 30, 35, 40 YEARS AGO, THEY'RE NOT HERE WITH US ANYMORE. YEAH. THEY'RE DEAD AND GONE. AND I'M HERE SUFFERING WITH A, A BLUE SIGN ON MY ROAD. HAVEN'T BEEN MAINTAINED IN OVER 20 SOME [01:00:01] YEARS EXCEPT FOR WHAT I TRIED TO DO. YEAH. AND I'M ASKING FOR YOUR HELP. WE DIDN'T NEED ANY MORE TIME. THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU. OKAY. UH, WE HAVE ALLOTTED 30 MINUTES TONIGHT. WE HAVE ONE MORE SPEAKER. UM, THAT IS MICHAEL RIVERS, THE OTHER TWO. WE HAVE RUN OUTTA TIME TONIGHT, SO, UH, MICHAEL RIVERS. OKAY. YOU'RE OUR LAST SPEAKER. THANK YOU, COUNCIL. UH, I'M GLAD TO BE HERE TODAY, BUT IN THE WAY I DEJA VU ALL OVER AGAIN. AND, UM, IT'S ALWAYS RIGHT TO DO THE RIGHT THING. HOWEVER, UM, IT SEEMS LIKE IT'S SO MUCH REPETITION IN THIS SUBJECT ABOUT THE CPO AS ONE OF THE PEOPLE WHO WERE INITIALLY, UH, AROUND WHEN IT WAS CONCEIVED. IT SEEMS LIKE, UH, HOW MANY TIMES YOU HAVE TO KEEP SAYING THE SAME THING, UM, BEFORE PEOPLE REALLY LISTEN. AND THAT'S QUITE UNFORTUNATE. AND PERSONALLY, UM, BECAUSE OF MY PERSISTENCE FOR SUPPORTING THE CPO AND NOT CAPITULATING TO, UH, NOT SUPPORTED, I WAS PRIMARIED. AND, UM, THAT'S ONE OF THE REASONS WHY THE ELECTIONS TURNED OUT THE WAY IT WAS, BECAUSE I WOULDN'T CAVE IN AND, UH, CONTINUE TO SUPPORT THE CPO BECAUSE IT'S THE RIGHT THING TO DO. AND, UH, WE'VE TALKED ABOUT DATES TODAY, UH, 1776, UH, I THINK ABOUT 1861, THE CIVIL WAR. UH, AND I THINK ABOUT A WHOLE LOT OF THINGS THAT HAVE HAPPENED IN HISTORY. AND IT SEEMS LIKE EVEN ON SAINT HENA ISLAND RIGHT NOW, UH, WE'VE BEEN HAVING, UH, AN ANNUAL PARADE FOR ABOUT 40 YEARS AND LESS THAN A MILE, LESS THAN AN HOUR, UM, ONE DAY OUTTA THE YEAR. AND WE'VE HAD HAVING RESISTANCE IN BEING ABLE TO DO THAT. AND IT SEEMED LIKE THERE WAS A CONSTANT AND CONSISTENT EFFORT TO, UH, UH, KEEP US FROM HAVING THE KIND OF LIFE THAT WE'VE BEEN USED TO. AND AT THE SAME TIME, EVERYBODY TALKS ABOUT HOW MUCH THEY LOVE THE GULLAH COMMUNITY, BUT THE ACTIONS THAT ARE SHOWN SHOWS THAT THERE'S NOT A LOT OF RESPECT FOR THE GULLAH COMMUNITY. AND IT SEEMS TO BE AN EXTREME PARADOX BECAUSE YOU CAN'T SAY YOU LOVE ME AT THE SAME TIME WHEN YOU STILL CONTINUE TO DO THINGS TO, UH, TAKE AWAY THE HISTORY THAT YOU SAY THAT YOU RESPECT. AND A LOT OF THIS COMES DOWN TO RESPECT. A LOT OF IT COMES DOWN TO, UH, TRUTHFULNESS. A LOT OF IT COMES DOWN TO HONESTY. BUT A LOT OF IT COMES DOWN TO ARE YOU ALL GONNA CONTINUE TO HAVE SOME BACKBONE? ARE YOU GONNA DO WHAT'S RIGHT BECAUSE IT'S RIGHT. ARE YOU GOING TO CAVE IN JUST BECAUSE OF PRESSURE? THANK YOU. THANK YOU, REPRESENTATIVE RIVERS. ALL RIGHT. AT THIS [9.LIAISON AND COMMITTEE REPORTS] TIME, UH, WE HAVE LIAISON AND COMMITTEE REPORTS. UH, TOM RE DO YOU HAVE ANYTHING FROM THE AIRPORT BOARD? NO, THANK YOU. NOT TONIGHT. UM, TO HAVE THE EDC ANY REPORT, UM, YEAH, WE HAVE A MEETING COMING UP. UM, THEY WOULD LIKE TO EXTEND THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE ON THE BOARD BY TWO SEATS THAT'LL BE COMING TO COUNCIL SHORTLY. AND I'LL TELL YOU RIGHT NOW, I HAVE SUGGESTED THAT SINCE WE FUND THE EDC PRIMARILY BEAUFORT COUNTY, WE SHOULD HAVE MORE THAN ONE SEAT ON THE BOARD. SO I'M GONNA BE BRINGING THAT UP. OKAY. UH, BLUFFTON FIRE DISTRICT, ANY REPORT, UH, NOTHING TO REPORT ON THAT, BUT WE DO HAVE A PUBLIC FACILITIES MEETING NEXT MONDAY. SO I BELIEVE FINANCE IS AT TWO THEN MINE'S AT FOUR. SO JUST KEEP A LOOKOUT FOR THOSE, IF YOU HAVE ANY INTEREST OF THINGS GOING ON. AND THOSE, UM, I'LL REPORT ON THE BUFORT MEMORIAL HOSPITAL BOARD. THEY, UM, ARE, THE HOSPITAL IS RIGHT ON SCHEDULE IN THE BLUFFTON AREA TO BE BUILT ON TIME. DKI FIRE DISTRICT, MIKE, NOTHING. FINANCE COMMITTEE. MARK. YES, WE HAVE A MEETING NEXT, UH, MONDAY, THE 21ST AT TWO O'CLOCK. AND THEN ALSO TO REPORT, UM, UH, FROM MY SIDE IS THAT WE DO HAVE AN ALL JOINT MEETING THE 22ND, NEXT TUESDAY MEETINGS AT SIX. HOWEVER, WE'RE GONNA DO SOMETHING AT FIVE AND I THINK WE'RE PLANNING ON, UM, HAVING, UM, US TALK ABOUT SOME OF THE ZONING THAT'S THERE EXISTING SO PEOPLE KNOW WHAT'S HAPPENING AND WHAT'S GOING ON. JUST KIND OF AN INFORMATION SESSION. BUT AGAIN, I'LL, I'LL, I'LL BE POSTING THAT AND GETTING MORE INFORMATION. BUT AGAIN, NEXT, THAT'S AT THE LIBRARY. LEFT IN THE LIBRARY NEXT TUESDAY, THE 22ND. WHAT TIME AGAIN? IT'S FIVE O'CLOCK. OKAY. IS, IS, IS THE START OF THE MEETING, BUT AGAIN, THE OFFICIAL TIME IS SIX O'CLOCK. OKAY. GOT IT. OKAY. AND, UM, COUNCILMAN MCALLEN, I, I KNOW YOU WERE NOT AT THE GREEN SPACE, BUT THEY WILL BE REPORTING BACK AT THE NEXT MEETING SEPTEMBER 28TH. CORRECT. OKAY. ALRIGHT. UH, KEEP BE BEAUTIFUL BOARD MR. THEY HAVEN'T MET YET IN A MEETING. ALRIGHT. ANYTHING FROM THE LIBRARY BOARD? THE LIBRARY BOARD DID MEET LAST WEEK. I WAS NOT ABLE TO ATTEND IN PERSON. THEY, THEY DID DISCUSS THEIR MOVING ALONG WITH THE PRITCHARD V LIBRARY. THEY HAVE HIRED THE ARCHITECTS FOR THE RENDERINGS FOR THE PROPOSED LIBRARY. [01:05:01] AND DAVID AND I WERE LUCKY ENOUGH TO ATTEND THE EVENT AT AND HIS SONS AT THE LIBRARY SATURDAY. I'VE NEVER SEEN THAT MANY CHILDREN AT THE LIBRARY. BLUEY HAS AN EFFECT ON KIDS. YES, IT WAS GREAT. YES. BLUEY AND BINGO. IT WAS A WONDERFUL EVENT. THE FRIENDS OF, UM, GOOD PARTNERSHIP WITH THE FRIENDS OF THE LIBRARY AND THE LIBRARY TOGETHER, RENOVATED THE CHILDREN'S ROOM. UH, ANYTHING FROM LOW COG? ANYONE HAVE TO REPORT? MR. DAWSON? NOTHING TO REPORT. ALL RIGHT. NATURAL. UM, WE'LL SKIP NATURAL RESOURCE COMMITTEE, UM, NORTHERN REGIONAL PLAN COMMITTEE MET AND WE, UM, HAD A, A, A GOOD PROGRAM ON, ON DATA CENTERS IS WHAT I REMEMBER FROM IT. ANYBODY ELSE HAVE ANY COMMENTS ABOUT NORTHERN REGIONAL PLAN? ADAM, CHAIR, I HAVE SOMETHING. MM-HMM . YEAH, SURE. GO AHEAD. UM, I'M A PROUD MEMBER ON THE BOARD MEMBER, BOARD MEMBER OF THE SOUTHERN CAROLINA ALLIANCE. OH YEAH. THEY JUST CELEBRATED THEIR 30TH ANNIVERSARY. WE MISSED YOU BY THE WAY, MS. CHAIR. MM-HMM . MADAM CHAIR. UM, THE, DURING THE COLD WAR, THE MISSILES WERE MADE HERE IN SOUTH CAROLINA. WELL, AFTER THE COLD WAR, ALL THOSE JOBS WENT AWAY AND THERE WAS NO EMPLOYMENT FOR ANYONE SOUTH OF I 26 AND WEST OF 95. AND DANNY BLACK CAME ALONG 30 YEARS AGO AND FORMED THE SOUTHERN CAROLINA ALLIANCE. THAT'S SEVEN COUNTIES. AND SINCE THEN HE'S BROUGHT IN HUNDREDS OF JOBS, MILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN INVESTMENT AND SEVEN, SEVEN DIFFERENT COUNTIES. AND I ALSO LEARNED, WHICH I DIDN'T KNOW THAT THE COVID VACCINE WAS MADE RIGHT HERE IN BEAUFORT COUNTY. I DON'T KNOW IF ANYBODY KNEW THAT OR NOT, BUT I, I LEARNED THAT. SO ANYWAY, UM, SOUTHERN CAROLINA ALLIANCE TO CELEBRATE 30 YEARS. RIGHT. DOES ANYONE ELSE HAVE ANY COMMITTEES OR COMMISSIONS TO REPORT BACK ON? YES MA'AM. GO AHEAD. SO I WANNA TALK ABOUT BEAUFORT COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT. WE DO HAVE, UH, ONE OF THE BOARD MEMBERS HERE, MR. WILL SMITH. I, WE WENT TO THE GROUNDBREAKING ON SEPTEMBER 4TH. IT HAD TO BE A HUNDRED DEGREES. I MEAN, WE WERE POURING SWEAT. UM, BUT FOR THE NEW BEAUFORT COUNTY, UH, BLUFFTON HIGH SCHOOL CAREER AND TECH BUILDING AT MCCRACKEN CIRCLE, THIS IS FUNDED BY THE 2023 SCHOOL REFERENDUM. IT WILL OPEN NEXT AUGUST. IT WILL FOCUS ON CONSTRUCTION TRADES, PUBLIC SAFETY, FIRE, ARMY, ROTC, AI AND ADVANCED TECHNOLOGIES. AND I DO HAVE THE, UM, I'LL PASS THIS AROUND, BUT IT'S LIKE YUCKY BECAUSE OF THE HUMIDITY. AND ALSO IN AUGUST, THE SCHOOL DISTRICT HAD VARIOUS COMMITTEE MEETINGS AND A WORKSHOP ON 8 21 FOCUSED ON VARIOUS ITEMS. I THOUGHT THIS WAS AMAZING. THEY HAD A DONATION FROM BATTERY CREEK HIGH SCHOOL CLASS OF 1979. GET READY IN THE AMOUNT OF $47,984 TO BATTERY CREEK HIGH SCHOOL FOR THE PURCHASE OF TWO NEW SCORE TABLES AND FOUR PORTABLE LED POSTERS. THAT'S AMAZING. AND THEY RELEASED STATE ASSESSMENT SCORES AT THEIR SEPTEMBER 1ST BOARD MEETING. UH, THEY HAD SOME OPERATIONAL ISSUES. THEY DISCUSSED TECHNOLOGY AND ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE. AND AS MR. SMITH CAN ATTEST, THEY'VE HAD NUMEROUS STUDENT ASSIGNMENT MEETINGS. THEY'RE TALKING ABOUT ASSIGNING STUDENTS TO DIFFERENT SCHOOLS. UM, FOR EXAMPLE, PRITCHARD V ELEMENTARY IS OVERWHELMED. YOU HAVE MAY RIVER. AND SO AND SO THEY'VE BEEN HAVING THOSE COMMUNITY MEETINGS. UM, AND WHILE I'M, I HAVE IT, I WANNA TALK ABOUT THIS. I WENT TO THIS EVENT, STATE OF THE GROWTH. I'LL PASS THIS DOWN FOR BLUFFTON. AND IT WAS VERY INFORMATIVE. THEY HAVE A LOT OF PEOPLE THAT WERE THERE. JUSTIN POWELL WAS THERE AS A LITTLE SURPRISED. UM, THE HOSPITAL SPOKE, SPOKE, THE MAYOR SPOKE, AND IT WAS ALL ABOUT THE STATE OF GROWTH IN BLUFFTON, WHICH I DON'T THINK ANY OF US DOEST KNOW ABOUT. UM, LOKO. I WENT TO THAT AT HARDY V WE MET DR. LORI BOING, THE NEW PRESIDENT OF TCL. DAVID AND I HAD LUNCH WITH HER THE OTHER DAY, AND THEY'VE INVITED THE ENTIRE COUNCIL TO DO A DINNER WITH THE TCL STUDENTS. YOU'LL BE GETTING AN INVITATION SHORTLY. UM, AND AS NOTED BEFORE BY MR. MOORE, WE HAD A TOWN HALL AT BLUFFTON LIBRARY. TOMORROW IT'S AT HILTON HEAD LIBRARY. THE PRESENTER WILL BE JARED REITZ. THANK YOU. ANY OTHER LAST I'LL THANK YOU FOR ALL THOSE REPORTS FOR LIAISONS. UM, AT THIS TIME [10.APPROVAL OF CONSENT AGENDA ] I'LL ENTERTAIN A MOTION TO APPROVE THE CONSENT AGENDA. SO MOVES SECOND. ALL RIGHT. WE HAVE COUNCILMAN CUNNINGHAM AND A SECOND BY COUNCILMAN PASSMAN. IS THERE ANY REASON TO READ THROUGH THOSE? THEY WERE PUBLISHED. ALL RIGHT. ALL IN FAVOR [01:10:01] BY SHOW OF HANDS. AND THAT CONSENT AGENDA IS APPROVED UNANIMOUSLY. UH, NOW WE'RE AT THE END OF THE CONSENT AGENDA AND WE WILL BE GOING THROUGH [11.a. Appointment of John Meers to the Airports Board for a two-year term with the expiration date of July 2028.] OUR AGENDA ITEMS. UH, THE FIRST ONE IS APPOINTMENT OF JOHN MUS TO THE AIRPORTS BOARD FOR A TWO YEAR TERM WITH AN EXPIRATION DATE OF JULY, 2028. DO I HAVE A MOTION? IS THAT ANDY OR JOHN MUIR OR JOHN MOVED. ALL RIGHT. COUNCILMAN PASSMAN. WE HAVE A SECOND, SECOND, SECOND. SECOND. ALRIGHT. ALL IN FAVOR BY SHOW OF HANDS. AND THAT IS UNANIMOUS. UM, NEXT ON THE AGENDA IS DISCUSSION OF A TRANSFER AND EXCEPTION ACCEPTANCE OF AN INTERGOVERNMENT SUPPORT AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE MARINE CORPS AIR STATION, BEAUFORT, BEAUFORT COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT, AND BEAUFORT COUNTY. DO I HAVE A MOTION WHO MOVED? ALL RIGHT. COUNCILMAN PASSMAN. I'LL SECOND IT. AND I SECOND BY COUNCIL, BY VICE CHAIR TABER. ALRIGHT. DISCUSSION. [11.b.Discussion of Transfer and Acceptance of Intergovernmental Support Agreement (IGSA) Between Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, Beaufort County School District, and Beaufort County] AND MR. FRA IS PRESENTING? THAT'S RIGHT. THANK YOU. SO THIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO TRANSFER AN EXISTING IGSA INTERGOVERNMENTAL SUPPORT AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE SCHOOL DISTRICT AND THE MARINE CORPS AIR STATION. SO THE BEAUFORT COUNTY HAS ENTERED INTO SEVERAL DIFFERENT IGS A WITH THE INSTALLATIONS HERE LOCALLY. AND IN THIS ONE PARTICULAR, THIS IS, UM, THERE WAS AN OPPORTUNITY, IT'S A FIVE YEAR WINDOW. UM, IT'S BEEN IN PLACE SINCE SEPTEMBER, 2024 TO OBTAIN SUPPORT FOR MATERIALS, EQUIPMENT, SUPPLIES, SERVICES, UM, THROUGH LOCAL GOVERNMENT PARTNER, UM, BEAUFORT COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT HAS, UM, COME TO THE CONCLUSION THAT THEY AREN'T MOVING FORWARD WITH THE PARTICULAR IGSA AND THE AIR STATION HAS APPROACHED THE COUNTY ASKING IF WE WOULD TAKE OVER THE IGSA FOR THIS SPECIFIC USE. SO, UM, IN 2023, COUNCIL PASSED A RESOLUTION ALLOWING FOR THE COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR TO ENTER INTO, UM, I GSAS WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE FOR OUR THREE INSTALLATIONS LOCALLY. AND THIS, ALTHOUGH WE HAVE THE COUNTY ADMINISTRATION HAS AUTHORITY TO ENTER BECAUSE OF THE NATURE OF THIS ONE AND, AND THIS ONE BEING A TRANSFER VERSUS AN INITIAL STARTUP, UH, WAS THE REASON WE WERE BRINGING IT FORWARD. UH, SPECIFIC TO THIS ALSO IS UP TO $5 MILLION OF EXPENSES. UM, AND THIS IS LARGER THAN OTHER ONES THAT WE'VE BROUGHT FORTH AS WELL. SO THE INTENT IS TO BRING THIS FORWARD AND, UM, HAVE DISCUSSION IF THERE'S ANY REASON OTHER THAN, THAN MOVING FORWARD, WE WOULD TAKE THAT. BUT THE INTENT IS TO MOVE FORWARD. UM, WITH ME IS ALSO REPRESENTATION FROM THE AIR STATION, UM, BOTH DAVE TRAIL, BUT ALSO THE CO UM, COLONEL TREVOR FELT, AND HE WOULD HAVE SOME MORE WORDS TO OFFER IF COUNSEL WOULD OBLIGE. SURE. THANK YOU. GOOD EVENING, YOU FOR COUNTY COUNSEL. UH, AS JARED SAID, I'M TREVOR FELTER, COLONEL, UH, UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS AIR STATION COMMANDING OFFICER. UH, WE LOOK FORWARD TO YOU ALL AT THE AIR SHOW HERE IN THE SPRING. UH, FIRST OFF, I'D LIKE YOU LIKE TO THANK YOU FOR ALLOWING ME THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK ON OUR IGSA. UH, I WANNA BEGIN WITH BY SAYING THANK YOU. THANK YOU FOR YOUR UNWAVERING SUPPORT TO THE MARINE CORPS HERE IN THE LOW COUNTRY. UH, I SPENT 18 YEARS IN EASTERN NORTH CAROLINA IN THE PAST YEAR AND A HALF DOWN HERE. SO, UH, I'M, I'M GRATEFUL FOR THE COMMUNITY THAT THE MARINE CORPS HAS DECIDED TO SETTLE IN. IT SEEMS LIKE EVERYWHERE AROUND THE UNITED STATES, UH, OUR LOCAL COMMUNITIES, UH, SUPPORT THE MARINE CORPS AND THE NAVAL SERVICE, AND THE LOW COUNTRY IS PROBABLY AT THE TOP OF THE LIST IN MY 32 YEARS IN THE MARINE CORPS. THE PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN THIS COUNCIL, THE CITIZENS OF BEAUFORT COUNTY AND OUR SERVICE MEMBERS IS VITAL TO THE STRENGTH OF OUR MILITARY FAMILIES THAT LIVE IN BLUFFTON, IN BEAUFORT, HILTON HEAD, UH, DOWN THERE IN GEORGIA A LITTLE BIT, AND THEN NORTH UP HERE IN THE BROAD, UH, LAUREL BAY YY THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE COUNTY AND SURROUNDING COUNTIES, WE DO NOT TAKE, UH, YOUR SUPPORT FOR GRANTED AND WE WILL CONTINUE TO BE A VALUABLE PARTNER TO YOU. UH, AND THE STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA. TONIGHT, I'M HERE TO REQUEST THE TRANSFER OF OUR IGSA, UH, WITH FROM BEAUFORT COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT. UH, OVER TO YOU IS BEAUFORT COUNTY. WHILE WE HAVE PARTNERED ON IGS A IN THE PAST, THIS PARTICULAR AGREEMENT IS INCREDIBLY TIME SENSITIVE AND CRITICAL TO OUR INSTALLATION. TO GIVE YOU SOME QUICK BACKGROUND, AS JARED POINTED OUT, UH, WE ENTERED INTO AN AGREEMENT IN SEPTEMBER OF 2024, SO SI TWO YEARS AGO WITH, UH, THE BEAUFORT COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT. AND THE INTENT AT THAT TIME WAS TO BUILD A NEW TRACK, UH, AND FIELD FACILITY TO REPLACE OUR [01:15:01] EXISTING, UH, OPEN GRASS ASPHALT TRACK THAT THE MARINES, UH, RUN AND DO OUR COM COMBAT FITNESS TEST, UH, MC MAP COURSES OR OUR MARTIAL ARTS PROGRAMS. UH, IT IS USED AND ABUSED, AND I THINK IF I ASKED MY STAFF THE LAST TIME THEY SAW IT REFURBISHED, UH, CHAIRWOMAN, YOU PROBABLY REMEMBER IT, IT'S BEEN A COUPLE DECADES. AND WHAT WE'VE LEARNED IS WHEN YOU'RE RUNNING AROUND AN ASPHALT TRACK, IT REALLY DOESN'T DO WONDERS FOR, UH, A HUMAN'S KNEES AND JOINTS AND EVERYTHING ELSE. UH, THE CONCEPT THOUGH WAS SIMPLE. UH, AND IT MADE PERFECT SENSE TO MY PREDECESSORS AND STAFF, AND THEN ALSO THE SCHOOL DISTRICT. WE ALL HAVE GONE TO HIGH SCHOOLS. WE ALL HAVE GONE TO MIDDLE SCHOOLS, AND YOU SEE ATHLETIC FACILITIES, TRACK FACILITIES, STATE OF THE ART, ANYWHERE FROM, UH, VERY SIMPLE CONCEPTS TO, UH, DIVISION ONE ATHLETIC FACILITIES. SO WHY, WHY COULDN'T BEAUFORT COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT TAKE OWNERSHIP, UH, AND SIGN THE I-I-G-S-A, WHICH THEY DID. UH, THEY HAD THE DIRECT EXPERIENCE WITH ALL THE SCHOOLS IN BEAUFORT COUNTY. THEY HAVE THE CONTRACTOR BASE THAT IS KNOWINGLY ABLE TO BUILD THESE FACILITIES, UH, AND THEY KNEW HOW TO GET THESE FACILITIES DONE IN A TIMELY MANNER BASED ON WHEN A SCHOOL NEEDS TO DO IT. THEY DO IT IN THE SUMMER WHEN THE STUDENTS AREN'T THERE AND IT'S READY FOR FALL WORK. UNFORTUNATELY, UH, WE HIT SOME UNEXPECTED ROADBLOCKS. WHILE THIS PARTNERSHIP, UH, IS FULLY ALLOWED UNDER FEDERAL LAW AS, UH, JARED BROUGHT UP, UH, WE RAN IN THE STATE LEVEL LEGAL LIMITATIONS AND BUILDING RESTRICTIONS THAT WERE UNIQUELY TIED TO THE SCHOOL DISTRICT WHEN IT COMES TO THE CONSTRUCTION. UH, BECAUSE THIS IS SOME MINOR CONSTRUCTION, UH, WITH, UH, LAYING ASTROTURF ON A TRACK, UH, AND THEN PULLING UP SOD AND REPLACING IT AS WELL WITH SOME ATTRI TURF. UH, FOR THE PAST YEAR, BOTH THE AIR STATION STAFF AND THE SCHOOL DISTRICT STAFF WORK TIRELESSLY TO FIND A WAY FORWARD. BUT DESPITE EVERYONE'S BEST EFFORTS ON BOTH SIDES, WE HAVE BEEN UNABLE TO CLEAR THOSE ADMINISTRATIVE HURDLES. AND NOW WE ARE OFFICIALLY RUNNING OUT OF TIME. THE FEDERAL FUNDING, WHICH THIS IS TIED TO $5 MILLION, IS ALLOCATED FOR THIS PROJECT, HAS STRICT EXPIRATION TIMELINES, AND WE'RE ALREADY TWO YEARS PLUS INTO THAT FEDERAL APPROPRIATIONS FUND. IF WE KNEW ACT IMMEDIATELY, THOSE FEDERAL DOLLARS WILL VANISH. THEY'LL GET PULLED BACK UP, UH, BY THE DEPARTMENT OF WAR AND THEN SENT TO ANOTHER INSTALLATION AS ABLE TO EXECUTE THAT MONEY IN THE TIMELINE SET FORTH. THIS IS WHY I'M HERE TONIGHT. WE KNOW THAT BEAUFORT COUNTY HAS THE CAPABILITY, THE PROCUREMENT INFRASTRUCTURE, AND THE PUBLIC WORKS EXPERIENCE TO STEP IN AND EXECUTE THIS PROJECT FOR MARINE CORPS AIR STATION BEAUFORT. BY APPROVING THIS TRANSFER, WE DO TWO CRITICAL THINGS. ONE, WE BREAK GROUND ON A PROPER ATHLETIC FACILITY FOR OUR MARINES AND SAILORS, ALL 30,000 OF THEM ON THE AIR STATION. AND TWO, WE KEEP THESE FEDERAL FUNDS INSIDE THE STATE OF BEAUFORT COUNTY. UM, THIS TRANSFER IS A WIN-WIN FOR US ON THE AIR STATION, AND WE THINK SO WITH BEAUFORT COUNTY, IT SAVES FUNDING, IT SIMPLIFIES THE CONSTRUCTION PROCESS FOR US, AND DIRECTLY IMPROVES THE QUALITY OF LIFE FOR THE SERVICE MEMBERS STATIONED HERE IN THE LOW COUNTRY. ON BEHALF OF EVERYBODY SERVING IN THE LOW COUNTRY, I THANK YOU AGAIN FOR ALWAYS STANDING WITH US. I ASK FOR YOUR SUPPORT IN THIS IGSA SO WE CAN GET THIS TRACK BUILT HOPEFULLY IN THE NEXT TWO YEARS. AND I THANK YOU, UH, FOR YOUR SUPPORT AND YOUR DILIGENCE IN THIS MANNER. THANK YOU. OKAY, I'LL OPEN IT UP FOR QUESTIONS. I WOULD ASK MR. MOORE, IS THIS FEASIBLE TO GET BUILT IN TWO YEARS? I MEAN, I THINK IT IS, BUT WHAT DO I KNOW, ? I THINK WE BELIEVE IT'S FEASIBLE, SO WE'RE GONNA WORK TO MAKE SURE WE CAN HELP SPEND DEPARTMENT OF THE WAR MONEY ON PROJECTS HERE IN THE COUNTY. SO THAT'D BE GREAT. THANK YOU. YES, SIR. I JUST THOUGHT WE CAN DELIVER ON THIS AND LOOK FOR MORE OPPORTUNITIES TO PARTNER IN THE FUTURE. I APPRECIATE THAT. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS FOR CARL CO. TREVOR, IS PROJECT FULLY FUNDED BY THEM? YES. YEAH, WITH THE SCHOOL DISTRICT, WE HAD, UH, MARINE CORPS INSTALLATIONS COMMAND HAD, UH, ALLOCATED $5 MILLION. UH, AND THAT WAS TO COVER THE TRACK, THE INITIAL COST OF THE TRACK, AND THEN ANY OTHER PROJECTS THAT WE SAW. WE COULD SEE, UH, THE SCHOOL BOARD, UH, THE SCHOOL DISTRICT USING AT THAT POINT WITH THIS TRANSFER, IF WE WOULD TRY TO START A WHOLE NEW OTHER, IGSA, LIKE JARED BROUGHT OUT, THAT FUNDING WOULD GET LOST. IT WOULD GET SOAKED UP BY DEPARTMENT OF WAR TO USE FOR SOMETHING ELSE BY A TRANSFER. WE KEEP THAT, UH, MONEY WITH MY COMPTROLLERS. IT'S JUST READY TO BE ALLOCATED RIGHT NOW. IT CAN ONLY BE ALLOCATED TO THE SCHOOL DISTRICTS, BUT THROUGH, THROUGH ALL, UH, MILITARY LAWYERS, ONCE, UH, IF YOU ALL APPROVE IT AND SIGN IT, THEN THAT MONEY GETS ALLOCATED TO BEAUFORT COUNTY [01:20:01] TO BE SPENT, UH, BY, BY THE AIR STATION THROUGH, THROUGH THE COUNTY. AND IT, I KNOW THERE WAS A CONCERN THAT WAS RELAYED TO ME ABOUT IS THERE ANY UPFRONT COST? NO, WE, WE PAY ALL THE BILLS. YOU JUST GIVE US THE BILLS, WE PAY FOR IT. AND THEN THERE'S ALSO AN ADMINIS. CAN I SAY THIS? YOU CAN, YEAH. THERE, THERE'S AN ADMINISTRATIVE TAX. SO WHEN WE HAVE NAVAL FACILITIES, BILL FACILITIES FOR US, UH, IT'S NOT FREE. THE MARINE CORPS HAS TO PAY THE UNITED STATES NAVY FOR THOSE SERVICES. THAT IS WORKED INTO THESE I GSAS AS WELL WITH THIS. SO THERE'S AN ADMINISTRATIVE FREE THAT THE COUNTY CAN CHARGE US TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE PAYING OUR FAIR SHARE. BUT BY GOING THROUGH THE COUNTY, WE ACTUALLY PAY LESS BECAUSE WE'RE NOT, WE DON'T HAVE TO ADHERE TO FEDERAL CONSTRUCTION GUIDELINES AND THINGS LIKE THAT. I HAD A QUESTION ABOUT OVERSIGHT AND INSPECTION. UH, DURING CONSTRUCTION, WOULD OUR PUBLIC WORKS, I MEAN, OUR ENGINEERS BE IN CHARGE OF THAT. WE'D BE IN CHARGE OF MANAGING THE PROJECT. WE'D PROBABLY COORDINATE WITH THE INSTALLATION, WHETHER THEIR PUBLIC WORKS, UH, WANTS TO OVERSEE SOME OF THAT INSPECTION SERVICES, BUT IT'D BE A JOINT EFFORT AND INCORPORATE INTO THE PROJECT. WELL, THIS IS A GREAT EXAMPLE OF PARTNERSHIP THAT WE CAN, I'M JUST GONNA SAY WE APPRECIATE THE COLONEL. WE HAVE A VERY GOOD DISCUSSION WITH HIS STAFF, AND A LOT OF THESE QUESTIONS GOT ANSWERED IN TERMS OF UPFRONT FUNDING. THAT WAS OUR CONCERN. BUT WE HAVE FUNDS AVAILABLE SO WE THINK WE CAN MOVE FORWARD WITH THIS PROJECT QUICKLY. SO WHAT DO YOU NEED FROM COUNCIL? WE REALLY DON'T NEED, THIS IS MORE INFORMATION FOR YOU ALL, AS WAS POINTED OUT, THERE'S ALREADY A RESOLUTION, BUT GIVEN THE NATURE OF IT, WE JUST WANNA MAKE SURE YOU ALL WERE AWARE. SO WE HAD A MOTION FOR DISCUSSION AND WE'VE DONE THAT. WE DON'T NEED A MOTION TO APPROVE, WE JUST GO FORWARD UNLESS THERE'S OPPOSITION, YOU DON'T. IS THERE ANY OPPOSITION? ANYONE? MOVE FORWARD. MOVE FORWARD, YEAH. MOVING FORWARD. ALL RIGHT. ABSOLUTELY. WE REALLY APPRECIATE Y'ALL WAITING TILL NOW, UM, AND STANDING THROUGH ALL OF OUR MEETING TOO. IT'S BEEN A LONG ONE, BUT THANK YOU. I APPRECIATE IT. THANKS FOR COMING. THANKS FOR COMING. THANK YOU. APPRECIATE IT. GOOD SEEING YOU. OKAY. ALL RIGHT. NEXT ON OUR [11.c.Approval of an assignment of contract to Tri Point Homes from Village Park Communities in a existing three-way agreement with Beaufort County, Town of Bluffton and Village Park Communities Agreement for Engineering Services Holly Hill Road. ] AGENDA IS, UM, C YEAH. APPROVAL OF AN ASSIGNMENT OF A CONTRACT TO TRI POINT HOMES FROM VILLAGE PARK COMMUNITIES IN AN EXISTING THREE-WAY AGREEMENT WITH BEAUFORT COUNTY, TOWN OF BLUFFTON AND VILLAGE PARK COMMUNITIES AGREEMENT FOR ENGINEERING SERVICES. HOLLY HILL ROAD. I'LL MAKE THAT MOTION. THIS IS IMPORTANT. I'LL SECOND IT. SO I'LL SECOND IT. VERY IMPORTANT, MS. BROWN. OKAY. ALL RIGHT. OKAY. SO THANK YOU. THIS IS THIS, UH, SIMILAR AS A TRANSFER OR OR REASSIGNMENT OF A CONTRACT, UM, SIMILAR TO THE LAST ITEM. BUT IN NOVEMBER OF 2025, WE ENTERED INTO A MOA OR CONTRACT AGREEMENT WITH THE TOWN OF BLUFFTON VILLAGE PARK HOMES AND THE COUNTY FOR THE ENGINEERING SERVICES REQUIRED TO DESIGN AND PERMIT HOLLY HILL ROAD. THIS IS A, A ROAD THAT IS OFF OF NEW RIVERSIDE IN TOWN OF BLUFFTON, BUT IT EXTENDS TO OUR EVENTUAL NEW RIVERSIDE PARK THAT WE OWN 800 ACRES TO. AND AS PART OF THAT, THERE WAS A THREE-WAY SPLIT OF $168,900 FOR THE ENGINEERING SERVICES. SINCE THE TIME OF, OF THAT MOA, THOSE SERVICES HAVE BEEN RENDERED OR ARE IN THE PROCESS OF BEING FINALIZED. BUT WHAT'S CON WHAT'S OCCURRED IS THAT THE ORIGINAL DEVELOPER VILLAGE PARTS HOMES HAS SOLD THEIR INTEREST INTO THE DEVELOPMENT TO A NEW DEVELOPER TRY POINT HOMES. AND SO, UM, EVEN THOUGH THE WORK IS NEARLY COMPLETE, IT IS A FIT AND APPROPRIATE THAT WE BRING THE CONTRACT BACK TO YOU BECAUSE THE THE THIRD PARTY, UM, VILLAGE PARK HOMES IS NO LONGER PARTY AND WE NEED TO REASSIGN IT TO APPROPRIATE PARTY, WHICH IS TRY POINT HOMES. EVENTUALLY, UM, HERE SHORTLY, WE'RE GONNA WORK OUT. THE INITIAL INTENT WAS THAT WE WOULD TAKE THE THREE PARTY AGREEMENT FOR ENGINEERING SERVICES, DO A CONTRACT AMENDMENT TO THE MOA AND COME BACK FOR THE CONSTRUCTION SERVICES. UM, ONCE WE HAD A FINAL COST ESTIMATE AND DESIGN, UM, TRAP POINT HOMES NOW DOESN'T HAVE THE DESIRE TO ENTER INTO THAT THIRD PARTY AGREEMENT FOR THE CONSTRUCTION. UH, BUT THEY ARE GOING TO CONSTRUCT THE FIRST PORTION OF THE ROAD, WHICH IS BASICALLY A THIRD OF IT. AND SO OUR INTENT IS TO ENTER INTO AN AGREEMENT OF SUBSEQUENT MOA WITH THE TOWN OF BLUFFTON DIRECTLY FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE CONSTRUCTION. ULTIMATELY, IT WILL PRODUCE THE SAME RESULT. UM, WE'LL HAVE A CON CONSTRUCTED ROAD, UM, AND APPROXIMATELY A THIRD OF THE COSTS. SO WE'LL BRING THAT FORWARD, HOPEFULLY IN OCTOBER OR NOVEMBER. AND THEN THE TOWN OF BLUFFTON IS GOING TO BE RESPONSIBLE FOR BIDDING THAT OUT. AND THEN WE'RE GONNA PARTNER IN, IN WORKING THAT OUT. AS FAR AS THE ADMINISTRATION, WHICH WILL BE IN THIS MOA, BUT FOR TODAY'S PURPOSES, WHAT WE HAVE IN FRONT OF US IS JUST AN ASSIGNMENT FROM THE ONE DEVELOPER TO THE NEW DEVELOPER ON THE EXISTING MOA. ANY QUESTIONS? JUST ONE. YES SIR. UH, THEY'RE GOING TO BUILD ONE THIRD OF THE ROAD. WILL THEY BUILD IT TO COUNTY AND OR TOWN SPECIFICATIONS? YES. SO THE INTENT IS STILL THE SAME [01:25:01] AS ORIGINALLY. UM, DISCUSSED IS ONCE COMPLETED, IT WILL BE A TOWN OF BLUFFTON OWNED AND MAINTAINED ROAD. UM, SO THEY WILL BUILD IT, IT THE, THE DESIGN IS ALL THE SAME DESIGN, SO IT HAS THE SAME SPECS. UM, THE CONTRACTOR MAY BE DIFFERENT, BUT DEPENDING ON WHO THEY HIRE AND VERSUS WHO WE HIRE THROUGH OUR BID SOLICITATION PROCESS, IT COULD POTENTIALLY BE THE SAME. BUT YES, THE OVERALL INTENT IS TO HAVE THE SAME. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? NO, NO. I DO HAVE SOMETHING FROM, UH, THAT I ASKED ABOUT THIS FOR BLUFFTON. THEY PLAN TO START CONSTRUCTION IN JANUARY, 2027. I'M SENDING THIS TO YOU AND UM, IT'LL GO FROM THERE. THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT TO THAT AREA, ESPECIALLY WITH MAY RIVERS HIGH SCHOOL. THIS IS BIG FOR THE HERITAGE NEW RIVERSIDE AND EVERYTHING. THIS IS A BIG TO DO. YEAH. WHAT IT DOES FOR THE HERITAGE IN THE TOWN OF BLUFFTON IS IT CONNECTS THE BACK ENTRANCE TO A NEIGHBORHOOD THAT HAS TO CURRENTLY GET ENTRANCE OFF OF 46. GO TO THE TRAFFIC CIRCLE DOWN NEW RIVERSIDE TO GET TO THE HIGH SCHOOL AND THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. AND WHAT THIS IS GONNA BE ABLE TO DO IS BYPASS ONE, RELIEVING THE INTERSECTION CONGESTION AT THE ROUNDABOUT, AND THEN TWO, HAVE DIRECT ACCESS TO, TO THE SCHOOLS. VERY IMPORTANT. ALRIGHT. ALL IN FAVOR BY SIGNIFY BY. AND THAT IS UNANIMOUS. THANK YOU. ALRIGHT, NEXT [11.d.Business License Appeal: Geismar North America] IS THE BUSINESS LICENSE APPEAL. UM, GUY, AM I SAYING THAT GEIER NORTH NORTH AMERICA? I THINK WE GOT SOME QUESTIONS ON THIS. SO, GOOD EVENING COUNSEL. GOOD EVENING. UM, SO YOU MAY REMEMBER THIS IS, UH, A SIMILAR SOMETHING WE'VE DONE BEFORE ABOUT AN APPEAL OF BUSINESS LICENSE, UM, AMOUNTS DUE AND SOME PENALTIES ATTACHED. THIS IS SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT, BUT FOR YOUR PURPOSES, THE PROCEDURE'S GOING TO BE THE SAME. THIS IS UNDER 1856 A OF OUR CODE OF ORDINANCES. IT'S AN APPEAL OF A FINAL ASSESSMENT, UM, TO ACCOMPANY FOR BUSINESS LICENSE TAXES DUE AND THE ASSOCIATED PENALTIES. THIS IS AN EVIDENTIARY HEARING UNDER OUR ORDINANCE. I'M GONNA BE AS QUICK AS I CAN TALKING TO OUR BUSINESS LICENSE MANAGER, UH, MS. BRANDY HUSSMAN TO ASK HER SOME QUESTIONS AND GET IN SOME DOCUMENTS WHICH ARE CONTAINED IN YOUR BACKGROUND BACKS. WE DIDN'T MAKE A MOTION TO, I DIDN'T, WE DIDN'T HAVE A MOTION MADE. LET'S, WE NEED A MOTION MADE MOVE. ALRIGHT. AND A SECOND. SECOND. A SECOND. COUNCILMAN DAWSON, I'M SORRY, THAT WAS MY FAULT. NO, THANK YOU FOR COVERING THAT. SO AT THE END OF THIS, AS A REMINDER, WE WILL NEED A VOTE AS TO, UM, HOW YOU'D LIKE TO PROCEED, UH, AS TO THE APPEAL, AND THEN A WRITTEN ORDER ISSUED WITHIN 30 DAYS. SO WE CAN MAKE THAT PART OF THE MOTION. THAT WOULD BE COVER ALL OUR BASES. SO WITHOUT FURTHER ADO, UM, HI GUYS. HI. CAN YOU STATE YOUR NAME FOR COUNSEL? BRANDY HUSMAN. ALRIGHT. AND WHERE DO YOU WORK? THE BEAUFORT COUNTY BUSINESS LICENSE. WHAT'S YOUR JOB TITLE? BUSINESS SERVICES ADMINISTRATOR. AND WHAT ARE YOUR JOB DUTIES? TO OVERSEE THE BUSINESS LICENSE DEPARTMENT AND COLLECT, UM, HOSPITALITY, ACCOMMODATION, TAX AND ADMISSION FEE. ALRIGHT. HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN IN THAT ROLE? THREE YEARS. ALRIGHT. SO GOING BACK TO, DID YOU START THAT IN 23? YES. OKAY. ALRIGHT. SO AT THIS POINT, I'M GONNA PAUSE FOR A LITTLE BIT OF BACKGROUND BECAUSE IT CAME UP AS TO A QUESTION OF OUR PRIOR RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN COUNCIL AND THE PREDECESSOR OF THIS COMPANY NAMED MODERN TRACK MACHINERY. UM, IN 2017, YOU'LL SEE IN YOUR BACKUP MATERIALS THERE WAS A RESOLUTION, UM, FOR SOMETHING CALLED PROJECT EAGLE. UM, THERE WAS A COMMITMENT. WE, THE COUNTY PAID $750,000. UM, AND THERE WERE CERTAIN COMMITMENTS THAT THE COMPANY MADE THROUGHOUT THIS PERIOD OF TIME. THERE WAS A FIVE YEAR PERFORMANCE PERIOD, AND THEN A SUBSEQUENT MAINTENANCE PERIOD TO OUR KNOWLEDGE THAT REMAINS IN EFFECT. UM, WHETHER IT HAS ANY BEARING ON THE ISSUE THIS EVENING OF BUSINESS TAXES DUE AND, AND OWED, UM, IS, IS NOT EXACTLY, I MEAN, THERE ARE SOME REMAINING OBLIGATIONS UNDER THERE. IT'S NOT CLEAR THAT IT'S DIRECTLY RELEVANT TO THIS QUESTION TODAY, BUT WE WANNA COUNSEL TO HAVE ALL THE INFORMATION AND WE DO HAVE THAT, THE UNDERLYING AGREEMENT TO THAT AS WELL, IF ANYBODY WOULD LIKE TO SEE IT. UM, ANYWAY, BACK TO THE ISSUE HERE. SO BRANDI, ARE YOU FAMILIAR WITH THIS COMPANY, MODERN TRACK MACHINERY OR GEMAR NORTH AMERICA AS IT'S CALLED NOW? YES. ALRIGHT. UM, CAN YOU GIVE US, I'M GONNA GIVE A LITTLE BIT OF HISTORY AND YOU CAN LET ME KNOW IF I MISS ANYTHING HERE, BUT, UM, IN 2018, I BELIEVE, UM, THIS COMPANY CHANGED THE NAME TO GEMAR NORTH AMERICA AND, BUT THEY RETAINED THE SAME FEDERAL IDENTIFICATION NUMBER. DOES THAT SOUND RIGHT? CORRECT. ALRIGHT. UM, DID THEY HAVE AN ACTIVE BUSINESS LICENSE? UM, FROM 2017 THROUGH 2020? YES. ALRIGHT. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME THEY HAD AN ACTIVE BUSINESS LICENSE WITH THE COUNTY? 2020. ALRIGHT. UM, WHAT HAPPENED IN 2021? THEIR RENEWAL WAS MAILED OUT, IT WAS NEVER RECEIVED BACK. UM, AN EMAIL WAS SENT IN DECEMBER OF 21 AND NO REPLY OR NO ANSWER WAS GIVEN. ALRIGHT. SO WHEN DID THEY HAVE AN ACTIVE BUSINESS LICENSE FOR, UM, 21? THROUGH THE PRESENT? NO. OKAY. WHEN DID YOU HEAR FROM GEMAR ABOUT RENEWING THEIR BUSINESS LICENSE OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT? APRIL OF 2026. OKAY. UM, DID YOU LEARN THAT THE COMPANY HAD CHANGED [01:30:01] OWNERSHIP, UM, IN MAY OF 25? YES. ALRIGHT. UM, SO WHEN THEY REACHED OUT TO YOU, UM, DID YOU FOLLOW OUR APPELLATE PROCEDURES THAT ARE, YOU KNOW, SET FORTH BY STATE LAW AND OUR ORDINANCE? YES. ALRIGHT. UM, I'LL SHOW YOU. SO ONE OF YOUR BACKUP MATERIALS IS MODERN TRACKING GES MARS APPLICATIONS. THOSE ARE ALL OF THEIR APPLICATIONS SHOWING FROM THE FEW YEARS WHERE THEY HAD A BUSINESS LICENSE WITH US. AND THEN JUST ONE FROM 26, WHICH WAS THE ONE WE RECEIVED RECENTLY. SO I'LL REFER TO THAT AS EXHIBIT ONE TO THE EXTENT WE NEED TO. UM, NUMBER TWO, UM, IS THIS NOTICE OF FINAL ASSESSMENT AND APPENDED TO THAT IS, UM, GE MARK'S LETTER IN RESPONSE, UM, WHICH I'M, THEY'LL TALK TO YOU MORE ABOUT WHEN, UM, THEY COME UP TO THE PODIUM. BUT, UM, BRANDI, DOES THIS REPRESENT THE FINAL ASSESSMENT, UM, DUE, UH, FOR THE BUSINESS LICENSE TAX AND PENALTIES PAID, UM, THROUGH 2023 TO THE PRESENT? YES. ALRIGHT. WHY DID YOU ONLY GO 2023 TO THE PRESENT? WE ARE ONLY ALLOWED TO GO BACK THREE YEARS AND CURRENT. OKAY. SO, UM, THIS YEAR AND THE THREE PRIOR YEARS ARE THE ONES THAT YOU ASSESSED? CORRECT. ALRIGHT. AND WHAT IS THE TOTAL ON THAT? UM, THAT, THAT WAS DUE BETWEEN THE TAX AND PENALTIES $72,662 AND 14 CENTS. ALRIGHT. UM, UNDER THE APPELLATE PROCEDURE, UM, GEMAR TO GO FORWARD WITH THIS APPEAL WAS REQUIRED TO PAY 80% OF TAX DUE. IS THAT ACCURATE? CORRECT. ALRIGHT. DID THEY DO THAT? YES. OKAY. UM, HOW MUCH ARE, HOW MUCH IN THEIR, YOUR CONVERSATIONS WITH THEM AND IN THEIR LETTER THAT'S CONTAINED IN THE BACKUPS, HOW MUCH IS GEMAR SEEKING TO PAY IN THE AMOUNTS DUE? UM, THEY JUST WANNA PAY THE 25 AND 26 WITHOUT ANY PENALTIES. OKAY. AND I BELIEVE IN THEIR LETTER THAT CAME OUT TO 13,000 473 24? CORRECT. ALRIGHT. UM, AND THEY'LL BE ABLE TO EXPLAIN TO YOU, I MEAN, THE REASONS THEY'RE, THEY'RE CONTAINED IN THE BACKUP MATERIALS IN THE LETTER ABOUT THE CHANGE IN OWNERSHIP AND SOME NOTIFICATION ISSUES. I DON'T BELIEVE THAT THERE ARE SIGNIFICANT DISAGREEMENTS ABOUT THE COURSE OF THE FACTUAL NATURE OF WHAT HAPPENED. I THINK THEY'RE SIMPLY ASKING YOU FOR SOME GRACE AS TO SOME AMOUNTS OWED. BUT I WANNA POINT TO, UM, BRANDI, DO YOU, IN YOUR CAPACITY UNDER SECTION 1857 OF OUR ORDINANCE HAVE THE ABILITY TO WAIVE ANY FEES OR PENALTIES DUE UNDER OUR ORDINANCE? NO. OKAY. SO SIMILARLY TO THE LAST TIME WE WERE HERE, THIS IS JUST ABOUT FOLLOWING THE PROCEDURE, BRINGING THE ISSUE IN FRONT OF COUNSEL, UM, AND ALLOWING THE BUSINESS OWNER TO PURSUE THEIR RIGHTS AS IT RELATES TO OUR BUSINESS LICENSE ORDINANCE. UM, WE, WE HAVE AS WE'LL SHOW THROUGH, UM, THE EXHIBITS THAT ARE IN YOUR BACKUP MATERIALS. THE AMOUNTS DUE 35,000 888 96 FOR BUSINESS LICENSE TAXES FROM 2023 TO 2026. SO WE'RE NOT PAID, WE CAN'T PURSUE 20 22, 20 21 BECAUSE IT'S BEYOND THE STATUTE, BEYOND THE ORDINANCE LIMITATION. UM, AND THEN THE PENALTIES COME OUT TO 36,000 773 18. AND THOSE ARE FOR 23, 24 AND 25. NO APPLICABLE PENALTIES FOR 26 YET. UM, SO AT THIS POINT I WOULD, UM, I THINK WE CAN INVITE OUR REPRESENTATIVE FROM GEMAR UP AND THEN WE CAN ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS THAT COUNCIL MAY HAVE. GOOD EVENING. THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK WITH YOU THIS EVENING. UH, MY NAME IS DOUGLAS HERBERT. I'M THE CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER FOR GEMAR NORTH AMERICA. THAT IS THE BUFORT LOCATION AS WELL AS THE CANADIAN LOCATION. UH, GEMAR IS A WORLDWIDE ORGANIZATION. WE'RE HEADQUARTERED IN FRANCE. UH, THEY HAVE LOCATIONS IN SWITZERLAND AND ITALY, UH, OF COURSE NORTH AMERICA, AFRICA, BRAZIL, ALL OVER THE WORLD. UM, I JOINED THE ORGANIZATION ON OCTOBER 27TH, 2025. SO I'M RELATIVELY NEW TO IT. UH, OUR CEO JOINED ABOUT A YEAR BEFORE I DID. SO HE'S BEEN A YEAR FOR ABOUT TWO YEARS. I'VE BEEN HERE FOR ABOUT A YEAR. AND THE TWO OF US WERE BROUGHT IN FOR ONE REASON, ONE REASON ONLY TO TURN THIS ORGANIZATION AROUND. UH, THIS ORGANIZATION HAS BEEN LOSING MONEY FOR YEARS. AND, UM, QUITE HONESTLY, I'M THE HEAD OF THE ACCOUNTING DEPARTMENT. UH, I AM, I AM FACED WITH A MESS. I HAVE BEEN TRYING TO STRAIGHTEN OUT A MESS SINCE I'VE GOT THERE. UM, THE, UH, BUSINESS LICENSE CAME UP BECAUSE WE ARE TRYING TO RENEW OUR ISO LICENSE. WE LET IT LAPSE. SO OUR QUALITY AUDIT INCLUDED GETTING A COPY OF OUR BUSINESS LICENSE. AND IT WAS THAT TIME THAT WE DISCOVERED THAT THE BUSINESS LICENSE WE HAD WAS FROM 2020. SO WE REACHED OUT TO THE COUNTY IMMEDIATELY AND WE, AND FOUND OUT ALL THIS. SO THIS IS KINDA LIKE JUST WALKING THROUGH A MINEFIELD AND ALL OF A SUDDEN, BOOM, I MEAN WE DIDN'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT THIS. UM, THE CEO AND MYSELF ARE COMMITTED TO TURNING THIS ORGANIZATION AROUND. THAT MEANS DOING THINGS RIGHT. AND ONE OF THE REASONS WHY WE REACHED OUT TO THE COUNTY IS IMMEDIATELY WILLING [01:35:01] TO GET THIS SITUATION RECTIFIED. HAVING SAID THAT, UM, LIKE I DIDN'T KNOW, I HAD NO IDEA HOW MUCH A BUFORT COUNTY BUSINESS LICENSE WAS. AND WHAT IT TURNS OUT IS THAT IF WE WERE JUST LIABLE FOR THE 2006, UH, 26 RATHER BUSINESS LICENSE PORTION, IT'D BE $6,000. WE'RE LOOKING AT $72,000 BECAUSE OF THE MISSED ORGANIZATION, UH, FILES. AND, AND IT'S NOTHING, YOU KNOW, I CAN UNDERSTAND THE PENALTIES BEING SO SEVERE, THE PENALTIES ARE ACTUALLY MORE THAN THE TAXES QUITE HONESTLY, THERE. THEY'RE 102% OF THE TAXES. AND, UM, I CAN UNDERSTAND THAT IF WE HAD WILLFULLY, UH, TRIED TO SNEAK BY AND JUST DIDN'T PAY OUR TAXES OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT, YOU KNOW, SOME KIND OF A PUNITIVE PUNISHMENT. BUT, UH, THAT'S NOT THE CASE. UH, I CAN, I CAN TELL YOU THAT THE ORGANIZATION THAT, THAT PURCHASED US IN MAY OF 2025, UH, THEY ARE ALSO COMMITTED TO TURNING THIS ORGANIZATION AROUND. AND RIGHT NOW THE, UH, COMPANY HAS 40 EMPLOYEES A PAYROLL OF ROUGHLY THREE AND A HALF MILLION DOLLARS. WE ARE BIDDING ON A PROJECT RIGHT NOW THAT WOULD BRING IN $17 MILLION TO THE COMPANY OVER A PERIOD OF 40 MONTHS. WE'RE WORKING ON ANOTHER PROJECT THAT WOULD BRING IN 25. SO THERE'S A LOT OF POTENTIAL THAT THE COMPANY HAS. AND WE'RE, WE, UM, QUITE HONESTLY, THE, THE COMPANY WAS LOST BY THE PREVIOUS OWNERS BECAUSE THEY LOST SO MUCH MONEY. THEY, THEY LOST IT. SO, UM, WE ARE TRYING TO TURN IT INTO A SUCCESSFUL ORGANIZATION, BUT, UM, IT'S REALLY TOUGH TO, UH, YOU KNOW, WE'RE, WE'RE JUST ASKING FOR, UM, SOME KIND OF FORGIVENESS HERE BECAUSE WE'RE, WE'RE WILLING TO PAY 2025. WE'RE WILLING TO PAY 2026, THAT'S WHEN WE OWN THE COMPANY. BUT WE, I WOULD REALLY LIKE TO, UH, ASK YOUR FORGIVENESS OF THE SINS OF PEOPLE PAST BECAUSE WE HAD ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO DO WITH IT. I'LL OPEN IT UP FOR QUESTIONS IF THAT'S APPROPRIATE AT THIS TIME. IS THAT OKAY MR. KID? ALRIGHT, I'LL, UM, I'LL START WITH COUNCILMAN GALLEN. HAVE YOU COME TO AN AGREEMENT ON A SETTLEMENT OF ANY KIND? UM, WE HAVE. WE WERE GOING THROUGH THIS PROCESS TO HAVE THEM PURSUE THEIR, THEIR RIGHTS. I MEAN, WE, BECAUSE WE DON'T HAVE THE ABILITY TO WAIVE PENALTIES, THERE WASN'T MUCH WE COULD DO IN THE WAY OF SETTLEMENT BECAUSE THAT MADE UP MORE THAN HALF OF THE AMOUNT. BUT, UM, YOU KNOW, TO THE EXTENT COUNSEL, I'M TRYING TO FIGURE OUT A WAY WE COULD DO THAT LOGISTICALLY, BUT IT, YOU KNOW, DIRECTS US TO, YOU KNOW, MOVE TO RESOLVE OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT, OR RESOLVE IT. I SUPPOSE THAT'S POSSIBLE. TALKED ABOUT 40 EMPLOYEES IN BEAUFORT COUNTY ALONE? YES. SO IT'S, IT'S LOCATED ON 1 34 PARKER DRIVE. UH, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU KNOW WHERE THE DRIVE-IN MOVIE THEATER IS, BUT IT'S, IT'S LIKE REALLY WELL HIDDEN. IT'S UP THE STREET THERE. I HAD NO IDEA IT WAS THERE MYSELF UNTIL I DROVE THERE TO GO TO WORK. NO. GOOD. YEAH. AND WITH THE NEW BUSINESS POTENTIAL, THAT'S GONNA BRING IN MORE EMPLOYEES. ABSOLUTELY. YEAH, ABSOLUTELY. IT'S GOOD. YES. ALL THE OTHER LOCATIONS THAT YOU OPERATE, DO THEY OPERATE WITH BUSINESS LICENSES OF THE SAME KIND? UH, I'M SURE THEY COMPLY WITH LOCAL LAWS, YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN? YEAH. UH, LIKE IN CANADA I'M RESPONSIBLE FOR THAT FACILITY. BUT BEYOND CANADA, LIKE I, I DON'T, I'M ASSUMING FRANCE AND SWITZERLAND AND BRAZIL AND ALL THAT. I'M SURE THEY DO. NICE. AND MY MY LAST QUESTION IS, DYLAN, THE LAST ONE WE HAD HAD TO DO WITH A NONE. AM I CORRECT? THAT IS CORRECT. AND WE DON'T MESS THERE, SO THANK YOU. THAT'S CUNNINGHAM. YEAH. YOU SAID YOU GUYS ARE ONLY GOING BACK TO 2023. SO HOW MUCH WAS WAIVED? 'CAUSE WE CAN'T GO BACK ANY FARTHER WITHOUT THE BUSINESS LICENSE OF 2021 AND 2022. IF I DID THE MATH, IT SHOULD BE SOMEWHERE AROUND 30 SOME THOUSAND. I THINK THAT WOULD BE, UM, THAT'S PENALTY. THAT'S WHAT PENALTY. I DON'T HAVE THE, IT'S BASED ON SALES VOLUME. SO IT WAS LIKE 19 MILLION, MILLION. I DON'T EVEN KNOW QUITE HONESTLY WHAT OUR SALES VOLUME WAS IN 2021 OR TWO. TWO. SO FOR 22 AND 21 IT WOULD BE, I I THOUGHT YOU HAD YEAH. REASONABLY SIMILAR TO THESE TWO. I MEAN, IT WOULD DEPEND. YEAH. I WOULD NEED THAT REVENUE TO CALCULATE THAT. AND I DON'T HAVE THAT AND I WASN'T, AND I DON'T KNOW IT EITHER MYSELF, BUT STANDS TO REASON IT WOULD BE SIMILAR TO, YOU KNOW, TWO LINE ITEMS ADDED. YEAH. I MEAN SOMEWHERE IF YOU AVERAGE THAT OUT IN THERE, I GUESS. OKAY, SO THAT'S ONE OF MY QUESTIONS. UM, THE OTHER ONE WOULD BE, YOU'VE OPERATED IT IN 2025 AND 2026, CORRECT? YES. AND YOU PURCHASED THE COMPANY? YES. UH, MAY 8TH, 2025 WHEN THE COMPANY WAS PURCHASED. I JOINED IN OCTOBER OF 25, SO I WASN'T EVEN REALLY, SO THE, WITH THE ONES THAT PURCHASED THE COMPANY, THEY PROBABLY TOOK ON, THERE'S A CLAUSE IN THERE THAT SAYS THEY ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR EITHER THE SELLERS RESPONSIBLE OR THE BUYER'S RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY UN UNPAID DUES. IT'D BE NO DIFFERENT FOR A HOUSE OR ANY OTHER PERSONAL BUSINESS. DO YOU KNOW WHAT WAS IN YOUR CONTRACT? UH, PERSONALLY I DO NOT QUITE HONESTLY. SO I MEAN, I I'M ASSUMING IF THEY SENT YOU HERE TO US, THAT MEANS YOU [01:40:01] GUYS PROBABLY TOOK ON THEIR RESPONSIBILITY. IF NOT, THEY'D BE GOING TO THEM TO COLLECT THE FUNDS TO PAY US. UM, I'LL BE HONEST GUYS. I MEAN IT'S A, UH, $20 MILLION COMPANY ON AVERAGE THERE. UM, OKAY, SO OUR, OUR REVENUES LAST YEAR WERE 10 10 AND THEN SINCE YOU GUYS BOUGHT IT, IT'S GONE DOWN. UM, AND THEN WE'RE NOT ALREADY GETTING PAID FOR TWO YEARS OF TAXES OR BUSINESS LICENSE 'CAUSE WE CAN'T GO BACK ANY FARTHER, WHICH THAT DOESN'T EVEN MAKE ANY SENSE TO ME. 'CAUSE I GUARANTEE YOU THAT COMPANY STILL MADE MONEY FOR THOSE TWO YEARS, INCLUDING THE OTHER TWO YEARS THAT THEY DIDN'T HAVE A BUSINESS LICENSE IN THE TUNE OF $42 MILLION, UM, WAS OUR GROSS INCOME AND PAID NO TAXES WHATSOEVER. BUT I STILL HAVE TO MAKE THE MOM AND POP SHOP PAY A TAX. THAT'S WHERE I HAVE A HARD TIME WITH IT. I'M GONNA BE HONEST GUYS, WE'RE ALREADY WAIVING TWO YEARS. IT'S NO FAULT OF YOUR OWN. WE CAN'T GO BACK ANY FARTHER. I DISAGREE WITH THAT TO BEGIN WITH. BUT WE HAD A COMPANY THAT OPERATED FOR FOUR AND A HALF YEARS WITH NO BUSINESS LICENSE. AND OFF THE TOP RIGHT THERE, LET'S JUST SAY IT WAS 15, THAT'S 30, 40, THAT'S 72 PLUS THAT. THAT'S 65,000, $65 MILLION OR $85 MILLION AND FIVE YEARS OF REVENUE THAT NO LICENSE TAX WAS PAID FOR. COUNCIL PASS WAS NEXT. YEAH, THAT THAT, THANK YOU. THAT WAS GOING TO BE MY POINT. THEY WERE IN BUSINESS OPERATING AS A BUSINESS IN 2020, EVEN THOUGH THEY DIDN'T HAVE A BUSINESS LICENSE. THE OTHER THING THAT I WOULD BRING UP IS QUITE HONESTLY, UM, SO I'VE, I'VE GOT PEOPLE WHO WORK FOR ME WHO'VE BEEN WITH THE COMPANY LONGER THAN I HAVE, OBVIOUSLY THREE OR FOUR YEARS. AND THEY WERE NOT CONTACTED BY THE COUNTY TO PAY THIS. SO MAYBE THERE WAS A REMINDER NOTICE SENT OUT IN 2021. BUT HONESTLY, HAD WE BEEN MADE AWARE OF IT, HAD IT BEEN PURSUED MORE BY THE COUNTY, WE WOULD'VE DEFINITELY ADDRESSED IT RIGHT AWAY. AND WE ONLY, IT ONLY CAME UP BECAUSE WE ADDRESSED IT. WE LOOKED AT OUR LICENSE AND WE SAID, IT'S EXPIRED. WHAT'S GOING ON? WE NEED TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT. SO WE WEREN'T TRYING TO PULL A FAST ONE ON ANYBODY. NO, I I'M, I'M NOT QUESTIONING THAT. SURE. I I'M JUST SAYING RIGHT. THE BUSINESS DIDN'T GO OUTTA BUSINESS, THEY JUST DIDN'T OPERATE WITH A BUSINESS LICENSE. WELL, ESSENTIALLY IT'S ACTUALLY A NEW, IT'S ACTUALLY A NEW LEGAL ENTITY. RIGHT, RIGHT. BUT UNTIL YOU PURCHASED IT RIGHT, THEY WERE STILL OPERATING UNDER AN OLD NAME DOING BUSINESS WITHOUT A BUSINESS LICENSE. THAT'S THAT'S ABSOLUTELY TRUE. YEP. OKAY. THANK YOU. THE NOTIFICATION FRONT, I JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE EVERYBODY UNDERSTANDS. SO, AND BRANDON CAN CORRECT ME IF I'M INCORRECT. WHEN WE HAVE A BUSINESS THAT HAS A LICENSE, WE SEND OUT A NOTIFICATION ABOUT THE RENEWAL TIMELINE. IF THEY DO NOT RENEW DURING THAT TIMELINE, WE SEND THEM A NOTIFICATION WHEN WE SEND 'EM A NOTIFICATION WITH THAT PROCESS. BUT WE DON'T CHASE THEM DOWN FOR SUBSEQUENT YEARS AFTER THAT. BECAUSE THAT WOULD BE, OBVIOUSLY IF YOU HAVE A ONE WITH A BUSINESS LICENSE THAT DOESN'T RENEW AND IT HASN'T, YOU KNOW, WE'RE NOT GONNA BE CHASING PEOPLE EVERY BUSINESS THAT'S EVER HAD A LICENSE IN BEAUFORT COUNTY, LIKE, ARE YOU STILL IN OPERATION? DO YOU WANT TO GET RENEW YOUR BUSINESS LICENSE? GO AHEAD, COUNCILMAN. NOW IF YOU HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY IS NO, WELL DO WHERE WAS THE EDC DURING ALL THIS? 'CAUSE I KNOW THAT THEY RECRUITED THIS ORGANIZATION. YEAH, I, WE'VE BEEN LOOKING AT . SO I LOOKED AT THE RESOLUTION AND THE UNDERLYING AGREEMENT. I, FROM WHAT I CAN TELL, IT SEEMS LIKE A PROJECT THAT THEY WOULD'VE BEEN INVOLVED WITH, BUT I'M NOT, YEAH, I'VE NOT, THERE WERE NO DIRECT REFERENCES TO THEM WITHIN THOSE DOCUMENTS. OKAY. SO I I DO NOT KNOW THE ROLE EXACTLY WHAT THEY PLAYED IN THAT THEY WERE, I I MEAN I KNOW, I REMEMBER THEY WERE, I'M SURE JOE REMEMBERS MAYBE THEY RECEIVED FUNDING FROM EDC? I THINK SO, BUT I CAN'T, I HAVE TO LOOK AT THE HISTORY OF IT. THERE'S AN UNDERLYING PERFORMANCE AGREEMENT THAT'S TIED TO THE RESOLUTION MATERIAL. YEAH. I SEE. ALRIGHT. COUNCIL MEMBER, OUR THUMB, SO I'M TRYING TO WRAP MY HEAD AROUND THIS ONE. WHERE ARE THESE NUMBERS COMING FROM? IS THIS YOUR, YOUR STATE RETURN OR IS THIS LOCAL RETURN? THESE NUMBERS WERE PROVIDED BY THE COUNTY, SO I DON'T, I, I PERSONALLY CAN'T ATTEST TO THESE NUMBERS. OKAY. AND WHERE, I MEAN, THIS IS AN EVIDENTIARY HEARING. WHERE DID THE COUNTY RECEIVE THE GROSS INCOME AMOUNTS? WAS THIS FROM THE STATE RETURNED? I THINK THEY PROVIDED A PROFIT AND LOSS. I'M NOT A HUNDRED PERCENT SURE THE, BUT THEY, THE COMPANY PROVIDED US PROOF OF REVENUE FOR EACH OF THESE YEARS. WAS THAT, WAS THAT TO THE LOCALITY HERE IN BEAUFORT COUNTY? THAT'S JUST FOR THIS LOCATION? JUST FOR THIS LOCATION, YES. YEAH, IT IS JUST FOR LIST OF LOCATION. OKAY. AND AND YOU'RE, YOU'RE COMFORTABLE WITH THAT BOTH SIDES ARE COMFORTABLE WITH THAT? THESE, THAT'S NOT, THAT'S NOT CANADA. I, I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT THESE DOLLAR AMOUNTS THAT YOU'RE NOT BEING TAXED ON A, ON AN AMOUNT THAT'S NOT CORRECT IN THE LOCATION HERE. CORRECT. UM, THOSE, THOSE NUMBERS DO LOOK HIGH TO ME, BUT I, I, AGAIN, I WASN'T HERE SO I CAN'T, I CAN'T SAY THAT. AND DO YOU KNOW, I, I KNOW YOU WERE TAKING OVER A BUSINESS, BUT DID THE COUNTY RECEIVE ANY TRANSFER OF OWNERSHIP OR ANY TYPE OF DOCUMENTATION THAT THE BUSINESS WAS CLOSING? ANY TYPE OF FORM THAT CAME IN THAT? JUST WHAT'S IN HERE. OKAY. AND, UM, NOW I'LL TELL YOU, I, I REALLY DON'T HAVE ENOUGH INFORMATION FOR ME TO REALLY MAKE A DETERMINATION. [01:45:02] I, I WOULD FEEL MORE COMFORTABLE, SINCE THIS DOES GET APPEALED, I'D, I'D PERSONALLY WOULD FEEL MORE COMFORTABLE HOLDING ANY DECISION IN ADVANCE AND LOOKING AT ADDITIONAL INFORMATION IN ORDER TO MAKE A, A WRITTEN DETERMINATION. BUT I THINK YOU HAVE A TIMELINE THAT YOU NEED TO BE ON, IS THAT CORRECT? WE DO WITHIN 30 DAYS OF THE HEARING. I DON'T KNOW HOW WE COULD MODIFY THAT. BUT, UM, JUST FOR, FOR OUR PURPOSES, WHAT ADDITIONAL INFORMATION WOULD YOU LIKE US TO GATHER AND PROVIDE? I HAVE A LIST OF 60 SOME QUESTIONS. , UM, I MEAN, ONE, THE, THE, THE TAX RETURNS IF WE COULD, ANY INTERNAL COMMUNICATION. WAS THERE A SOUTH CAROLINA DEPARTMENT OF REVENUE CERTIFICATE OF COMPLIANCE ISSUED, UH, DURING THE ASSET WAS AN ASSET SALE. UM, WAS THERE ANY ASSIGNMENT, UH, AN ASSUMPTION AGREEMENT THAT WAS DONE DURING THE PURCHASE? YEAH, AGAIN, I, I CAN'T SPEAK TO THAT PERSON BECAUSE I THINK THAT GOES BACK TO WHAT LOGAN WAS SAYING. I MEAN, GENERALLY SPEAKING, MY, I I'VE BEEN DOING THIS FOR 34 YEARS, SO NOT, NOT OBVIOUSLY AT GEMAR, BUT, UM, GENERALLY SPEAKING, WHAT HAPPENS IS YOU BUY THE ASSETS OF A BUSINESS, SO YOU DON'T BUY THE LIABILITIES. AND SO THEN WHEN THEY DO THAT, THEN ALL THE LIABILITIES BASICALLY DON'T GET PAID WELL, AND THERE'S A SOUTH CAROLINA DEPARTMENT OF REVENUE HAS A CERTIFICATE OF COMPLIANCE WHERE THAT YOU CAN BE LIABLE IF THEY DON'T GET THAT AND TRANSFER IT WITH YOU. YOU CAN BE RESPONSIBLE FOR UNPAID TAXES ON THE PREVIOUS COMPANY. BUT THAT CERTIFICATE OF COMPLIANCE COMPLIANCE IS VERY IMPORTANT. AND I THINK THERE'S, I THINK THERE'S INFORMATION MISSING HERE IN THE RECORD THAT SINCE THIS IS DIRECTLY APPEALABLE, I CAN'T MAKE A DECISION RIGHT, RIGHT NOW WITHOUT SUFFICIENT INFORMATION. COUNCILMAN MCALLEN, I HAVE A QUESTION. IF THIS IS, UH, IS IT APPROPRIATE TO ASK IF THE COUNTY HAS TAKEN A POSITION CONSIDERING THE PENALTIES CAN'T BE WAIVED? WHAT CAN BE WAIVED? SO BY, BY STAFF? IT IS OUR DETERMINATION VERY LITTLE, IF ANY. AND SO THAT'S WHY WE FOLLOW THE PROCESS TO BRING IT THROUGH WITH, TO COUNSEL BECAUSE COUNSEL HAS THE ABILITY TO, TO TAKE SOME ACTIONS THAT MAKE SOME DETERMINATIONS THAT, THAT WE DO NOT, UM, ACTION. SO I, I THINK COUNSEL COULD MAKE A DETERMINATION THAT FOR WHATEVER REASON, THAT THE COMPANY IS NOT LIABLE FOR TAXES DUE FOR A GIVEN YEAR AND THE CORRESPONDING PENALTIES, WHICH IS TO SAY YOU COULD KNOCK A YEAR OR TWO OFF OF IT. IF COUNSEL YOU, YOU'RE SAYING THAT PENALTIES CAN BE WAIVED BY, IF COUNSEL DECIDES, IN MY OPINION, IF COUNSEL DECIDES THAT THEY WERE NOT SUBJECT TO THE TAXES FOR SAY, YEAR 2023, I DON'T THINK YOU COULD ALSO MAKE THEM PAY THE PENALTIES ON AN AMOUNT THAT YOU SAID THEY'RE NOT LIABLE FOR. OKAY. OKAY. SO WE WORK, SORRY. THANK YOU. I DOING, WE WORK THROUGH THIS. IS IT APPROPRIATE TO DO THAT HERE TONIGHT? OR CAN WE MOVE ON AND, AND GET THIS DONE IN A WAY, I MEAN WE HAVE 11 ADMINISTRATIVE LAW JUDGES HERE TRYING TO SOLVE THIS MATTER. IT'S PREPOSTEROUS. IS THERE A WAY THIS CAN BE RESOLVED APPROPRIATELY WITH A PERSON WHO CAN ACT AS A REFEREE HERE AND REPRESENT ALL OF US AND SETTLE THIS MATTER FOR, FOR THIS COMPANY THAT'S CONTINUING TO TRY AND DO ITS BEST IN THIS AREA, IS THERE ANYTHING WE CAN DO HERE TO SAVE THIS SHIP? OR IS IT JUST SINKING? I THINK WE WERE, YOU KNOW, WE WANTED THIS TO GO THROUGH THE PROCESS SO THAT COUNCIL COULD THAT DECISION. I GET THAT. BUT AS FAR AS NEGOTIATING, UM, I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE PROCESS WOULD BE TO NEGOTIATE A, TO DIRECT STAFF TO NEGOTIATE A RESOLUTION. I THINK THAT WOULD BE A BRIAN QUESTION. ALRIGHT. LET TAB AND THEN WHEN YOU, THIS SAYS THE COMPANY WAS, THEY CHANGED OWNERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT, ISN'T THERE ELEMENT OF DUE DILIGENCE, JUST LIKE WHEN YOU BUY A HOUSE OR ANOTHER COMPANY, SHOULDN'T THEY HAVE MADE SURE EVERYTHING WAS TAKEN CARE OF BEFORE THEY TOOK OVER OWNERSHIP? I CAN'T SEE FORGIVING THIS WHEN YOUR COMPANY SHOULD HAVE DONE DUE DILIGENCE TO FIND OUT WHAT THE LIABILITIES WERE. WELL, I, AND, AND IT'S RESEARCH THAT I'D HAVE TO DO, QUITE HONESTLY TO SEE WHAT THE AGREEMENT WAS. 'CAUSE I WASN'T INVOLVED WITH IT. BUT AS I SAID, GENERALLY SPEAKING, THE WAY THESE THINGS GO IS YOU BUY THE ASSETS SO YOU DON'T ASSUME THE LIABILITIES. NOW THAT MAY NOT WORK IN, YOU KNOW, BEAUFORT, SOUTH CAROLINA AS FAR AS THE TAXES GO. I MEAN, I'M, I'M NOT TRYING TO SAY THAT THAT'S APPLICABLE. I'M JUST SAYING THAT'S USUALLY HOW THESE THINGS GO. SO THEY DON'T DO DUE DILIGENCE ON THE DEBTS BECAUSE THEY'RE NOT ASSUMING THEM COUNT. COUNCILMAN LAWSON? YEAH, I JUST HAVE A QUESTION, QUESTION ON OUR PROCESS AND OUR PROTOCOL. SO THEY CAME IN, THEY BOUGHT THE COMPANY, SO IT'S A NEW NAME, NEW LIABILITY. ARE THEY REALLY RESPONSIBLE FOR A PREVIOUS ENTITY'S, UM, TAXES OR DOES THEIR NEW, DOES IT START WHENEVER THEY PURCHASE IT? THE NAME CHANGES. SO CAN WE ACTUALLY GO BACK AND CHARGE 'EM FOR A BUSINESS LICENSE EVEN THOUGH IT WAS A DIFFERENT ENTITY? IT'S THE SAME NAME AND FEDERAL ID NUMBER, FEDERAL ID NUMBER MM-HMM MODERN [01:50:01] TRACK MACHINERY. IS THAT STILL WHAT IT'S UNDER? MODERN TRACK MACHINERY WAS WHAT IT WAS IN 2018. AND MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT GEMAR BOUGHT MODERN TRACK MACHINERY BACK THEN. NOW SOMEBODY ELSE BOUGHT GEMAR CORPORATE, SO THE ENTIRE GEMAR CORPORATE WENT. AND THAT'S, THAT'S ALL DIFFERENT NOW. SO IT, IT EXTENDS WAY BEYOND BUFORT COUNTY. THE GUY'S MARKET WAS THE NAME CHANGE IN 2018 AND THEY MAINTAIN THE SAME FEDERAL ID NUMBER. SO GOING BACK TO WHAT COUNCIL MCKELLAN SAID, UM, WE HAVE A MEETING ON THE 28TH. WE'RE STILL WITHIN THE 30 DAY WINDOW. WE, IT SOUNDS LIKE WE NEED MORE INFORMATION AND QUESTIONS THAT COUNCILMAN BAROLO YOU HAD AND OTHERS, UM, WHAT ANY RECOMMENDATIONS AS YOU CAN MAKE A MOTION TO DEFER IT DURING THAT TIME AND, AND, AND WE COULD EXPLORE RESOLUTION DURING THAT PERIOD. AUSTIN SAW HAS A QUESTION DOWN HERE TOO. OKAY. OKAY. COUNCILOR DAWSON? YES. UH, UH, THIS COMPANY IS IN MY DISTRICT. MM-HMM . AND I, UM, I'M SORRY FOR THE PREDICAMENT YOU'RE IN. UM, BUT I, I WOULD, I WOULD ASK OUR LEGAL TO GIVE US SOME ADVICE ON HOW TO, HOW TO RECTIFY THE SITUATION. WHETHER WE HAVE THE ABILITY TO, UM, TO, UH, RELINQUISH TO BACK TAXES AND, UH, ACTUALLY HAVE HIM PAY WHAT IS, UH, DUE FROM THE TIME THAT HE MOVED IN OR, UH, TOOK OVER THE BUSINESS. OR CAN WE, OR DO WE HAVE TO, UH, ACTUALLY HAVE HIM PAY THE ENTIRE ENTIRE AMOUNT, UM, BEFORE WE GET THE LEGAL ADVICE? I, I WOULD, I WOULD SAY THAT IT'S INAPPROPRIATE FOR US TO ASK WHERE'S THE EDC AND ALL OF THIS. THE, THE TAX NOTICE DOESN'T GO TO THE E-E-E-D-C, IT GOES TO THE PROPERTY OWNER, THE BUSINESS OWNER. SO IT'S VERY INAPPROPRIATE. I'D JUST LIKE TO CLARIFY WHY I SAID THAT THEY, THEY WERE THE ONES THAT RECRUITED THIS BUSINESS. YEAH. BUT THEY RECRUITED A LOT OF BUSINESSES. BUT UNDERSTAND WHEN IT, WHEN THEY GET IN FINANCIAL DIFFICULTIES OF PAYING THE TAXES, WE DON'T HOLD THE EDC UPON RESPONSIBLE. I THINK I WOULD DISAGREE THAT THEY SHOULD HAVE LET US KNOW. LET'S, MADAM CHAIR WHAT I'M SAYING. SO MADAM CHAIR, IF I MAY, HOW IS IT THAT THEY WOULD KNOW? IT APPEARS THIS WAS PRE EDC. OKAY. RESOLUTION IS INCLUDED IN YOUR PACKAGE. WELL, I APOLOGIZE THEN. AND IT WAS IN 2017 AND IT DOES NOT APPEAR THAT THE EDC WAS INVOLVED IN IT AT THAT TIME. OKAY. JUST LOOKING AT THE PAPERWORK. ALRIGHT. BOTTOM LINE IS THERE'S NO AUTHORITY IN THE ORDINANCE TO WAIVE THE PENALTIES. THAT BEING SAID, IF COUNSEL DECIDES TO TAKE ACTION AND WAIVE THE PENALTIES, WHO'S GOING TO OBJECT FOR APPEAL? YOU'D HAVE TO ASK THE COUNTY ATTORNEY TO APPEAL YOUR DECISION, WHICH IS UNLIKELY TO HAPPEN. UH, SO IF YOU CHOOSE AS A MAJORITY OF THIS BODY TO AUTHORIZE NEGOTIATION TO INCLUDE DISCUSSION ABOUT WAIVING, UH, SOME OR ALL OF THE PENALTIES TO REACH RESOLUTION, YOU COULD MAKE A MOTION TO HAVE THE COUNTY ATTORNEY NEGOTIATE WITH THE BUSINESS AND THE BUSINESS LICENSE OFFICIAL, UH, TO REACH A SETTLEMENT AND TO HAVE THAT SETTLEMENT BROUGHT BACK TO YOU ON THE 28TH FOR MOVE. I WOULD MAKE, I'LL SECOND IT. ALRIGHT. WE HAVE A MOTION TO SECOND, BUT ANY DISCUSSION COUNCILMAN DISCUSS? YEAH. UM, EVERYONE'S FORGETTING. WE ALREADY WAIVED TWO YEARS, RIGHT? TWO YEARS WAS ALREADY WAIVED. SO AS WELL, EVERYTHING, WE'RE NOT, THEY DIDN'T PAY TAXES OR THE PENALTIES FOR FOUR YEARS FOR A MULTIMILLION DOLLAR COMPANY. SO WHAT'S GONNA HAPPEN WHEN SOMEBODY ELSE WALKS IN THIS DOOR AND DECIDES NOT TO PAY THEIR TAXES FOR FOUR YEARS BUT RUN A BUSINESS AND THEN THEY DECIDE TO SELL THAT BUSINESS TO SOMEBODY ELSE. AND WE'RE GONNA TELL 'EM WE'RE GONNA WAVE IT BECAUSE THAT'S THE DOOR. YOU'RE LOOKING TO OPEN A DOOR. BUT THE, THE ORGANIZATION THAT OWNS THE BUSINESS DID NOT DECIDE NOT TO PAY THEIR TAXES. THAT IS NOT WHAT WE DID REPRESENT THE, THE PEOPLE . IF SOMEBODY CAME TO YOUR COMPANY AND DID NOT PAY YOU FOR FOUR YEARS, YOU'D GO AFTER THAT MONEY. OF COURSE. THAT'S THE SAME SITUATION WE'RE IN. OKAY. WE WERE NOT PAID. MOTION IN A SECOND. AND GO AHEAD. COUNCILMAN CUNNINGHAM. THANK YOU. DO YOU HAVE MORE TO SAY? I DO. IF POSSIBLE. THAT'D BE GREAT. UM, THE POINT BEHIND IT IS WE'RE GONNA SET A PRECEDENT. WE'RE TALKING ABOUT A COMPANY THAT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH US. HE BOUGHT A TRANSACTION, HIS COMPANY DID. WE ARE NOT LIABLE FOR THAT. ONLY THING WE'RE LIABLE IS THE MONEY THAT WE OWE THAT WE REQUIRE EVERY OTHER BUSINESS ENTITY TO PAY. SO TO EVEN HAVE THIS CONVERSATION, THE ONLY WAY I WOULD STATE ANY OF THIS IS TO GIVE HIM THE TIME TO GO THROUGH HIS CONTRACT TO SEE IF HE'S LIABLE OR IF THE PREVIOUS OWNERS ARE. BUT REALISTICALLY, THAT'S THE ONLY DISCUSSION WE SHOULD BE HAVING. WHY ARE WE DISCUSSING WAIVING TAXES ON A 40 EMPLOYEE COMPANY THAT'S MADE MULTIMILLION DOLLARS? YEAH. THE COUNTY'S POSITION WOULD BE THAT THE TAX RUNS WITH THE BUSINESS. ANY, ANY OTHER DISCUSSION ON THE MOTION THAT WAS MADE? YES. I'M GONNA AGREE WITH MR. CUNNINGHAM. THAT'S WHERE I WAS GOING. [01:55:01] THE COMPANY'S, THAT'S YOUR DUE DILIGENCE ISSUE. AND I DON'T SEE OPENING THE DOOR TO WAIVE THESE FEES 'CAUSE SOMEBODY ELSE IS GONNA WALK THROUGH THAT DOOR NEXT WITH THE SAME KIND OF RATIONALE. AND SO I I THINK THAT'S NOT WHAT WE SHOULD BE DISCUSSING. WAIVING THE FEES ALREADY LOST TWO YEARS BEFORE. DO YOU THINK IT'S REASONABLE THEN TO, UH, HAVE A A, A PENALTY OF MORE THAN THE ACTUAL TAXES? 102% OF THE TAXES THAT'S, WE DID NOT GET USED THE MONEY FOR TAX REVENUE FOR US TO GO BACK TO OUR CITIZENS. ABSOLUTELY. YEAH. BECAUSE WE DID NOT HAVE THAT MONEY FOR FOUR YEARS. OKAY. WE HAD A MOTION A SECOND. WE WANNA REPEAT THE MOTION. THAT WAS THANK YOU. THEY'RE GOING, THEY'RE GOING TO HAVE, YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE A MEETING WITH CAN REACH A SETTLEMENT UM, WITH REGARD TO THE LIABILITIES OF THE PREVIOUS COMPANY, WHICH APPARENTLY HAVE ALREADY BEEN ACTIONS BEEN TAKEN TO WAIVE YES. TWO YEARS. IS THAT TRUE? TWO YEARS LEGALLY WE'RE NOT ALLOWED TO GO BACK ANY FARTHER, RIGHT? YEAH. AND YOU'RE GONNA TRY AND REACH A, A, UH, AN AGREEMENT AND BRING FORWARD TO US FOR A VOTE THAT'S SORT OF DEFERRING OUR RESPONSIBILITY. WE'RE SUPPOSED TO MAKE THE DECISION SEPTEMBER, SEPTEMBER 28TH. WE'RE DEFERRING IT TILL SEPTEMBER 28TH. IS THAT WHAT THE MOTION SAYS? YEAH. THERE'LL BE TIME FOR THAT TO CONT TO TAKE CARE OF THAT NEGOTIATION MOTION WAS MADE BY ONE. ONE LAST THOUGHT. YES. WILL THAT INCLUDE THE INFORMATION THAT'S BEEN REQUESTED OR NEEDED TO HAVE? I'M SURE EXACTLY WHAT YOU'RE LOOKING FOR. WELL, WE CAN PUT A LIST TOGETHER. YEAH, EXACTLY. WE CAN GET A LIST TO THE COUNTY MANAGERS. COUNCILMAN BAR. YOU HAD A LIST OF QUESTIONS? WELL ALONG WHATEVER WE CAN. YEAH, YEAH. WHATEVER WE NEED TO HEAR. MM-HMM . OKAY. SO WE'VE HAD A MO MOTION AND A SECOND. ANY OTHER DISCUSSION? I COUNCIL MEMBER DAWSON AS THE MOTION OR, AND COUNCIL MEMBER MCALLEN AS THE SECOND. HE'S THE SECOND COUNCILMAN. MCALLEN SECOND. HAVE A HEARD HIM FIRST IS FINE. THAT'S FINE. OKAY. AND THIS IS JUST TO DEFER UNTIL SEPTEMBER 28TH. WE'RE LOOKING FOR SOMEONE TO CONDUCT SOME KIND OF A NEGOTIATION. COME BACK WITH AN ANSWER FOR A NUMBER THAT'S ACCEPTABLE. THAT CAN BE PRESENTED TO US. OKAY. I'D LIKE A ROLL CALL, PLEASE. YES. MM-HMM . COUNCIL MEMBER DAWSON? YES. COUNCIL MEMBER MCALLEN? YES. COUNCIL MEMBER REEDS? YES. COUNCIL MEMBER PASSMAN. I'M GONNA SAY YES. COUNCIL MEMBER LAWSON MARK LAWSON? YES. COUNCIL MEMBER CUNNINGHAM? NO. COUNCIL MEMBER BROWN? YES. COUNCIL MEMBER BARTHOLOMEW. I'M GOING TO ABSTAIN. VICE CHAIR. TABER? NO. CHAIR HOWARD? YES. THE MOTION PASSES. SEVEN TWO WITH ONE ABSTENTION. OKAY. SEPTEMBER 28TH. WE KICKED KICKED IT DOWN THEN. BUT CAN YOU COUNCILMAN BARMY? CAN YOU FURNISH YOUR QUESTIONS? YEAH, I'M PULLING 'EM TOGETHER IN A CLEANER. AND ANYONE ELSE TO, TO, UM, MR. KIDD WOULD BE HELPFUL? NO, JUST BE SENT TO ME. UH, THE QUESTIONS WE'LL GO THROUGH MR. KIDD. YES. THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR TIME TODAY. ALL RIGHT. NEXT ON [12.a.2026/41: An Ordinance amending the Community Development Code (CDC): section 5.3.20 (applicability), 4.2.20 (standards for free-standing accessory buildings/structures), 5.8.100 (screening), and 10.1.190 (definitions) (PUBLIC HEARING) ] THE AGENDA. UM, NOW WE'RE INTO ORDINANCES. ORDINANCES. OKAY. WE'RE GOING TO ORDINANCES FOR SECOND READING AND I'LL REMIND THE PUBLIC THESE WENT THROUGH COMMITTEE AND HAVE ALREADY BEEN TO FIRST READING. SO 2026 SLASH 41 IS IN ORDINANCE AMENDING THE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CODE SECTION 5.3 0.2, APPLICABILITY 4.2 0.2 STANDARDS FOR FREESTANDING ACCESSIBILITY BUILDINGS AND STRUCTURES. 5.8 POINT 100 SCREENING AND 10.1 0.1 90 DEFINITIONS. THIS IS A PUBLIC HEARING. CAN I HAVE A MOTION? SO MOVED. THANK YOU MR. PASSMAN. SECOND. MR. DAWSON DOES THE SECOND MR. OH, I THOUGHT MR. MERCHANT, CAN YOU JUST GIVE THE PUBLIC A REALLY SHORT SYNOPSIS? 'CAUSE THIS HAS GONE THROUGH COMMITTEE IN FIRST READING, BUT IT IS A PUBLIC HEARING. YES. WELL, GOOD EVENING. UH, VERY BRIEFLY WHAT THIS ORDINANCE DOES CURRENTLY, THERE ARE TWO SECTIONS OF OUR CODE THAT PROHIBIT THE USE OF SHIPPING CONTAINERS AS STRUCTURES. THIS ORDINANCE MAKES AN EXCEPTION FOR AGRICULTURE BECAUSE WE HAVE LEARNED THAT UM, SHIPPING CONTAINERS ARE BECOMING MORE AND MORE COMMON AS ACCESSORY STRUCTURES FOR, UM, ACTIVE AGRICULTURE. SO THIS ORDINANCE PROVIDES AN EXCEPTION FOR THAT. IT PROVIDES SOME, UH, YOU KNOW, FOR A PERSON TO SHOW THAT THEY ARE ACTUALLY ENGAGED IN, IN ACTIVE AGRICULTURE AND ALSO HAS SOME STANDARDS THAT BUFFER, UH, PROVIDE BUFFERS AND SETBACKS FOR THIS USE TO LESSEN THE IMPACT ON NEIGHBORING PROPERTIES. AND THERE ARE CERTAIN USES THEY CANNOT HAVE. RIGHT? THIS ONLY, UM, OPENS IT UP FOR AGRICULTURE. SO THEY CAN'T HAVE LIVESTOCK LIVING PEOPLE. WELL, YES AND THERE'S SOME RESTRICTIONS. YEAH. YEAH. YOU CAN'T DWELL IN [02:00:01] THEM. YOU CAN'T HAVE YOUR ANIMALS IN THEM. OKAY. THIS IS A PUBLIC HEARING. UM, NO ONE SIGNED UP, BUT IS THERE ANYONE IN THE AUDIENCE THAT WOULD LIKE TO COMMENT ON THIS ORDINANCE? OKAY. SEEING NOBODY, I'LL CLOSE THE PUBLIC HEARING. IT GOES FOR DISCUSSION TO COUNSEL. ANYBODY HAVE A QUESTION? UM, I HAVE TO READ WHY WE'RE GOING TO BE APPROVING THIS. I MOVE THAT WE GRANT THE REQUEST FOR THE TEXT AMENDMENT FOR THE FOLLOWING REASONS. THE REQUEST IS CONSISTENT WITH GOLD'S OBJECTIVES AND POLICIES OF THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN. UH, IS NOT IN CONFLICT WITH ANY OF THE PROVISIONS OF THE DEVELOPMENT CODE OR CODE OF ORDINANCE IS NOT REQUIRED BY CHANGE CONDITIONS. DOES ADDRESS A DEMONSTRATED COMMUNITY NEED IS CONSISTENT WITH THE PURPOSE AND INTENT OF THE ZONES IN THE DEVELOPMENT CODE, OR WOULD IMPROVE COMPATIBILITY AMONG USES AND ENSURE EFFICIENT DEVELOPMENT WITHIN THE COUNTY WOULD RESULT IN A LOGICAL AND ORDERLY DEVELOPMENT PATTERN AND WOULD NOT RESULT IN ADVERSE IMPACTS ON THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT. THANK YOU MR. PASSMAN. ANY COUNCILPERSON HAVE A QUESTION? COMMENT. ALRIGHT. SEEING NONE, ALL IN FAVOR OF THIS ORDINANCE, PLEASE RAISE YOUR HAND. THANK YOU. IT PASSES UNANIMOUSLY. 2026 [12.b.2026/42: An Ordinance amending the zoning map for 1.4 acres (R300 012 000 0129 0000, R300 012 000 047A 0000) from T2R to T2RC. (PUBLIC HEARING) ] SLASH 42 IS AN ORDINANCE AMENDING THE ZONING MAP FOR 1.4 ACRES R 300 0 1 2 0 0 0 0 1 2 9 4 ZEROS R 300 0 1 2 0 0 0 0 4 7 A AND FOUR ZEROS AND AMENDING IT FROM T TWO R TO T TWO RC. AND THIS IS A PUBLIC HEARING AND I HAVE A MOTION MOVED. THANK YOU MR. PASSMAN. IS THERE A SECOND? I'LL SECOND. ALL MS. HOWARD. SECOND. UM, MR. MERCHANT, YOU'RE UP AGAIN. OKAY, THANK YOU. A QUICK SYNOPSIS OF THIS. YES, UM, THERE IS AN EXISTING COMMERCIAL NODE THAT IT ZONED, UM, C FOUR, UM, COMMUNITY CENTER MIXED USE LOCATED AT THE CORNER OF SEA ISLAND PARKWAY, 21 ON ST. HELENA AND SEASIDE ROAD ON ONE SIDE AND COFFIN POINT ON THE OTHER. AND THIS HAS BEEN IN PLACE FOR, YOU KNOW, FOR AT LEAST FOR THE LAST 25 YEARS, THAT COMMERCIAL NODES. HOWEVER, RIGHT NEXT TO THAT COMMERCIALLY ZONED PROPERTY, THERE IS AN EXISTING NON-RESIDENTIAL BUILDING LOCATED ON HIGHWAY 21. AND THE APPLICANT IS PROPOSING TO ADD THAT BUILDING. THERE'S THREE SMALL PARCELS IN THAT AREA THAT MAKE UP 1.4 ACRES AND ADD THAT TO THIS COMMERCIAL NODE. UM, THE COMMERCIAL DISTRICT THAT THEY'RE PROPOSING TO ZONE IT IS T TWO RURAL CENTER BECAUSE THAT IS MUCH MORE COMPATIBLE WITH THE RURAL FUTURE LAND USE MAP. AND SO, UH, THAT IS WHAT'S BEING RECOMMENDED. THANK YOU FOR THAT EXPLANATION. WE HAD NO ONE SIGN UP FOR PUBLIC HEARING, BUT IS ANYONE IN THE AUDIENCE INTERESTED IN MAKING A COMMENT ON THIS ORDINANCE? NOPE. OKAY. I'LL CLOSE PUBLIC HEARING AND WE'LL GO TO COUNCIL FOR DISCUSSION. QUESTION, COMMENT ON MR. THIS IS ZONING REQUEST. MM-HMM . AND I MOVE THAT WE GRANT THE REQUEST FOR REZONING FOR THE FOLLOWING REASONS. ONE, IT IS, UH, CONSISTENT WITH THE GOALS AND POLICIES OF THE COMPREHENSIVE CODE AND PURPOSES OF CODE DEVELOPMENT. TWO IS NOT IN CONFLICT WITH PROVISIONS OF THE DEVELOPMENT CODE OR THE CODE OF ORDINANCE. IT IS NOT REQUIRED BY CHANGE CONDITIONS. IT IS COMPATIBLE WITH EXISTING AND PROPOSED USE OF LAND SURROUNDING THIS LAND WOULD NOT, UH, ADVERSELY AFFECT NEARBY LAND, WOULD RESULT IN A LOGICAL AND ORDERLY DEVELOPMENT PATTERN, WOULD NOT RESULT IN ADVERSE IMPACT ON THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT AND WOULD RESULT IN THE DEVELOPMENT THAT IS ADEQUATELY SERVED BY PUBLIC FACILITIES. I HAVE QUESTIONS. MADAM CHAIR. GO AHEAD. I HAVE QUESTIONS TO MR. MERCHANT. WHO IS THE APPLICANT? UM, THE APP, THE APPLICANT IS REPRESENTED HERE, MR. DUKES BY KEVIN DUKES. BUT I BELIEVE, UM, I'M TRYING TO REMEMBER THE NAME OF THE COMPANY, BUT IT WAS A FRI ISLANDS, UH, OR A ROOFING COMPANY, CORRECT? YEAH. UH, YES MA'AM. SO THE NAME OF THE COMPANY IS CE BORN. UM, IT IS A LOCAL, UH, COMPANY THAT HAS DONE BUSINESS IN BEAUFORT COUNTY HAS MAINTAINED, AND THEY WANNA DO THIS BECAUSE, I'M SORRY, THEY WANNA DO THIS RESIDE OFFICE. THEY, THEY'RE LOOKING TO RELOCATE. THEY HAVE CURRENTLY A, UH, THEY HANDLE MOST OF THEIR OPERATIONS OUT OF A HOME OFFICE THAT'S LOCATED ON FRIPP. THEY'RE LOOKING TO ACTUALLY HAVE A FORMAL OFFICE WITH A LITTLE BIT OF STORAGE SPACE AND POTENTIAL LAY DOWN YARD, [02:05:01] UH, CLOSER IN, THEY HAVE MAINTENANCE CONTRACTS WITH THE SCHOOLS AND OTHER, UH, ORGANIZATIONS WITHIN THE COUNTY. AND SO THEY'D LIKE TO BE A LITTLE BIT CLOSER AND HAVE A FORMAL SPACE. OKAY. YES MA'AM. ANYONE ELSE COMMENT OR QUESTION FOR MR. MERCHANT? ALL RIGHT. ALL IN FAVOR? PLEASE RAISE YOUR HAND TO SHOW YOU'RE IN FAVOR OF THAT. ALL OPPOSED? WE HAVE ONE OPPOSITION. THANK YOU, . WELL, I'M NOT FOR UP ZONE ANYMORE PROPERTY UNTIL YOU GUYS CAN FIGURE IT OUT. IT'S REALLY THAT SIMPLE. ORDINANCES FOR FIRST READING [13.a.2026/43: An ordinance to amend Ordinance 2026/29 to authorize the transfer of funds.] 2026 SLASH 43 IS AN ORDINANCE TO AMEND ORDINANCE 2026 SLASH 29 TO AUTHORIZE THE TRANSFER OF FUNDS. I'LL NEED A MOTION. I MOVED MR. PASSMAN PAYING ATTENTION. ANYBODY ELSE WITH US? HOW ABOUT A SECOND? I'LL MAKE A SECOND. THANK YOU MR. LAWSON. MR. MOORE, WOULD YOU LIKE TO TELL US ABOUT THIS? THIS IS THE FIRST READING, SO THE AUDIENCE WOULD NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THIS. YES, MA'AM. SO WHAT WE ARE PRESENTING TONIGHT IS AN ORDINANCE TO, UH, AMEND, UH, THE BUDGET ORDINANCE THAT WAS PASSED FOR, UH, THIS FISCAL YEAR. IT WOULD ALLOW THE MOVEMENT OF FUNDS BETWEEN DEPARTMENTS OR WITHIN CIP FUNDS SO THAT WE CAN MOVE FORWARD WITH PROJECTS AND, AND IT DOESN'T HAVE TO COME TO COUNCIL EVERY TIME. UM, THIS, THERE ARE A NUMBER OF OPTIONS. THERE WERE THREE OPTIONS PRESENTED AT FINANCE COMMITTEE. WHAT CAME FORWARD RECOMMENDING WAS TRANSFERS BETWEEN DEPARTMENTS APPROVED UPON AUTHORIZATION FROM THE ADMINISTRATOR UH, TRANSFERS WITHIN THE CIP FUNDS WOULD BE AUTHORIZED SUBJECT TO SOME CONDITIONS. IT DOES NOT EXCEED 200,000. A SINGLE TRANSFER DOES NOT INCREASE THE TOTAL BUDGET OF THE FUND, DOES NOT ESTABLISH A NEW PROJECT, CAPITAL PROJECT AND DOES NOT ELIMINATE OR MATERIAL A CHANGE THE SCOPE, PURPOSE, OR INTENDED OUTCOME OF A PROJECT. AND ALSO IT EXCLUDES ENTERPRISE FUNDS, WHICH WAS ALSO DISCUSSED AT FINANCE COMMITTEE. ANYBODY HAVE A QUESTION ON THAT OR COMMENT? YES. MR. REEDS, THIS DOESN'T INCLUDE STORMWATER FUNDS, CORRECT? CORRECT. SO THIS WOULD NOT APPLY TO STORMWATER. WE WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO MOVE FUNDS SAFE. THANK YOU. CORRECT? YES. MR. LAWSON. YEAH. IS IS THERE, AND THE REASON THAT WE HAD PUT THIS IN PLACE WAS JUST SO WE WOULD KNOW WHENEVER FUNDS ARE BEING MOVED AROUND. SO, UM, IS, IS, ARE YOU, UM, AS THE COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR GOING, IS THERE ANY WAY THAT YOU'RE GONNA NOTIFY US WHENEVER THESE ARE DONE OR, WELL, AS IT STANDS NOW, WE PROVIDE THAT AT FINANCE COMMITTEE THAT ANY TRANSFERS WE DO, AND WE'LL CONTINUE WITH THAT AND, AND ANYTHING THE COMMITTEE BELIEVES NEEDS TO COME FORWARD TO COUNCIL, WE'D CERTAINLY BRING THAT FORWARD. OKAY. IT JUST ALLOWS YOU TO SIGN OFF ON IT. CORRECT. CORRECT. ANYBODY ELSE ON THIS END? JOE? THE ONLY THING I HAD SAID, I'M IN FAVOR OF ITEM NUMBER TWO. UM, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE ULTIMATELY RESPONSIBLE EVEN THOUGH THE CFO IS GOING TO BE MAKING THE TRANSFERS, THE WORDING IS A LITTLE CONVOLUTED WHEN IT SAYS THE COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR OR THE CFO IS PERMITTED. IT REALLY IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY ULTIMATELY TO BRING ANY OF THOSE TRANSFERS THROUGH THE FINANCE COMMITTEE TO COUNTY COUNCIL. SO I WOULD ASK THAT SOMEHOW OR OTHER, THAT WORDING DOESN'T NECESSARILY MEAN THE CFO IS JUST GOING TO DO IT BECAUSE THE CFO WANTS TO DO IT. CFO IS GOING TO DO IT BECAUSE YOU'RE AUTHORIZING IT. RIGHT. AND WHAT IT SAYS ON THE ORDINANCE IS THAT THE, UM, WAS IN THE, IN, IN, UM, BEST INTEREST OF IN INDIVIDUAL COUNTY DEPARTMENTS OR AGENCIES AND WITH THE RECOMMENDATION OF THE CFO TO TRANSFER APPROPRIATIONS BETWEEN DEPARTMENTS. SO WE COULD TAKE THAT OUT AND JUST LEAVE IT WITH ME. IT JUST ALLOWS FOR THE RECOMMENDATION OF THE CFO. READ THE NEXT SENTENCE. PARDON? READ THE NEXT SENTENCE. KEEP GOING. WITHIN THE COUNTY GENERAL FUND CAPITAL PROJECT, THE COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR IS PERMITTED TO TRANSFER APPROPRIATIONS WITHIN THE COUNTY'S GENERAL FUND CAPITAL PROJECTS FUND AND CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS FUNDS, EXCLUDING ALL ENTERPRISE FUND. AS LONG AS IT, AND I READ THE FOUR CONDITIONS BEFORE, IT'S JUST THE ADMINISTRATORS, NOT THE C MR. PATMAN. CORRECT. WE TALKED ABOUT THIS WHEN WE WERE, WE DID THERE. WE SAID WE WANTED THE, THE CFO CAN RECOMMEND, BUT YOU NOT A DESIGNEE WOULD MAKE THE APPROVAL. AND THAT'S WHAT WE CHANGED THAT LAST SENTENCE. YEAH. THAT, THAT IS WHAT WE TALKED ABOUT, CORRECT. ANYBODY ELSE? ALL RIGHT. ALL IN FAVOR OF THIS ORDINANCE, PLEASE RAISE YOUR HANDS. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. I'M MOVING ON TO 2020. ALL TAB. PARDON ME? ALL OPPOSED? ALL OH, OPPOSED. I'M SORRY. OKAY, YOU DEB, I JUST SORT OF IGNORED HIM. OKAY. SORRY. ONE OPPOSED. ALRIGHT. 2026 [13.b.2026/44: An Ordinance Amending the FY2027 Budget for Stormwater Utility Operations, Carryover Purchase Orders, Accommodations & Hospitality Tax projects, and Facility Operations.] SLASH 44 IS AN ORDINANCE AMENDING THE FISCAL YEAR 2027 BUDGET FOR STORMWATER UTILITY OPERATIONS, CARRYOVER PURCHASE ORDERS, ACCOMMODATIONS AND HOSPITALITY TAX PROJECTS [02:10:01] AND FACILITY OPERATIONS. MOTION PLEASE. I'LL MAKE A MOTION. THANK YOU MS. HOWARD. A SECOND. I'LL SECOND IT. THANK YOU MR. PASSMAN. UH, MS. NOVAK, YOU'RE UP AND THIS IS ALL IN THE PACKET, BUT GO AHEAD AND EXPLAIN TO THE PEOPLE IN THE REAL WORLD WHAT THIS IS. GOOD EVENING. SO THIS IS A BUDGET ORDINANCE, UM, AMENDING THE 27 BUDGET. IT IS TAKING FUND BALANCE FROM STORMWATER UTILITY FUND FOR THE ROYAL PAR, UM, ROYAL PALM STORM WATER, UM, PROJECT. THERE'S TWO AT TAX PROJECTS NOT ON THE CARRY FORWARD LIST. UM, IT'S ALSO ADDING THE MAXIMUM AMOUNT OF AT TAX MONEY FOR WORKFORCE HOUSING. IT'S ADDING A MILLION DOLLARS FROM AT TAX FOR THE WATERFRONT PARK, UM, AS WELL AS A MILLION DOLLARS FROM UM, H TACS FOR THE WATERFRONT PARK. IT'S DOING A CARRY FORWARD FOR BRACE LIGHTING, UM, FROM THE PARKS AND REC IMPACT FEES AND IT ADDS BUDGET AUTHORITY FOR MATCH PORTION OF THE, UM, AIRPORT SCA GRANT AND ADDS AN HVAC FOR ANIMAL SERVICES FROM THE GENERAL FUND FUND BALANCE. COMMENT QUESTION FROM ANYBODY? I JUST WANNA COMMENT THAT I APPRECIATE WE ADJUSTED IT TO PUT THE 15% MAXIMUM WE CAN FOR HOUSING AND THAT WE'RE GOING TO, UH, PROVIDE $1 MILLION TO THE WATER TO BEAUFORT CITY FOR THE WATERFRONT PARK FROM AT TAX AND ONE FROM HT TAX. GOOD EXPENDITURE OF FUNDS AND WE'RE HAPPY WE CAN HELP THE CITY. I'D LIKE TO ASK A QUESTION. IT'S PROBABLY KINDA OBVIOUS, BUT THAT 274,000, WILL THAT GO TO THE BEAUFORT JASPER HOUSING TRUST FUND FOR? I DON'T KNOW THAT AT THIS POINT. OKAY. THAT'S THE MAXIMUM AMOUNT AND NOW WE ARE GOING TO NEED TO DETERMINE WHERE IT NEEDS TO. I WAS GONNA SAY WE WILL GET INVOICED BY THEM LATER THIS YEAR, SO THAT'S CERTAINLY, WE CAN CERTAINLY LOOK AT TO PAY OUR DUES OR WE COULD MAKE AN ADDITIONAL CONTRIBUTION. OKAY. SO THOSE WOULD BE THE TWO OPTIONS. THANK YOU. ALRIGHT, ANY OTHER QUESTION? COMMENT. ALRIGHT. ALL IN FAVOR OF THIS ORDINANCE, PLEASE RAISE YOUR HAND. THAT ONE'S UNANIMOUS. ALRIGHT. 2026 [13.c.2026/45: An Ordinance Authorizing the County Administrator to Execute the Necessary Documents and Provide Funding for the Purchase of Real Property Identified as TMS Nos. R200-010-000 0340-0000, R200-010-000-021G-0000, and R200-010-000-0446-0000 from Brickyard Commons, LLC for the Royal Pines Stormwater Project in the amount of $3,475,000.] SLASH 45 IS AN ORDINANCE AUTHORIZING THE COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR TO EXECUTE THE NECESSARY DOCUMENTS AND PROVIDE FUNDING FOR THE PURCHASE OF REAL PROPERTY IDENTIFIED AS TMS NUMBERS R 200 0 10 0 0 0 0 3 40 AND FOUR ZEROS. AND THEN ALL THE REST OF 'EM THAT ARE LISTED HERE FROM BRICKYARD COMMONS LLC FOR THE ROYAL PINES STORMWATER PROJECT IN THE AMOUNT OF $3,475,000. I MOVE MADAM CHAIR, VICE CHAIR. OKAY. MR. BAR MOVES IT A SECOND. I'LL SECOND. THANK YOU MS. HOWARD FOR THE SECOND. AND MR. FRA, YOU'RE UP. COULD YOU EXPLAIN THIS TO EVERYBODY PLEASE? SURE. THIS WAS PART OF WHAT YOU JUST APPROVED AS FAR AS MOVING THE MONEY, AND THIS IS FOR THE ACTUAL PROJECT. SO THIS IS 3.475 UM, MILLION FROM STORMWATER FUNDS FOR A ROYAL PINES DRAINAGE PROJECT. SO, UM, WE'VE BEEN WORKING WITH A DEVELOPER BRICKYARD COMMONS FOR PROBABLY SIX OR NINE MONTHS NOW. AND, AND HE BROUGHT TO US AN UNSOLICITED, UM, PUBLIC PRIVATE STORMWATER CONCEPT PROJECT IN THE AREA. AND PART OF THAT, UM, IT'S GONE THROUGH VARIOUS ITERATIONS. THE CURRENT ITERATION IS 25 ACRES EAST OF MIDDLE ROAD ON THREE PARCELS THAT HE CURRENTLY OWNS TO TAKE IT AND CREATE A DETENTION SYSTEM WITH AN OUTFALL, UM, ACROSS SAM'S POINT ROAD. UM, AND THIS IS THE FUNDING THAT THE, THERE'S A SEPARATE ORDINANCE THAT'S GOING THROUGH, UH, OR THIS IS THE ORDINANCE. UM, THERE'S A SEPARATE AGREEMENT THAT ATTACHES THAT WILL COME THROUGH AT THE CONCLUSION OF THIRD READING OF THIS FOR THE FINALITY WHERE IT'LL MATCH UP WITH THIS IS THE FUNDING TO SUPPORT IT AND THEN THERE'S AN AGREEMENT THAT IT GOES ALONG WITH THIS PROJECT. OKAY? YES. MR. BERT, IF YOU COULD JUST REMIND COUNSEL HOW MUCH, UM, IT WOULD COST IF THE COUNTY WERE DO THE PROJECT. YEAH, IT WAS OVER $20 MILLION. UM, A LARGE PART OF IT IS THE MOVING THE EARTH WORK. SO THERE'S SIGNIFICANT, UM, EARTHWORK THAT'LL BE REMOVED TO CREATE THE DETENTION SYSTEM AND THAT'S THE PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP. UM, WE WOULD HAVE TO REMOVE AND SELL THAT DIRT AND HE'S GETTING TO CAPTURE AND SELL IT FOR HIMSELF. ANYBODY ELSE? QUESTION, COMMENT FOR MR. FREDERICKS. ALRIGHT, ALL IN FAVOR OF THIS ORDINANCE, PLEASE RAISE YOUR HAND. THANK YOU. THAT APPEARS TO BE ANONYMOUS. 2026 [13.d.2026/46: An Ordinance Authorizing the County Administrator or negotiating authority in accordance with Resolutions 2019/44 and 2021/20 to execute any and all necessary documents for the acceptance of Right of Way and/or Temporary Construction Easement properties as shown on EXHIBIT A Pages 1-4 associated with the Sidewalks and Multi-use Pathways – Safe Routes to Schools and EXHIBIT A Pages 5-8 associated with the Lady’s Island Corridor Traffic ] SLASH 46 IS AN ORDINANCE AUTHORIZING THE COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR OR NEGOTIATING AUTHORITY IN ACCORDANCE WITH RESOLUTIONS 20 19 44 AND 2021 [02:15:01] SLASH 22 EXECUTE ANY AND ALL NECESSARY DOCUMENTS FOR THE ACCEPTANCE OF RIGHT OF WAY AND OR TEMPORARY CONSTRUCTION EASEMENT PROPERTIES AS SHOWN ON EXHIBIT A. PAGES ONE THROUGH FOUR ASSOCIATED WITH THE SIDEWALKS AND MULTI-USE PATHWAYS, SAFE ROUTES TO SCHOOLS. AND EXHIBIT A PAGES FIVE THROUGH EIGHT ASSOCIATED WITH THE LADIES ISLAND CORRIDOR. TRAFFIC IMPROVEMENTS. A MOTION. SO MOVE MADAM CHAIR. ALRIGHT, MR. DAWSON, I'LL MOVE. YOU'LL SECOND MR. AMI WILL SECOND. AND JARED, YOU'LL TAKE OVER ON THIS ONE TOO? YES. SO WHAT THIS IS IS PERMISSION FROM COUNSEL TO STAFF TO ALLOW US TO NEGOTIATE RIGHT AWAY, UM, IN, IN ALL CAPACITIES, UM, ON THE REMAINDER OF THE 2018 SALES TAX PROJECT. SO WE'VE DONE THIS EACH AND EVERY TIME. WE HAVE TWO RESOLUTIONS FROM EARLIER. ONE WAS, UM, THE CON THE COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR THRESHOLD AS FAR AS HOW MUCH HE CAN NEGOTIATE UP TO IN A PREVIOUS RESOLUTION. THIS IS A ORDINANCE, UM, TO ACQUIRE THE RIGHT OF WAY. SHOULD WE NEED TO GO THROUGH THE CONDEMNATION PROCESS, WE WOULD COME BACK TO COUNCIL WITH A SEPARATE, UM, RESOLUTION TO DO THAT. WE ACTUALLY HAVE ONE OF THOSE LATER IN THE AGENDA, BUT THIS IS FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE PROJECTS. UM, SO WE CAN BEGIN THE RIGHT AWAY ACQUISITION OR CONTINUE WITH THAT PROCESS. QUESTION OR COMMENT FROM ANYONE ON COUNCIL? THANK YOU MR. S YES. QUESTION. HOW MANY PROPERTIES ARE INVOLVED? UH, THERE'S MANY PROPERTIES. SO THIS IS, THERE'S A HUGE NUMBER. YEAH, THIS IS BASICALLY EACH, THIS IS OUR PATHWAYS AND OUR, UM, LADIES ISLAND ROADWAY PROJECTS AND THERE'S AS FEW AS TWO TO 25 ON EACH PROJECT. RESIDENT. THE PUBLIC SHOULD KNOW THAT. YEAH. ALL RIGHT. ALL IN FAVOR OF THE ORDINANCE, PLEASE RAISE YOUR HAND. AND THAT'S UNANIMOUS. THANK YOU. THAT CONCLUDES OUR ORDINANCES. OKAY, WE'RE ON RESOLUTIONS. [14.a.2026/36: Resolution to Award FY26 Local 3% Accommodations Tax Grants ] 14 A IS 20 26 36 A RESOLUTION TO AWARD FY 26 LOCAL 3% ACCOMMODATIONS. TAX GRANTS. I'LL MOVE THE MOTIONS. WE HAVE A MOTION BY VICE CHAIRMAN TABER AND THE SECOND BY COUNCILMAN CUNNINGHAM. ALL RIGHT. AND, UM, DO WE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? THAT WAS IN OUR PACKET. AND MS. WOODS HERE IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS. UM, I THINK SHE COVERED IT PRETTY WELL AT FINANCE. WENT OVER IN DETAIL. MM-HMM . OKAY. QUESTIONS? ALL RIGHT. ALL IN FAVOR SIGNIFY BOTH. AND THAT IS UNANIMOUS. ALL RIGHT. THE NEXT ONE IS, [14.b.2026/37: Resolution to Award FY26 Local 2% Hospitality Tax Grants] UM, I'LL SKIP ONE. I DON'T WANNA SKIP. 1 0 20 26 SLASH 37. A RESOLUTION TO AWARD THE FY 26 LOCAL 2% HOSPITALITY TAX GRANTS. DO WE HAVE A MOTION? SO MOVED. WHO MADE THIS A SECOND. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU. SECOND BY COUNCILMAN CUNNINGHAM. ANY DISCUSSION? NO. SEEING NONE. ALL I DO WANNA MAKE ONE COMMENT OKAY. RELATIVE TO A COMMENT THAT WAS MADE DURING PUBLIC COMMENT, WE AND MR. HUBBLE CAN GUARANTEE WE ARE WITHIN THE LAW, THE STATE LAW TO DESIGNATE THESE GRANTS. THIS MONEY WE HAVE FOLLOWING STATE LAW, OUR ORDINANCE FOLLOWS IT. AND THIS RESOLUTION'S APPROPRIATE JUST TO MAKE IT CLEAR. OKAY? ALL IN FAVOR SIGNIFY BY AS UNANIMOUS. ALL [14.c.2026/38: Resolution to establish and authorize the implementation of a Retiree Health Reimbursement Arrangement for eligible Beaufort County retirees. ] RIGHT. C IS 2026 SLASH 38 RESOLUTION TO ESTABLISH AND AUTHORIZE THE IMPLEMENTATION OF A RETIREE HEALTH REIMBURSEMENT ARRANGEMENT FOR ELIGIBLE BEAUFORT COUNTY RETIREES. DO WE HAVE A MOTION? I MOVE MADAM CHAIR, I HAVE A MOTION BY COUNCIL MEMBER BAR YOU A SECOND BY COUNCIL KELLEN, ANY DISCUSSION? UM, THIS IS LONG OVERDUE. I WAS GONNA SAY IT'S ABOUT TIME COSTED FOR YEARS. ALL IN FAVOR SIGNIFY AYE. RAISING THEIR HAND. AND THAT IS UNANIMOUS. D IS 2026 [14.d.2026/39: Resolution Authorizing the County Administrator to Pursue Condemnation for Portions of Parcels as Specified on Exhibit "A" Associated with Right-of-Way Acquisition for a Sidewalk Located on Big Estate Road as Part of the 2018 One Cent Referendum. ] SLASH 39. A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZED IN THE COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR TO PURSUE CONDEMNATION FOR PORTIONS OF PARCELS AS SPECIFIED IN EXHIBIT A ASSOCIATED WITH THE RIGHT OF WAY ACQUISITION FOR A SIDEWALK LOCATED ON BIG ESTATE ROAD AS PART OF THE 2018 1 CENTS REFERENDUM. DO WE HAVE A MOTION? I ALL RIGHT. COUNCILMAN DAWSON. SECOND AND SECOND BY COUNCILMAN CUNNINGHAM. ANY DISCUSSION? JUST WANNA SAY YOU MEAN TO TELL ME THAT WE DIDN'T WASTE ALL THE MONEY AND WE'RE ACTUALLY COMPLETING PROJECTS? SORRY, SOCIAL MEDIA HAS BEEN SAYING OTHERWISE. SO I JUST WANTED TO CLEAR THAT UP. THAT THE PROJECTS WILL BE COMPLETED BY 2027 OUTSIDE OF THE BRIDGE. THAT'S NINE YEARS WHERE THE LAST REFERENDUM WAS 13 YEARS. SO JUST FOR EDUCATION PURPOSES, HOW MANY PARCELS IS THIS INVOLVE? QUITE A FEW. QUITE A FEW? YEAH. THERE'S [02:20:01] QUITE A FEW LISTED IN IN THE BACKUP. I I DIDN'T COUNT 'EM. UM, BUT IT'S, IT'S A SMALL VALUE. IT'S A FRACTION. EACH OF THE PROPERTIES, IT'S $60 TO, TO $500 AS FAR AS PROPERTY VALUE FOR A TOTAL VALUE OF 2,552 FOR THE SEVERAL PARCELS. COUNCILMAN DAWSON'S DISTRICT? YES. ALL IN FAVOR SIGNIFY VALUE SIGN OF HANDS. AND THAT IS UNANIMOUS. OKAY. UH, NEXT IS, THANK YOU FOR WAITING SO LONG, UH, MR. [14.e.2026/40: Resolution to Adopt of the 2026 Lowcountry Hazard Mitigation Plan.] CROW 2026 SLASH 40 RESOLUTION TO ADOPT OF THE 2026 LOWCOUNTRY HAZARD MITIGATION PLAN. DO I HAVE A MOTION? SO MOVE. MOTION SECOND. ALL RIGHT. ANY DISCUSSION? I THINK MR. KRAUS WAS GONNA SAY SOMETHING. OH, UM, JUST ONE ADDITIONAL UPDATE. SINCE PFC, THE STATE HAS APPROVED OUR HAZARD MITIGATION PLAN WITHOUT EDIT. UM, SO IT'S NOW ON ITS WAY TO FEMA. UM, SO COUNCIL APPROVING IT TONIGHT WILL JUST BE ONE ADDITIONAL, UM, UH, POSITIVE FOR FEMA TO GO AHEAD AND GET THAT PLAN REVIEWED AND APPROVED. CONGRATULATIONS. CONGRAT TO YOU. YEAH. CONGRATULATIONS. FEEL BAD YOU HAD TO WAIT HERE THIS LONG TO TELL US. NOT AT ALL. , WE NEED TO TAKE, BUT I APPRECIATE YOU. WE NEED TO TAKE A VOTE. ALL IN FAVOR. GOOD. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. MAD 2026 [14.f.2026/41: Resolution to accept a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Airport Improvement Program (AIP) grant in the amount of $1,819,044 to reimburse Beaufort County for the purchase of 26 Hunter Road, contingent upon receipt of the final FAA grant offer.] SLASH 41 A RESOLUTION TO ACCEPT THE FAA AIRPORT IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM GRANT IN THE AMOUNT OF $1,819,044 TO REIMBURSE BEAUFORT COUNTY FOR THE PURCHASE OF 2,600 ROAD CONTINGENT UPON RECEIPT OF THE FINAL GRANT OFFER. SO MOVED. I'LL SECOND. ALL RIGHT. WE HAVE A MOTION, UH, MOTION BY COUNCILMAN PASSMAN. AND SECOND OH NO, IT WAS, I'M SORRY. IT WAS MR. RE IT WAS REEDS AND A SECOND BY COUNCILMAN BARTHOLOMEW. ALL IN FAVOR? HI, MR. REMPEL. NOT HERE. HOPEFULLY HE'S ON VACATION. I DON'T KNOW. HE ALWAYS SITS HERE. UH, AND WE'RE GETTING CLOSE TO THE END, BUT I DO WANNA REMIND, WE WILL NEED A MOTION TO GO BACK IN EXECUTIVE SESSION FOR THE DISCUSSION ITEM THAT, UM, COUNCIL MCALLEN HAD. SO WELL WE, BEFORE WE GO BACK INTO, UH, EXECUTIVE SESSION, EXECUTIVE SESSION, I'D LIKE TO FOR US TO GO BACK AND TAKE A LOOK AT THE, UM, A CONSENT AGENDA ITEM TO WINDEY CREEK, UH, FISH LANDING. OKAY. FISHING PIER. OKAY. I WANNA MAKE A COMMENT ON THAT. OKAY. ALRIGHT, LET'S DO G AND THEN WE'LL GO BACK TO THE CONSENT AGENDA. HOW'S THAT? ALL RIGHT. [14.g.2026/42: Resolution to accept a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Airport Infrastructure Grant (AIG) in the amount of $1,358,322 to reimburse Beaufort County for the purchase of 28 Hunter Road, contingent upon receipt of the final FAA grant offer. ] WE VOTE 2026 SLASH 42 A RESOLUTION TO, UH, ACCEPT THE FAA AIRPORT INFRASTRUCTURE GRANT IN THE AMOUNT OF $1,358,322 TO REIMBURSE BEAUFORT COUNTY FOR THE PURCHASE OF 2,800 ROAD CONTINGENT UPON RECEIPT OF THE FINAL GRANT OFFER. DO WE HAVE MOTION? SO MOVED. SECOND. I SECOND. ALL IN FAVOR? ALL RIGHT. AND WE HAVE SOME COMMENTS BY COUNCILMAN DAWSON REGARDING WEBY CREEK. SARAH, CAN YOU PULL UP THE EXHIBIT FOUR, WEBY CREEK? YES, SIR. UH, EXHIBIT B, IF YOU WILL. WHAT I'M GOING TO POINT OUT IS THAT, UH, THE CONTRACTOR SAYS THAT THERE'LL BE NO DEMOLITION, UH, TO INCLUDE THE OUTBOARD PILES OF THE EXISTING ABUTMENT. AND IF, IF YOU LOOK AT IT ONCE WE GET ON THE SCREEN, THERE'S A LOT OF CORROSION, UH, BACK THERE. AND I WANT STAFF TO INVESTIGATE THAT, IF YOU WILL. I, NO. OH, ALRIGHT. ANY COMMENTS FROM OUR ADMINISTRATOR EXHIBIT B? I DON'T HAVE ANY COMMENTS OTHER THAN WE'LL JUST HAVE TO TAKE A LOOK UNLESS YOU KNOW SOMETHING. THAT'S IT. CAN YOU ENLARGE THAT? DEFINITELY TAKE A LOOK. CAN YOU, CAN YOU SIT THAT JARED? YES. AND THEY, THEY'RE SAYING THERE'LL BE NO DEMOLITION OF THE OUTBOARD PILES AND THERE'S A LOT OF CORROSION BACK THERE. OKAY. WE, WE CAN DEFINITELY TAKE A LOOK INTO THAT AND UNDERSTAND WHAT YOUR COMMENT IS. YES. OKAY. YEP. ABSOLUTELY. APPRECIATE IT. ALRIGHT, I'D LIKE TO ENTERTAIN A [Additional Item ] MOTION TO GO BACK INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION FOR DISCUSSION ONLY. THIS IS DISCUSSION. UM, I, I, I DOUBT THAT THERE WOULD BE ANYTHING TO COME OUT OF IT, BUT THERE COULD BE. UM, DO I HAVE A MOTION TO GO BACK INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION? A MOTION? MY COUNCILMAN CALENDAR. DO WE HAVE A SECOND? SECOND, DAVID. THE SECOND WAS COUNCILMAN BARTH. ALL IN FAVOR OF GOING BACK FOR THE DISCUSSION. THAT WAS AN AMENDMENT. UM, AND THAT IS UNANIMOUS. THANK YOU. OKAY, WE ARE OUT OF EXECUTIVE SESSION. THERE IS NO BUSINESS COMING OUT OF EXECUTIVE SESSION. UM, NOW I CAN WE ADJOURN? WE HAVE A MOTION TO ADJOURN THE REGULAR MEETING. ALL IN A SECOND. WE [02:25:01] HAVE A SECOND. SECOND. THIS MEETING IS ADJOURNED. THANK YOU. * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.