Folly Beach City Council – August 24
Not all non-profits are equal
The City Council was asked to consider donations to different non-profits: Pet Helpers asked for $3500 and James Island Outreach asked for $4000. The money comes from a pool of $15,000 in the City’s budget that is dedicated to non-profits. However, Council member Eddie Ellis pointed out a technicality in the City’s codes that he said should prevent James Island Outreach from receiving money.
An ordinance introduced by Dave Stormer in 2006 created the Community Promotion Foundation which hears requests for money from individuals, organizations, and non-profit entities. One of the requirements for donating money is that it must be used for “the promotion of the public health, safety, morals, general welfare, security, prosperity, and contentment of all the residents or at least a substantial part thereof”. Because of this requirement, Ellis stated that the City would be violating its own ordinances if it gave money to James Island Outreach, an organization that helps needy families.
“If we vote to give [James Island Outreach] $4000 tonight, we’re not following our own criteria. I’ll tell you that right now,” Ellis said. The organization helped an estimated nine people on Folly Beach last year, which Ellis argued was not even close to a “substantial part” of the population. Pet Helpers, however, provides a service that benefits the entire island, he said.
It was noted that the City actually has its own program to help needy families on Folly Beach. While the program does not give out money, it can provide relief for expenditures such utilities. Ellis suggested using the money for the City’s program so that all the money would go to help Folly Beach residents who needed it. The City’s attorney was asked to weigh in on the argument, to which pointed out that the City Council are only “trustees” of the City’s money and that the money itself is for the good of the residents.
The City agreed to give Pet Helpers $3500. Despite the possibility of violating City ordinances, Ellis joined with the rest of the Council which unanimously agreed to give James Island Outreach $1000 with stipulations that the money had to be used for Folly residents only; a requirement for which the Outreach Program will have to account.
Back to BZA
At the previous month’s Council meeting, the City Council agreed to postpone voting on the candidates for the Board of Zoning Appeals in order to give a chance to a few more people who wanted to serve. Council members had seven people to choose from (three incumbents) for the four BZA seats. Incumbents John Brewer and Jim Setford were both selected. Newly appointed members were James Grady and Karen Larrison. Tricia Schmidt was the other incumbent who was considered. Grant McClendon and Sean Connell were also considered.
A lucrative surprise
Despite the tough economic turn that our country has taken, Folly Beach seems to be thriving according to the Mayor Carl Beckmann. He stated that the Hospitality Tax revenue is up 15% from last year. This supports a previous conclusion in The Folly Current’s economy series, which pointed out that our local restaurants and bars have been surprisingly busy. Beckmann also stated that Accommodations Tax revenue is down 1.7%, which is an amazing figure considering that the Holiday Inn was closed for several months during the winter. If not for that, he suggested that number probably would have been higher than last year, as well. Hospitality and Accommodations Taxes are largely paid by visitors to the island. Beckmann pointed out that while the word “tourist” may have a bad connotation for local residents, the income they provide to the City “helps keep your taxes down”.
New kids on the block
Retired officer Tim Rooks introduced the City’s new Beach Management Patrol, which consists of three part-time employees. The Patrol is described as “ambassadors” between the City and beachgoers. They are charged with sweeping the beach several times a week, handing out trash bags, and informing the public about regulations.
Rooks also took a moment to thank the individuals and organizations that have been sweeping the beach and who continue to donate their time and energy to keep the beach clean. In particular, he recognized Keith Merrill who was present on behalf of Charleston Surfrider and the South Carolina Aquarium.
Back to the rewrite, back to reality
Like the majority of students, the City Council took the summer off from dealing with the Clarion rewrite; the process of rewriting the City’s codes to better address current needs. And just like students, they are getting back to the arduous work as summer is ending. Beginning on September 11, the Council will begin meeting every Friday from 9am-12pm solely to discuss and work on the Clarion rewrite. Previously, the Council used its monthly work session for the rewrite. However, it became clear that a once-a-month attempt was insufficient. The new schedule should help the Council get through the work much more quickly.
Improved ISO
Deputy Brad Wade conducted a presentation that detailed the improved ISO rating which the City has obtained due to improvements in the Public Safety Department, as well as areas that the City could further improve on in order to increase the rating. (See ‘Fire Department burns through test’ in the August 21 issue of The Folly Current). The City increased from a “6” to a “4”, which could result in lower insurance premiums for home owners.
Two areas of concern with relatively low scores were “Company Personnel” and “Training”. Wade stated that part of the reason for the low score in the Personnel department is due to the fact that many members of the Fire Department are volunteers or are cross-trained individuals who also serve as police officers. These individuals only get 1/3 and 1/2 credit respectively. Having more full-time fire personnel would address this. While Deputy Wade admitted that training could be improved, a perfect score requiring approximately 240 hours of training per officer (20 hours per month) would be nearly impossible to attain. The average training a Folly Beach officer receives is 80 hours per year, according to Deputy Wade.
The City also received a relatively low score for the water supply system. However, a new 12 inch pipe being introduced should significantly improve the score, Wade said.
Resolutions & Ordinances
The Council unanimously passed first reading of an ordinance that will prohibit dogs from being in designated bird sanctuaries; namely, the old Coast Guard base area.
The Council also withdrew a resolution that would allow the discharge of guns to be temporarily legal within City limits for the sake of the annual Clam Farm Turkey Shoot held by the Volunteer Firefighters and Public Safety Officers. Dave Stormer pointed out that it is not technically legal to change an Ordinance with a resolution. As a result, the Council agreed to present an Ordinance that would amend the existing codes so that guns could be legally fired at the annual turkey shoot.
The following resolutions were all passed at the same time without discussion:
R37-09: Approves and adopts an “Anti-fraud policy” to be added to the Personnel Handbook.
R38-09: Approves and adopts a “Code of Ethics” to be added to the Personnel Handbook.
R40-09: Approves and adopts a “Compensation Policy” with a new classification system to be added to the Personnel Handbook.
R41-09: Allows the administration to continue daily operations of utilities at the same spending levels of the 2008-2009 fiscal year.
