City Council Highlights - July 23, 2024

Isle of Palms City Council held its regular meeting on Tuesday, July 23, 2024 at Council Chambers in City Hall. Listed below are the highlights from the meeting:

Action Items 

  • City Council received an update from Steven Traynum from Coastal Science and Engineering, about the condition of the beach at Breach Inlet and Beachwood East, which continue to be impacted by erosion.  City Council approved an emergency expenditure for the installation of sandbags along the erosional area of 130-304 Ocean Boulevard, where properties are within 20’ feet of the erosion, to provide protection until the start of the US Army Corps of Engineer’s Beneficial Use Project this fall. The beneficial use project involves placing approximately 550,000 cubic yards of beach compatible sand along the inter tidal zone between 2nd Avenue and 10th Avenue.
  • City Council approved budgeted expenditures for the Police and Fire Departments- these include the replacement of patrol vehicles, updated tasers, a new drone and replacement of the elevator at Fire Station 2.
  • City Council approved issuing a letter of intent to purchase replacement of the Fire Department’s 2003 95’ Ladder Truck. The new ladder truck costs approximately $2.25 million and will take 18 to 21 months to construct.

Ordinances, Resolutions and Proclamations

Adopted 

ORDINANCE 2024-03 – POLITICAL SIGNS PROHIBITED ON PUBLIC RIGHT OF WAY

The City Council adopted an ordinance that prohibits the placement of political signs on public rights of way. The ordinance makes the City Code consistent with S.C. Code § 57-25-10 which makes it unlawful for a person to display, place or affix a sign within the rights-of-way of state highways and with a supreme court ruling that prevents the regulation of signs based on content. Political signs are allowed on private property, per City Code section 5-4-136, if they do not exceed 8 square feet in size.

ORDINANCE 2024-05 – NEW STORMWATER MANAGEMENT REQUIREMENTS 

The City Council adopted an ordinance to 1) require new construction projects in the SR1, SR2, and SR3 districts to retain 0.3 cubic feet of stormwater for every 1.0 square foot of new impervious surfacing, and 2) allow owners of low lots to elevate their property up to 7.4’ in elevation, with the approval of a plan. The stormwater management plan must be designed by an engineer who can certify that the post construction stormwater pattern will not result in additional stormwater runoff or stormwater running off the site in an accelerated manner.

Introduced

ORDINANCE 2024-06 – PROHIBITIONS AGAINST FEEDING WILDLIFE 

The City Council approved first reading of an ordinance to prohibit the intentional or unintentional feeding of wildlife in private or private property. Wildlife is defined by the ordinance as animals that have not been domesticated or tamed and live in a natural environment, such as deer, coyotes, opossums, racoons, skunks and waterfowl. This ordinance will be further discussed by the Public Safety Committee meeting on Tuesday, August 6th at 11:00 a.m.