Mayor's Message - June 28, 2023

Happy July 4th! We are blessed to live in the greatest country. I hope you are around to enjoy our fireworks show starting around 9:00 p.m. on the 4th.

As we wrap up the City’s fiscal year (June 30), I wanted to recap where City Council and staff have been focused over the past year. It’s easy to lose sight of all that was accomplished without a moment of reflection – even for us! Our staff does a great job of running the day-to-day operations of our city along with juggling the projects City Council identifies as priorities focused on our residents and visitors. Many of our projects require permits from various agencies that equate to long lead times to get projects started. I have had to learn to manage my own expectations about project timeframes and start dates.

There has been a good deal of discussion recently about what it means for someone to be “resident friendly or focused.” I know we can each have our own definition of the term, but I believe the phrase means doing what’s best for the greater good for our residents and not any one person’s or group’s agenda.

I think this Council has been very resident friendly and focused during our first 18 months together as you will see reflected in the list below. I believe our efforts have been on the right things and will continue to be.

I know we aren’t going to agree on every issue or maybe any issues, but we can still work together for the greater good. I have a screensaver on my phone from the singer TobyMac – “Even if we disagree about everything, we can still be kind to one another.” I firmly believe this and try to act accordingly. We live in paradise here on IOP and I would like our focus to continue to be on working together for our broader community and improving it where we can.

Here is a quick recap of our major initiatives over the past 18 months:

IOP Marina – Approved the transfer of the leases to a new tenant, Coastal Marine Holdings represented by area resident Mike Shuler, who during the due diligence phase purported to be very focused on the residents of IOP and he is remaining true to his word. This new tenant has been doing major renovations to the marina store and is redoing the parking lot to increase efficiencies for parking cars and boat trailers. He added a fenced area based on feedback from residents for dry storage to improve the aesthetics of the area and increase security for boats in storage. All of this has been done at tenant’s expense per the terms of the lease. The tenant has also stated boat launch fees and parking will always be free for IOP residents. The plan is for all renovations to be completed by early July and everything open and operational by mid-July. The City added a boardwalk along the Intracoastal Waterway to help all enjoy the beautiful views from that area. Also, we have applied for the required permits to rebuild and expand the public dock and will soon be adding greenspace along the boardwalk.

Wild Dunes – Passed ordinances protecting the recreational areas in Wild Dunes and limiting any future development of condos or hotels.

Short term rentals – Council voted to not implement caps or limits at this time but to continue to watch the trends and metrics regarding our
number of rental licenses to ensure a balance is maintained between full time residents, part time residents and rental properties.

Livability focus – Increased the staffing in our Police Department for code enforcement officers who are focused on livability issues for our residents and visitors. Also, added a short-term rental coordinator to the Building, Planning and Zoning Department team to monitor and enforce short term rental licensing regulations.

Pickleball and basketball courts – Added two pickleball courts and refurbished the basketball courts at the Rec Center. Pickleball is one of the fastest growing sports in the country and our residents needed more opportunity to play without having to use the existing tennis courts.

ADA parking and beach access path at Palm Blvd and 34th Avenue– Provided another much needed accessible parking and beach access area in the middle of our island so those with disabilities can more easily enjoy the beach.

Paramedics – approved funds to add 6 paramedics to our Fire Department staff. These new staff members will also be trained firefighters, bringing more assistance quicker for our residents and visitors.

Financial results – Continued to build significant cash reserves even while implementing multiple drainage and infrastructure projects and keeping our property tax millage rate at the lowest level in the Lowcountry.

Underground utility conversions – Successfully buried utility lines at Palm Blvd and 21st Avenue and will continue to look for other areas in, partnership with Dominion, where we can place overhead power lines underground to improve the resiliency of our power supply and aesthetics of our island.

Resident engagement – Welcome comments at all Council and Committee meetings; held multiple resident listening sessions to seek input on topics such as the marina and short term rentals. Soon we will be providing another opportunity for a group of residents and business owners to help craft a tourism management plan to help guide us in dealing with our tourism industry and its effects. The City of Charleston has had a plan for many years. It includes tangible, actionable items both short and long term focused on dealing with the growing tourist crowds.

I hope this partial list helps you quickly see the many things we have been working on and where our focus has been. There are many other items I could add to the list that have happened over the past year, but these are the major highlights. We have several other projects that will get started this Fall. More to come on those as we finalize permits and design work and get past our busy tourist season.

There are always a number of great events happening around our island. Check our website, iop.net, for the latest information and be sure to follow the City and our Rec, Police and Fire Departments on social media for updates and events.

Thank you for the opportunity to serve! See you around the island.

Phillip Pounds, Mayor IOP
843-252-5359
ppounds@iop.net