Mayor's Message - November 2024

Happy Thanksgiving! We have so much to be thankful for – the great country we live in, the beautiful area we get to call home, family, friends and on and on. I hope you will have the opportunity to spend some time with family and friends and enjoy our beautiful island this holiday season.

You may be aware that City Council is reviewing options for a potential new City Hall building. You may be asking yourself - Why is this project being discussed at this time? What is wrong with the existing building? Aren’t there other more pressing needs, such as drainage infrastructure or beach preservation, facing the city? Recognizing that City Hall is an important asset, City Council began an exploratory process to evaluate the condition of the existing building, identify immediate maintenance needs and assess all options available to the city. Before making investments in expensive repairs, we feel it is prudent to explore all possible options that not only address the building’s current condition but enhance its functionality, adapt to the changing demands of our community and serve us for the future.

Our existing City Hall was built almost 40 years ago and needs extensive repairs including a new roof, windows and flooring, insulation, an elevator, repairs of termite damage and rotted railings and stairs. These repairs are estimated to be more than $3 million. City Hall also needs additional office space to accommodate staff. A more open, flexible space for employees will encourage greater collaboration, and boost creativity – all the good things we want in a workspace. Thoughtful consideration is also being given to how to improve the delivery of government services to residents by creating a convenient, one-stop-shop for folks.

To date, the Public Services and Facilities Committee has met with vendors to review possible alternatives from renovating the existing building, renovating and expanding the existing building to a possible relocation of City Hall. There is much more work to be done. As we move forward with the evaluation of our
city hall facilities, I want to emphasize Council’s commitment to being thorough, thoughtful and transparent in our decision-making process. It is our responsibility to explore all available options, gather feedback from the community and ensure any investments reflect our community’s priorities, and are a prudent use of public funds.

I hope you have a great holiday season. Thank you for the opportunity to serve! See you around the island.

Phillip Pounds, Mayor IOP

843-252-5359

ppounds@iop.net