MOUNT PLEASANT — In the fresh wake of controversy and confusion surrounding what some residents feel was a fast-tracked new sales tax proposal, a special Town Council meeting on Dec. 10 will allow residents to air their concerns.
The proposed 1 percent ”local option tourism” sales tax — which was presented as a tourism development fee — would primarily fund development at Patriots Point, including construction of a new convention center, 1,000-space parking garage, a museum with meeting space, stadium renovations and other projects. In all, about $186 million worth of projects and property tax rebates are envisioned through the additional sales tax — which would make Mount Pleasant’s the highest in the state, if it passes.
The plans were first publicly disclosed at a special council meeting Dec. 2, when it received a first vote from council. A second vote on the proposal is necessary before it is enacted. Officials this week said they envisioned that happening in January.
Mayor Will Haynie, a champion of the project, declined to comment Dec. 6. His elected position gives him a seat on the Patriots Point Development Authority.
The idea behind the tax and the development it would help pay for, Haynie said previously, was to make Patriots Point and the land around it an even larger economic generator for Mount Pleasant.
Councilman John Iacofano, who was not present for the Dec. 2 vote and press conference, was among those who pushed for another special meeting next week to give more time for what is anticipated to be a healthy crowd of people wanting to participate in public comment. Also supporting the call for a special meeting were council members Jake Rambo and Guang Ming Whitley.
“I’m a no vote,” Iacofano told The Post and Courier. “… The fact that we had a special council meeting (on Dec. 2) is a little crazy.”
He noted in a subsequent statement that the process of unveiling the proposal and holding an initial vote bypassed the usual process of commission and committee reviews. While he said he supports the vision behind the initiative, he is “deeply concerned about the lack of transparency, the absence of stakeholder involvement, and the potential tax burden this project would place on our community.”
Residents have roundly criticized the planned tax in emails to The Post and Courier and council members, as well as on social media.
The S.C. Department of Natural Resources also has balked at the idea, with agency leaders saying they will not allow the development projects to move forward on the land where it holds a conservation easement.
Haynie previously said nothing would be built on protected land.
Iacofano said the proposal should either go to the ballot or have more stakeholders involved. He referenced how a similar project involving privately owned land at Town Center underwent more than six months of rigorous debates, meetings and reviews before being sent back to the Planning Commission. Ultimately, it was voted down, despite following the proper process.
Rambo, in a post on Nextdoor, shared that council members on Dec. 2 were given “a large binder with all the details” of the plan but with “little time to thoroughly review” the materials.
“As council often does, first reading was approved knowing that we would have time to review the details and gather feedback from constituents before any final vote would occur,” he stated in the post, which he confirmed that he made to The Post and Courier. “Looking back on it, I am questioning why this proposal never went through the proper committee process before being presented to full council.”
Rambo listed out the estimated cost for the developments and renovation projects included in the packet:
- $70 million for a conference center
- $60 million for a parking garage
- $30 million for the Medal of Honor Leadership Center
- $8.5 million for roadway improvements
- $7.5 million for a property tax rebate to Mount Pleasant homeowners,
- $7 million for the College of Charleston and Battery soccer stadium improvements
- $3 million for resurfacing town recreation soccer fields
The Post and Courier has filed a Freedom of Information Act request for these and other documents.
“We need to slow this process down and give the citizens appropriate time for input,” Rambo wrote on Nextdoor. “I am not sure why we would unilaterally enact this new tax instead of putting it on the ballot and letting the people of Mount Pleasant decide.”
The special meeting will be held at 5 p.m. Dec. 10 at Town Hall, ahead of the regularly scheduled 6 p.m. council meeting. The special meeting will allow the council to hear public comments and have another chance to ask questions regarding the proposal.
Ralph Mancini of The Moultrie News contributed to this report.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by PostX News and is published from a syndicated feed.)
