Urge Charleston County Council to Say No to TIF
The Beach Company, a
huge Charleston real estate and development firm, has proposed the creation of a
Tax Increment Financing (TIF) district to help fund their "Kiawah River
Plantation" (KRP) resort project on Johns Island, which will include over
1,200 resort homes, a golf course and commercial uses on the Mullet Hall
Plantation property. TIF’s raise funding for development by borrowing against
the project’s future revenue, meaning that property tax revenues are diverted
away from community needs like schools to paying off a private development
project lucrative for backers.
Traditionally, TIF’s are meant to be used as
incentives to redevelop blighted areas. To use them instead to fund a luxury resort
sets a dangerous precedent. If the Beach Company is granted the TIF, many more
developers will follow hard on their footsteps, diverting tax dollars away from
important community needs like schools and fire stations to bankrolling the
projects of wealthy developers.
Ever since the approval of the I-526 extension,
the assaults by developers on Johns Island have been relentless, from
challenging the urban growth boundary meant to protect the rural character of
Johns Island for the benefit of a developer (Vic Rawls, also a Charleston
County Council members who will have the opportunity to vote on the TIF) to reopening
of the discussion of a Sea Island Expressway to the TIF for the Beach Company.
The losers in this rush to high-end development
and the building of the infrastructure necessary to sustain it are the rural,
indigenous populations of Johns Island, its agricultural communities, its
wildlife, and all those who enjoy its as yet unspoiled beauty. To then ask
taxpayers to foot the bill for the projects of wealthy developers, sacrificing
in the process public funds needed for schools and other essential public
services is ludicrous.
If the TIF is passed, the Charleston County
School District will lose at least $63 million in tax revenue over 45 years, Charleston
County will lose almost $12 million, Charleston County Parks & Recreation
will lose over $5 million, and St. Johns Fire District will lose $4.5 million
Take a moment to write
the Charleston County Council (some members of which oppose TIF and a number of
which are undecided) before their May 2 meeting and respectfully ask them to
vote against the TIF. If you can, attend the May 2 Finance Committee Meeting
and, if the TIF is passed by the committee, the County Council meeting on May 7
at the Lonnie Hamilton Building on Leeds Avenue in North Charleston.
Charleston County
Council Members
Herbert Ravenel Sass,
III--- against the TIF, voted
for 526 ext
(843) 766-7500 (O)
(843) 693-8305 (C)
Dickie Schweers---against the TIF, voted against 526 ext
(843) 513-9229 (C)
J. Elliott Summey--Led effort to approve 526 extension
Henry Darby--Possible swing vote on TIF/Voted against
526 ext
(843) 901-6793 (C)
Teddy Pryor, Sr. --voted for 526 ext
(843) 958-4030 (O)
A. Victor Rawl- Voted for 526 extension, recently successfully
challenged Urban Growth Boundary on Johns Island so he could pursue a large
development on Johns Island
(843) 766-7334 (H)
vrawl@charlestoncounty.org
(843) 766-7334 (H)
vrawl@charlestoncounty.org
Colleen T. Condon --
Voted Against 526
extension
(843) 225-7288 (O)
(843) 225-7289 (Fax)
(843) 225-7289 (Fax)
Anna Johnson--
Possible swing vote on
TIF/Was swing vote that allowed approval of 526 ext after initially oppsing
Joseph K. Qualey-- Against the TIF, Voted against 526 ext
(843) 693-3434
jqualey@charlestoncounty.org
(843) 693-3434
jqualey@charlestoncounty.org
Suggested Text of Email:
I am writing to ask that you vote
against the TIF. I do not think that taxpayer dollars should fund a development
that will be profitable to a local developer while taking much-needed education
money from our children. This also sets a dangerous precedent for future
development and gives the illusion that the developers and not the citizens are
the first priority of our legislators. It will also speed the hasty development
of Johns Island with little or no real thought on how to encourage smart growth
that respects the environmental significance, the beauty, the rich history, and
the rights of the citizens of Johns Island.
This is a voting issue for me. I
need to see some leadership and forward thinking from my representatives and
believe that they represent all citizens and not just the best interest of
developers.
