For the Favored Few

With minimal notice and no fanfare, Sullivan’s Island Town Council voted on June 1st to increase property taxes by 6 mils. That is about $200 per residence each year for the average owner-occupied home.  Property taxes on rental properties will increase even more. At the same meeting, Town Council voted to increase water and sewer fees paid by residents by about 6%. 

Notably, the votes were taken at a special meeting, held AFTER the May 5th election. 

The 6 mil increase in property taxes is a far cry from what was presented to SI residents when the financing of the new Town Hall was publicly discussed a couple of years ago. The minutes of the special meeting on December 13, 2013, show that Town Council stated then that only a 3% millage increase would be required.

When asked in late May about the current shortfall between revenue and expenses, Mayor Pat O'Neil told Island Eye that Town Council needed to look at Town expenditures to see where there were savings. So why does the budget still include $120,000 in additional recreation expenditures? Is this truly a necessary expense that warrants raising taxes on all SI homeowners?

Much of the $120,000 would go toward improving the Island Club building. For those who may not know, the Island Club recently returned its lease to the Town of Sullivan’s Island because of declining membership and an inability to cover its own expenses.

With this vote on the budget, SI Town Council is requiring the vast majority of SI residents who do not use the Island Club in the first place to support it with their tax dollars.

It is well worth noting that both of the council members who actively pushed for increasing recreation expenditures were resoundingly defeated in the May 5th election. What does THAT say about island-wide support for spending more taxpayer dollars on recreation?

The Sullivan's Island community voted overwhelmingly to go in a new direction, first in January with the mayoral race, and again in May with the Town Council election. 

So why is Town Council continuing to divide the island by forcing all residents to pay for items supported by only a favored few?


Town of SI FY 2016 Revenue Projections

Town of SI FY 2016 Expense Projections