2026-09-02 - Ad Hoc Budget Advisory Committee

00:02All right, I think we're good to go.

00:07>> All right, I I guess I'll just get us

00:09started. So, if we want to start with a

00:10moment of silence.

00:23Okay, then we can start um

00:26with a review of budget requests and

00:28then we'll quickly just go over the July

00:30monthly reports and the budget timeline.

00:33But, we will start with development

00:34services and Ron, I believe you do have

00:37a PowerPoint to share, yes?

00:40>> I do. Yeah, good afternoon everyone.

00:44>> Stop sharing. Sorry, Jennifer. I did

00:46that all too fast.

00:50I'm a mess.

00:52>> Let me share my screen with you all.

00:55Um

01:00Okay, you're all seeing my presentation

01:02now?

01:06>> Yes.

01:06>> We are.

01:07>> Okay, great.

01:09So, this is the new program request for

01:11development services and I'll jump right

01:13into it.

01:14Um

01:18So, um I'd listed these in the order of

01:21the requests that we have that you would

01:24see in the uh sheet that's provided by

01:26BFRC.

01:28Um but, our first request is for a uh

01:30vehicle request for a bid inspector

01:32position. Um we are currently actually

01:34one vehicle short of our vehicle to

01:36inspector ratio. Um we have an open

01:39position, but that person technically

01:41does not have a vehicle assigned, so we

01:43are

01:44they are required to obviously have

01:46vehicles to perform their everyday job

01:47duties. So, this one's pretty

01:48straightforward. Um the goal is to

01:50ensure that all the employees can

01:52perform all of the all of their job

01:54duties and have the equipment necessary.

01:57Um and we estimated a cost of $40,000 to

02:01provide that vehicle for a building

02:03inspector inspector.

02:05Excuse me.

02:10So one thing you'll notice is what a lot

02:12of our requests are focused on asset

02:14management and building up our asset

02:16management here at the city. Um we think

02:19that's something that we can greatly

02:20improve upon to determine how many

02:23assets we have, what are the conditions

02:25of these assets for both stormwater and

02:28engineering, roadways, sidewalks,

02:30curbing gutter, bridges, other

02:32infrastructure such as that. So this

02:34first new position request is called an

02:37infrastructure program manager. So it's

02:38a request for an additional asset

02:40management position to help preserve and

02:42manage the infrastructure at the city.

02:45Um we currently only have one asset

02:47manager and their primary focus is just

02:50stormwater infrastructure. So we want to

02:52build upon that. Obviously, we can even

02:54use more stormwater asset managers, but

02:56um

02:57other assets that I mentioned

02:58previously. And this position would have

03:01a focus mainly on

03:04uh ensuring that we are compliant with

03:06the state requirements of the MS4

03:08program. That's kind of our stormwater

03:10permitting that we need to keep up with.

03:13Uh things along the lines of

03:16public outreach, good housekeeping on

03:18our own facilities, doing post

03:20construction monitoring of stormwater

03:23practices throughout the city. Uh we

03:25have to do that on a yearly basis and

03:27submit reports to SC DES. So that would

03:30be their main focus. However, they also

03:32would assist in just your general asset

03:35management of stormwater and

03:37right-of-way infrastructure.

03:39So the goal is to expand upon the city's

03:41current asset management program to

03:43include additional infrastructure.

03:45Again, we only look at stormwater assets

03:47currently, but we want to include

03:49sidewalks, curbing gutter, non-standard

03:51materials, roadway conditions, bridges,

03:53retaining walls, anything that's within

03:55the right-of-way or maintained by the

03:57city. And uh the unique aspect of this

03:59one, it's $160,000, but it would be

04:01split 50/50 between the stormwater and

04:04general fund.

04:09Another asset management request would

04:11be a senior asset manager position. Um

04:14it would be an additional asset managers

04:16preserve and manage the city's

04:17infrastructure. You know, when you

04:19compare us to Charleston County, they

04:20currently have eight employees within

04:22their asset management program. Again,

04:24we only have one, and then the person

04:27who manages that division. So, we have a

04:30request for two more to start um

04:33building up this team.

04:35So, this position's primary focus would

04:37just be on stormwater and right-of-way

04:40infrastructure and create a vertical

04:42growth within the division. Um the other

04:45one having that additional services of

04:48helping with the program, the MS4

04:51program,

04:52um

04:53is is the main difference between the

04:54two. And the goal and the cost estimate

04:57are exactly the same as the other

04:58position.

05:03The next position we're looking to

05:04request is a senior building inspection

05:07division inspector.

05:08Um

05:09it's for an additional senior inspector

05:11to assist in performing building

05:12inspections throughout the city. This

05:14actually was requested in the 2025

05:16budget, but we only got approved for one

05:18position then. Um we think the senior

05:21inspector is a great opportunity to

05:22build even more vertical growth. Right

05:25now, everyone's on that inspector level.

05:28Um so, to have senior inspector allows

05:31them to grow in their position to help

05:32with retention. Um

05:35and the goal of this position is to

05:37ensure that inspections are being

05:39completed in timely manner to support

05:40the development community and general

05:42public who are building within the city.

05:44You know, we aim to complete as many

05:46inspections as we can within 24 hours

05:49and in order to do that it'd be great to

05:50have more senior positions who can help

05:52grow the the new staff and have a little

05:55more experience um and the cost estimate

05:57for this is $145,000

06:00and would be purely a general fund.

06:05So this one's a little bit of a unique

06:06request. So it's a funding request for

06:08flood plain buyout contingency funds.

06:11Um the request is for funds to be

06:13utilized for potential buyouts of

06:14repetitive loss properties with a

06:16history of flood flooding.

06:18Um the funding would be utilized

06:20alongside grant funding or when grant

06:22funding is not available. A lot of the

06:24grants that we deal with have a match of

06:26either 50% 25%

06:29so we need to have some funding set

06:30aside to match those grants that we're

06:34receiving. Um of course we're always

06:36going to go after grants and if they're

06:37100% grant funded that's great but we

06:40don't want to have a situation where we

06:42can't go after a grant because we don't

06:44have funding to support that match. Um

06:47we also look at this as a great

06:48opportunity to use with other city

06:50departments as as they have projects

06:52that they need to do buyouts for. If

06:54there is a repetitive loss component to

06:56it we can contribute this money to that

06:59buyout in any aspect of it. Um and the

07:03goal would be to build up a larger sum

07:06of money year after year if we don't

07:08utilize it. Any unused funding would be

07:10rolled over to the following year to be

07:12utilized for future buyouts. Um it's

07:14worth mentioning that

07:16uh Charlotte, North Carolina have a has

07:18a very robust program to utilize their

07:21own dollars. Um they've done over 450

07:24flood plain buyouts for oop excuse me if

07:26I think I went to the wrong slide. Uh

07:29they've done over 450 buyouts of

07:31properties for repetitive loss and

07:34obviously someone like New Jersey they

07:36set this up after Hurricane Sandy and

07:38have a very robust program where they're

07:40not just using grants. They have money

07:42set aside. It's almost like rainy day

07:44funding.

07:45Um the goal would be to reduce the

07:46number of flooded properties within the

07:48city

07:50and work towards creating a more

07:51resilient community. We're requesting

07:53$50,000 understanding that if we want to

07:55do more significant, we probably need

07:57more, but again, we would roll over.

07:59And And just buying out these properties

08:02would be step one. You can then

08:03revitalize them and do things like storm

08:06water improvements, parks, retrofits,

08:08things like that with open space area.

08:14And this is our last position request.

08:15It's a development services coordinator.

08:17So, this request is for an

08:19administrative position to act as the

08:21permit center representate

08:22representative and assist in answering

08:24any questions related to the department.

08:27Um having a a stronger presence in the

08:29permit center and

08:30to improve upon our customer service and

08:33they would also just generally support

08:34the admin work within the department as

08:37a whole. So, the goal would be focused

08:39on customer service and to better

08:41communicate our processes and

08:43requirements to the public and the

08:44applicants who may come to the permit

08:46center.

08:47And it's $106,000 of um general fund.

08:53Actually, this one and I'm sorry, I

08:54might not put in there. I think this one

08:56is split as well, 50/50.

08:59>> Ron, I think Council Member Waring has a

09:01question.

09:02>> Oh, I'm sorry. Yes, go ahead.

09:04>> The the thing is that a dual question, I

09:06guess, for you and Ms. Waring.

09:09Uh these grant matching

09:12allocations that you're requesting, how

09:13how we've done that in the past. So,

09:15when we got a grant and I don't know, it

09:18was, you know, 2/3 federal government

09:20and we had to come up with a third.

09:22Um

09:23Ms. Waring, how do we do that in the

09:26Where do we get the money from?

09:28How do we budget for that, you know, 2 3

09:30years?

09:30>> Typically, we know the grants that are

09:32that we're applying applying for and

09:35kind of the

09:37whether we would be successful in

09:38getting that. So, we would budget for

09:40that match, Councilmember Waring.

09:42>> Okay.

09:43>> And and we and we still try and do that,

09:45Councilmember. Um the situation we run

09:47into a lot of the FEMA grants, the

09:49timelines are very hard to predict. Um

09:52we've had some grants submitted for in

09:55the early 2020s that we still haven't,

09:57you know, even heard back from or we

09:59heard back from this year.

10:01So, um

10:03it it's kind of would be nice to set

10:05some money aside in case, you know, one

10:07pops up

10:08>> No, we're bringing it with you, I mean.

10:10So, how is this different from what we

10:12were doing in the past?

10:15>> Well, in the past it would be based on a

10:17on a specific grant, where in this

10:19situation we are looking to have it, you

10:21know, budgeted for every year. We would

10:23get 50,000 on a yearly basis. And if we

10:26didn't use that money because a grant

10:29wasn't available, we could set it aside

10:31and build up a larger sum for a larger

10:33grant or just buying out a property on

10:36our own without a grant if possible.

10:39>> All right, got it. Thank you.

10:40>> Yeah, of course.

10:41>> Councilmember Waring, a lot of the times

10:42the grants we try to go for are the

10:4490/10 as well because those are better.

10:47And then the grant recent grants that

10:49we've done, please correct me, Ron, if

10:51I'm wrong, the match was actually paid

10:53by the homeowner.

10:55So, it wasn't a city It wasn't a city

10:57funded match.

10:58>> Yeah, in the most recent ones, yep,

11:00that's correct.

11:03>> Got it.

11:07>> Thank you for that.

11:09Okay, so now um the last aspect I wanted

11:11to dive into is fee revisions. Um

11:14so, we are looking at some additional

11:16fee revisions. A lot of these fees that

11:18I'm going to be talking about have not

11:19been revised since prior to 2020. Um up,

11:23Hampton, see you got your hand.

11:25Never mind.

11:27Um prior to

11:29>> Oh, okay.

11:30Fair enough. Uh prior to 2020. Um, so we

11:33think it's appropriate to to look into

11:35these and obviously all of these fees

11:37were coordinated with BFRC and legal to

11:40make sure that we're not taking in more

11:42money than the amount of time and effort

11:44that we are putting in.

11:46Um, we plan to put these into effect the

11:49beginning of the new year and we

11:50projected 1.8 million of additional

11:53general funds. That's what our

11:54department projected based on what we've

11:56taken in the past and the goal is to

11:58better account for the city's costs when

12:00it comes to permitting, review, and

12:01inspections of various city processes.

12:03So,

12:04got some summary tables for you.

12:07So, one of and I'll break it down to the

12:09first three,

12:10actually the first five are all focused

12:12on the plat review committee. So, it's

12:14the review of plats. Um, we have some

12:17in- significant increases in those cuz

12:19it's been been a long time and most of

12:22them are the first three are just a flat

12:24fee, the first four actually, excuse me.

12:27Um, where it's a you know, you pay the

12:29fee. If you have edits, you will pay it

12:31again. But, the last one where it's if

12:34lots are of five or more are paid per

12:37lot, this is pretty standard with the

12:39how a lot of the other municipalities do

12:40it and I'll have a summary table with

12:43against other municipalities to see.

12:46Um, the encroachment permit fees are

12:47going up slightly as well as the

12:49engineering permit fees for work within

12:50our right-of-way from 25 to 100.

12:53Building permit fees are a little more

12:54complicated, so I'll do that in a

12:55separate slide.

12:57And then the application fee. So, this

12:59is for the effort of the permit center

13:01to perform intake, form assigning those

13:03reviews. We've doubled that from 40 to

13:0580.

13:06Um, we do have some new fees that we

13:09also wanted to implement. Um, the Lomar

13:12F, which is a uh, flood plain related

13:15fee. We don't get too many of these, but

13:17it is an effort that is a little

13:19non-standard that we wanted to start

13:21tracking our effort on. Um, it's for

13:23bringing in fill to remove a property

13:25from the flood plain. So, we charge 200

13:29for that review.

13:31And then there's issuance of a

13:33certificate of occupancy which requires

13:35fire building a heavy lift on the permit

13:38center. Every time someone comes in for

13:40a CEO we would require a $350.

13:44This last one is an administrative fee

13:46which I talked about in the past.

13:48Basically for if we have a contract for

13:51third-party services whether it be

13:53review inspections, we would add a 20%

13:56administrative fee on all the invoices

13:59we process for our time to do invoice

14:01intake get the fees in the system, the

14:04project management aspect of managing

14:06the third-party.

14:08So, we we will apply that to the

14:10invoices.

14:14And for the more complicated one, the

14:16building inspection fees.

14:18So,

14:20it's a lot of information here, but

14:22essentially it is a 50% increase of the

14:26valuation of how much construction cost

14:29and a 50% increase on what the fee being

14:31implemented. You will see on the next

14:33slide. So, this

14:35valuation is directly in line with the

14:38International Building Code the ICC

14:42Building Valuation Data and this is what

14:45basically a standard for almost all

14:47municipalities to use. We were using

14:49something from 2017. We are just

14:51bringing it up to 2026.

14:54Um

14:55and that's what is recommended by the

14:57the code.

14:59And that's you'll see here we we brought

15:02this up by 50%. We are actually under

15:04the code recommendation for what the fee

15:07is per the amount of construction we are

15:09doing. And with that I think it's better

15:11to just show you some of the summary

15:13tables

15:14which kind of spells it out.

15:16So, I have three columns here that are

15:18highlighted. So, this is our 2027

15:21fee in the first yellow column from the

15:24left. Then you have Charleston County

15:26who did a fee revision in 2026.

15:29And then you have Mount Pleasant. And

15:32you could see the one thing I would say

15:33Mount Pleasant directly uses the

15:36recommendation from the International

15:38Residential Code, but they add $30 on

15:41top of all these values for an

15:43application.

15:44Um

15:46we are generally in line with all of

15:48them. Mount Pleasant immediately once

15:50you get to around 50,000

15:53greatly exceeds what our fees are. So,

15:55anything above 50,000 with construction

15:58greatly exceeds. But when it comes to

16:00Charleston County, we are pretty in line

16:03within $100 of what their fees are are.

16:06Slightly more in some situations.

16:08Slightly less as you get higher and

16:10higher. So, it wouldn't be anything that

16:13this town community is not already

16:14paying for other municipalities.

16:17And again, all in line with the building

16:19valuation data and the recommendation

16:22from the International Residential Code.

16:25We are less than what they are

16:26recommending. And

16:28I should point out that these fees are

16:29actually less than the effort that we

16:32put in, but we felt like it was an

16:33appropriate jump based on everyone else

16:36in the market.

16:39And then this is a quick comparison

16:41table for uh the plat review committee.

16:43Berkeley County was the most recent to

16:45update their fees. I did talk to

16:47Charleston County and they are actually

16:48going through some fee updates as well.

16:50So, they're interested in what we're

16:52doing. They also know what Berkeley

16:53County has done. So, I would expect them

16:55to come in line.

16:56But for those everyday uh citizens who

16:59are coming in for boundary surveys,

17:01property line adjustments, things like

17:02that, Berkeley County actually charges

17:04more than us. Um and then as you get

17:08more and more lots for a plat review, we

17:11do get a little higher in our fees than

17:13Berkeley County. So, that kind kind

17:15kicks in at about 25 lots or more.

17:18The other change I just wanted to point

17:19out to you all is that Berkeley County

17:21charges half the initial fee for every

17:23resubmittal, where our current plan is

17:27to charge the same amount of fee for

17:29every submittal based on the effort that

17:31it takes and the intake

17:34and and everything involved in the

17:35process. So, that's the main difference

17:37between us and Berkeley County.

17:42And that's all I have. And I will open

17:44it up for any additional questions. And

17:47sorry sorry if I was a little long, a

17:49lot of information.

18:00>> You were not long, Ron, at all. So.

18:02>> Uh

18:04I appreciate that, Amy.

18:09>> Everybody's good? No questions?

18:13Okay. Thank you, Ron.

18:15>> Thank you very much. Appreciate it.

18:17I'm going to stop sharing.

18:19>> All right, Matt Fatman. I'm sorry you

18:21have a

18:23PowerPoint as well you want to share?

18:26>> Yes. Yeah, thank you, Amy.

18:46All right, looks like it's sharing okay.

18:49Um

18:50Again, Stormwater Department 2027 budget

18:53request. I think most of you are

18:55pretty familiar with the

18:57Stormwater Department, but split into

18:59three functional groups at the moment.

19:00Project management, the large projects,

19:01small projects, pump stations, and um

19:04some engagement work, outreach

19:05engagement.

19:06Our utility program, which is the

19:08account management that's transitioned

19:09over from CWS to the city.

19:12Um billing coordination with the county

19:13tax offices, uh determination of those

19:16fees, and then uh the credit process

19:17that we're just finalizing at council.

19:20Then the field operations group, um

19:21which are maintenance, rehab, uh the

19:23construction work we do for much of our

19:25in-house construction, and then support.

19:28Um departmental mission, reducing the

19:31impact of flooding on the city. Uh we do

19:33that in project management through

19:36managing our funded capital and small

19:38projects to mitigate those existing

19:40flood impacts. Um we

19:43identify and prioritize new potential

19:44projects,

19:46and then of course maintain the

19:47functionality of our existing

19:48construction projects, and you'll see

19:51most of our budget requests are related

19:52to the third bullet there this year. Um

19:55from the utility perspective, managing

19:56about 60,000 billing accounts,

19:59calculating updated billing amounts each

20:01year, um coordinating with the counties

20:02for billing of all of those uh

20:05service accounts, and collecting that

20:06revenue, um and then manage the credit

20:08and bill process.

20:10But that is actually a slight decrease

20:12in budget, um as we continue to

20:15reduce our um consultant need for

20:17consultant support as we shift over. Uh

20:19we have we have been

20:21pretty cost-effective from the beginning

20:22on that, but doing more and more work

20:24in-house um as we continue to build out

20:26that program.

20:28And then from an operations perspective,

20:29of course, we've been rehabilitating

20:31existing infrastructure. The front yard

20:33roadside ditch systems are almost all uh

20:36rehabilitated at this point. Most of our

20:38rear yard systems are rehabilitated. Our

20:40canals are mostly rehabilitated. Uh we

20:43are starting to focus in on the

20:45underground pipe system, which is

20:46probably our biggest remaining need for

20:49rehabilitation.

20:50Uh shifted over in those other

20:52considerations to proactive system

20:53maintenance, where we're actively going

20:55out and um scheduling maintenance rather

20:57than going and fixing problems, as as

20:59you all are well aware of.

21:01And then doing quite a bit of small

21:02project construction work, really built

21:04out built out that small project

21:06construction crew and outfall cleaning

21:08work within the last couple of years um

21:10through a lot of support from council.

21:12That's been incredibly successful in

21:14reducing our costs and letting us build

21:17even more small projects um all while

21:21keeping our total budget numbers very

21:23similar um despite some very significant

21:25increases in the construction and

21:27engineering sector over the last 5

21:28years.

21:30So um here is a slide that is I'm sure a

21:33joy to read since it is all heavy text.

21:36Um but basically breaks down some of how

21:38the budget works for our our department.

21:40A lot of a lot of support in field

21:42operations staff. Um

21:44some staff costs with our utility and

21:46project management team.

21:48Uh equipment vehicles. Uh that's about a

21:50million dollars per year generally for

21:53lease purchase of buying um very large

21:56equipment dump trucks, excavators,

21:58backhoes to replace existing equipment

22:00as it ages out

22:02in our our fleet replacement plan. Um

22:04and generally on the order of 50 to

22:06100,000 dollars for pickup trucks and

22:09um smaller vehicles, passenger vehicles

22:11that are for

22:12uh replacing again existing vehicles for

22:14our um maintenance crews primarily but

22:16also our project managers.

22:18Uh the small projects in-house IDC

22:20budget. This is um indefinite delivery

22:22contracts, small project work that we

22:24fund and then in-house materials we

22:27purchase for our field ops crews for

22:28small construction work. Um that

22:31includes uh in the prior year 1.5

22:35million dollars of the small project

22:37allocation. This year proposing to shift

22:39that small project allocation to 2

22:41million dollars. That's the 500,000

22:43dollar increase that you're seeing on

22:44the slide there to continue um the great

22:47work we're doing with the small project

22:49team.

22:51Um emergency repairs and pumping. Um

22:54that's again emergency actions we take.

22:56We do budget for that so that when there

22:57is a problem, we have funding available

22:59um to be able to fix it. A lot of um

23:01sinkhole repairs, um some emergency

23:04pumping actions, hurricane response that

23:05is not

23:07uh declared event where we get

23:08reimbursement, that type of work.

23:10Um pump station O&M, this is another big

23:12area for cost increase this year.

23:15Um two new pump stations coming online,

23:18um one coming out of upfit construction,

23:21bringing that back into our O&M

23:23responsibilities, and one hopefully

23:24going into

23:26um construction for upfit, which will

23:28take it back out of our

23:29responsibilities, um but those two new

23:31stations coming online, um large

23:33increase, it's about a hundred million

23:35dollars of

23:36asset that we are maintaining, so we're

23:38still at less than 1% a year in

23:41maintenance costs, um but that's

23:42something we're continuing to build out

23:44the long-term

23:45capital O&M plan. Um this is primarily

23:49uh the initial preventative maintenance

23:51work, um but trying to maximize that to

23:54minimize need for large-scale capital

23:57replacement and upfit work.

23:59Um new expenses are our main new program

24:01[clears throat] ask is the green

24:02infrastructure site manager. Um this

24:06would be an ongoing cost, a loaded

24:07salary cost, about a hundred and five

24:09thousand dollars a year, that's salary

24:10plus all the benefits, um different

24:13taxes and everything else.

24:15Uh in addition to a one-time cost for a

24:17a vehicle, for a pickup truck for the

24:18position, for forty thousand dollars, um

24:21a little bit more detail on those. The

24:23green infrastructure

24:25management position, we now have the Del

24:27Moresi Ecological Park over Berbarry

24:28Woods, the Howell Avenue Ecological Park

24:30in James Island off Howell Avenue, the

24:32Bridgepoint Ecological Park, um and

24:34Shadow Moss and Church Creek,

24:36the Mallard and Walk Natural Flood

24:38Storage sites, also in Shadow Moss and

24:40the Church Creek,

24:41um the Robert Mitchell Pump Station, the

24:43rain gardens that are going in as part

24:44of that project over on Huger Street, um

24:47four buyout property retrofit sites,

24:49three in West Ashley, one in James

24:51Island, um and then some additional work

24:53that we're looking at um in the coming

24:55year or two between

24:58um South Peace Ferry

25:00wetland storage around Crosstown Church

25:01area,

25:03uh Newmarket Creek potentially, which is

25:04in the design phase rather than

25:06construction phase at this point, and

25:07some other um very small projects. So,

25:09this is basically trying to shift these

25:11away from any kind of con- um major

25:14contracted maintenance, um hiring an

25:16internal position to

25:18manage our field operations crews with

25:20some specialty knowledge to doing the

25:22vegetative landscape maintenance and

25:24flood storage maintenance on those

25:25sites, bring our costs down by doing it

25:27in-house, and being available

25:30similar to what we do with pump

25:31stations, um when we do need to contract

25:33work, having an in-house expert rather

25:35than having to hire a outside landscape

25:37architecture firm or something, which

25:38drives up costs very significantly.

25:41Um pump station management, we mentioned

25:42that cost increase, um again talked

25:44about we now have

25:46um four or will have four pump stations

25:48for next fiscal year. Uh the MUSC

25:51station is planning for the upfit with

25:53the Army Corps of Engineer project work,

25:55which would take it back out of our

25:56maintenance roles primarily while the

25:58contractor's working on it, but the

25:59other three will roll into our

26:02um maintenance program for that increase

26:04that you were seeing.

26:05Then the small project allocation,

26:07um think again you're mostly familiar

26:09with this, but projects typically

26:11between 20,000 and 500,000. These are

26:13normally street scale rather than

26:15neighborhood or region scale projects.

26:18Uh we've built more than 40 projects in

26:20the last five um five or six years.

26:23Got at least 10 ongoing projects. Um

26:26we've had an increase in how many

26:27outfalls we're cleaning, that's been

26:29really successful, brought the

26:30permitting for that fully in-house.

26:33Um do all that work in-house at this

26:34point, which lets us clean many more

26:36outfalls. We still have a mix for the

26:38outfall cleaning itself between

26:40contractor cleaning and in-house

26:42cleaning depending on the length of the

26:43outfall and the complexity of the site.

26:46Um but we have also increased our

26:47in-house permitting, design,

26:48construction. It's really let us stretch

26:51the same dollar amounts to do just as

26:54much work even as we've had construction

26:56engineering cost increases in the in the

26:58outside contractor community.

27:00Um but we would like to keep expanding

27:01that out doing more work. It's a great

27:03example where

27:05um the department's able to coordinate

27:07the efforts between our field operations

27:08and project management groups to kind of

27:10leverage the resources in both entities

27:12to do more work more efficiently for the

27:14city and get it done a lot quicker than

27:16when we have to go um out through the

27:18contract process.

27:20General focus, and you've probably all

27:21seen this slide before, but

27:23um

27:24you know, really focusing again and

27:26putting bold on the pump station program

27:28for the upcoming year, the green

27:29infrastructure program for the upcoming

27:31year. Most important thing we can do is

27:33maintain

27:34the infrastructure we have to be as

27:36effective as possible. Um we do need to

27:38still build new projects. Current large

27:40capital projects are on there always are

27:41important to be cost effective in those.

27:44Um but very important to maintain what

27:46you have. Small projects incredibly

27:48important as well.

27:49Um our outfall maintenance has been a

27:51real success story that we're continuing

27:53to push to get things to drain out more

27:55effectively at low and moderate tides.

27:58Um our open channel drainage maintenance

28:00has been already very successful for us

28:02so it's sliding down that priority

28:04scale. Um but doing it is certainly

28:05something we need to stay on top of.

28:08Um similar with the check valve program.

28:09Had great success getting those

28:10installed, maintaining those. Now it's

28:12more of a maintenance rather than a

28:14fresh installation.

28:16Um

28:17In terms of things we might need in the

28:19future, again talking about that pipe

28:20system rehab, we got to continue to

28:22figure out ways to improve that. We've

28:23looked at it with the small project

28:25allocation. We have a pilot project

28:26going on right now in Wagner Terrace to

28:28start trying to um

28:30modernize some of the older vitrified

28:32clay pipes and some other challenges

28:34around the city.

28:35Um future large capital projects for

28:37neighborhoods that still need those.

28:39Um and then of course future small

28:41projects as we continue to ask for that

28:43additional funding to be able to build

28:44more of those projects.

28:46Um an asset inventory, I think Mr. Rucci

28:48touched on that in his presentation of

28:50it is very helpful to know where the

28:52assets are. It does make our um field

28:54operations work much more efficient. It

28:56isn't as critical as being able to do

28:58the field operations work, but it is

29:00helpful for efficiency purposes.

29:02And that's all I have. Happy to answer

29:04any questions.

29:22>> Okay.

29:24Thank you, Matt.

29:25>> Thank

29:27>> And next would be community services

29:29section with Dan Rucci.

29:34>> Thank you very much. Do you have that to

29:36pull up, Amy, or

29:37>> I'm just I'm just going to pull it up.

29:39>> Thanks.

29:42Okay, so um I don't have a fancy power

29:44point you guys, but keep it uh

29:47as simple as possible. Um

29:51under livability and tourism, we're

29:53currently requesting three new programs.

29:56Uh it will be the love your block, and

29:58you can skip to the next page,

30:00and I'll elaborate.

30:03The uh we're requesting uh two nighttime

30:07tourism enforcement officers, and we

30:10want to update the tour guide manual for

30:13our tourism department. Next page,

30:15please.

30:25You got too fast. Go to the main

30:28summary.

30:30Okay.

30:36>> Hey, Dan. You just want the tourism and

30:38livability? I just have the summary

30:39pages for tourism and livability.

30:41Do you want me to have the details

30:43pulled I can pull the details up for you

30:44if that's what you want.

30:45>> That's what I was going to I thought

30:47that would be more helpful for

30:48understanding.

30:49>> 2 seconds. Give me 2 seconds.

30:54All right, here's the detail, Dan.

30:55>> Thank you very much.

30:57>> You're welcome.

30:57>> first is your your love your love your

30:59love program. This initially was a uh

31:03grant funded through the Bloomberg uh

31:05Center for Public Innovation. There was

31:08originally a $20,000 grant to support uh

31:11the program

31:13uh which uh really is dedicated to

31:16serving uh

31:18communities and neighborhoods throughout

31:20the city. It is a resident-led,

31:23neighborhood-focused initiative.

31:25Uh our goal is to uh replace the grant

31:30program which ends

31:32uh actually in October

31:34and replace it with a full-time Love

31:37Your Block manager who is actually

31:39currently on staff now uh under the uh

31:42original grant

31:43and uh

31:45make this a a full-time program.

31:47Uh first part is obviously the

31:50um

31:51uh

31:53creating that position for the Love Love

31:54Your Block manager.

31:56And uh if you go to the next page,

31:58please.

32:00The second part of the program will be

32:02focused on uh a $20,000 uh request for

32:07our code enforcement budget to support

32:10this program. Now, looking through our

32:13um

32:14our current positions, uh as a

32:17cost-saving effort, I noticed that there

32:20was a part-time position that was

32:22underutilized. Uh we're willing to uh

32:25use that

32:26uh existing program uh to offset those

32:29costs to support this um

32:32this uh initiative.

32:34And honestly, will be uh cost savings

32:37along

32:39uh

32:39all those lines.

32:41Uh next page, please.

32:44Any questions on the Livable Block or

32:46I'll just keep going.

32:49Next is uh

32:50nighttime tourism enforcement. What

32:52we're doing is uh

32:54currently

32:56most of you may know

32:57uh the mayor's primary initiative or one

32:59of his initiatives this year is to

33:02update the tourism management plan. And

33:04the mayor's identified some guiding

33:06principles including uh residents first.

33:09Um so our goal and hearing from the

33:12residents is that there's a uh lack of

33:15enforcement uh during nighttime hours

33:18and there will be a need for two

33:21additional officers uh for our tourism

33:24staff to um

33:26be able to

33:28commit to this process and that's our

33:30request for two additional officers.

33:33Uh the money's are down there. The item

33:35line items are down there and uh these

33:38officers will be required to work at

33:41night and supplement it by day

33:44uh personnel if needed. And

33:46um

33:48that's it for this. Go ahead to the next

33:51one.

33:52Our third request for Livability and

33:54Tourism is to update our tourism uh

33:58manual, the tour guide manual. It is

34:00outdated and with the last um

34:02uh published in 2011. Uh

34:05over the past several years we've had

34:07some feedback some from the tour guide

34:10uh uh

34:11members of their community and wanting

34:15to

34:16uh update the manual which is a cost.

34:19We're asking for $30,000

34:21to commit to this process. Our uh we

34:26want to stay in line with the uh mayor's

34:28initiative with tourism management. We

34:31we'd like this to roll out at the same

34:32time as the plan rolls out

34:36to kind of invest our resources and

34:40commitment to the industries as well as

34:42our residents.

34:44And our goal is to also

34:47request funding from other partners as

34:50the CBB to offset additional costs that

34:54may occur.

34:56That's it for livability and tourism

34:58next.

34:59Is our recreation department.

35:05So we're basically asking for three

35:07items of

35:08or three positions maintenance worker

35:10full-time position.

35:12This position would be

35:15dedicated to the main Maybank Tennis

35:17Center courts and satellite courts.

35:20The clay courts require daily watering

35:22and maintenance.

35:24The Maybank hard courts and satellite

35:25courts require each week

35:28for these

35:30courts to be gained.

35:32It is a minimal position costs. We

35:35currently have a contract worker helping

35:37to maintain the courts. But the new

35:40maintenance position could take away

35:43some of the need for a contract worker

35:45which would give us some saving costs.

35:48In the long run.

35:50Also with the increase of pickleball

35:53play on various satellite courts, our

35:55maintenance worker has added

35:57responsibilities maintaining these

35:59tennis and pickleball equipment etc.

36:04Next please.

36:06We're in in uh

36:09preparation for our Johns Island

36:10Recreation Center that obviously is not

36:12built yet. We want to hire request to

36:17hire

36:18a recreation specialist. We want to make

36:21sure there's enough time to train this

36:24individual prior to opening the Johns

36:27Island recreation facility.

36:29Um, this staff person will be

36:31responsible for building uh, recreation

36:34presence on the island by having after

36:36school events, outdoor athletic

36:38programs, and uh, more uh, throughout

36:41the year. This staff person will also

36:44implement outdoor programs at Johns

36:47Island Park to create uh, relationships

36:49with the community to garner their

36:51support and interest in the new facility

36:53programming.

36:55So, this will allow for an easy

36:56transition of programming into that new

36:58facility once it is built.

37:02Um, next, please.

37:08Uh,

37:09request for uh, recreation again for AU

37:12fees uh, increasing the fees uh, from 50

37:15to 30 uh,

37:16hours. Yeah, $30 per person. What this

37:20is is a uh,

37:22it's for our All-Star programs when the

37:25when the kids uh, teams uh, go to the

37:27All-Stars, each each child is

37:30uh,

37:31responsible for contributing $15 per

37:33person, uh, but we're asking for

37:37um,

37:37uh, additional uh,

37:39monies to offset the costs

37:41and um,

37:43be able to support these

37:45uh,

37:46the events or the equipment and uniforms

37:48for these kids.

37:50Uh, next, please.

37:53Uh, we're asking for a tennis instructor

37:55full-time.

37:57Uh, instructor for the Maybank Tennis

37:58Center.

37:59This would use uh, one part-time

38:02instructor

38:03be use of the one part-time instructor

38:05to make a full-time instructor for that

38:08location.

38:09Uh, this will be more closely with the

38:12head work more closely with the head

38:14tennis professional uh, to add some

38:17programming and some more involvement in

38:19day-to-day activities.

38:22And finally,

38:24uh we're asking for uh Daniel Island Rec

38:27Center wrestling program.

38:29What this will do is

38:31uh increase our youth sports on Daniel

38:33Island with the wrestling. This program

38:36is already done city-wide, so we want to

38:38expand it to the Daniel Island

38:41uh area as well. It's a pretty minimal

38:43costs

38:44uh for that.

38:46Uh are there any questions for

38:49the ability and tourism and recreation?

39:11>> Okay. Everybody's good?

39:23>> Uh good to me.

39:25>> Sorry, I'm just trying to share my

39:26screen again. Can you see my screen,

39:28okay?

39:29>> Yeah, I can.

39:31I'm [clears throat] going to have to

39:32skip out and pick up on phone cuz I got

39:35a 4:00 downtown.

39:37>> Okay. This will I'll be fast.

39:39>> Okay.

39:41>> We'll just quickly go over July monthly

39:43report. Sorry, I'm not on camera, am I?

39:48Not that it matters necessarily. Um

39:50total operating expenditures,

39:53you can see the only person that's

39:54having a problem is me.

39:57>> Oh, yeah.

39:59>> I know.

40:01>> Well, how does that happen?

40:03>> Everybody else is tracking under target.

40:06Um

40:07property, auto, and marine, and port

40:09liability insurance has been much more

40:11expensive than we had anticipated. I

40:14think I talked about this last month as

40:16well, or the last time we met anyway.

40:19We're trying to do a deep dive into that

40:21and

40:22see if it's better for us to

40:24find a different

40:26carrier. So, we are looking at that for

40:28next year.

40:29Fire is just over a little in capital

40:31due to timing of purchases. Parks is

40:34mostly due to utility costs, mostly

40:36street lights.

40:37And repair maintenance costs and

40:39supplies.

40:40Leases over on operating due to vehicle

40:42repairs, which is um will be covered by

40:45insurance proceeds, or at least mostly

40:47covered by and then the timing of the

40:49body camera purchases and taser payment

40:52was off, makes it a little off target.

40:54Public services over on operating due to

40:56vehicle repairs and capital purchases,

40:59which also will be covered by asset

41:01sales revenue.

41:03Any questions on any of that?

41:09Okay.

41:10And that's just a graphic

41:12of where we are.

41:16And then revenues

41:18are looking pretty good.

41:20Interest, um we're still looking at the

41:22allocation. I think that will improve.

41:26And rents as well are a little under

41:28target.

41:37So, property taxes are doing well. It's

41:39mostly motor vehicle, um delinquent real

41:41property taxes, and personal property

41:43and watercraft.

41:44And mostly due to Charleston County

41:46motor vehicle taxes.

41:48>> [clears throat]

41:49>> Business licenses is over, it's all

41:50business licenses. Permits and fees are

41:53over target, we've talked about this, um

41:55permit fees mostly.

41:57Development services, fire marshal, and

41:59planning and preservation fees. And

42:01livability and tourism fees, the

42:03carriage medallion fees are under target

42:05still.

42:08Any questions on any of that?

42:11>> Well, not that, but um maybe I should

42:14ask this of Mr. Butchy, but the fees

42:16that we collect and for example,

42:18building inspections, does it does it

42:21come close to breaking even to to pay

42:23for that department?

42:26>> That's a great question.

42:28>> Is it revenue producing?

42:30>> It's under

42:31>> Yeah, go ahead, Ron. Sorry.

42:33>> I was going to say based on our adjusted

42:36residential fees, which was what we were

42:38looking for, we are still under what it

42:41costs to actually do the work associated

42:44with those inspections and reviews.

42:46>> Wow.

42:48>> And we can never make money, Councilman

42:50>> Correct.

42:50>> So, we always have to at least make it

42:52break even. So, we're you know, pretty

42:53conservative in our in the way we look

42:55at it because the state law prevents us

42:57from making money on our fees.

43:01>> Right. Most of our other fees are closer

43:03to the breaking even number, but the the

43:06building ones when we broke it out was

43:08was under.

43:09>> I mean, like 10% 20%? I mean, you know,

43:12>> I'd have to I'd have to take another

43:14look at the spreadsheets. We created

43:15spreadsheets to to kind of come up with

43:17those.

43:18>> to you send an email out with that.

43:20>> Yeah, we can look at it and send it to

43:22you.

43:22>> Thank you.

43:24>> And then in our governmental state and

43:26local, it's mostly local option sales

43:28tax. We have that through May. Those are

43:32lagging local option sales tax.

43:34Charleston County is 3% over. Berkeley

43:36County is 10% over.

43:39Franchise fees are target

43:42Sorry, target mostly due to Dominion.

43:46Cable and franchise fees continue to

43:48decline and are under target, which

43:51we'll see every year, I think.

43:55And then sales and user charges over

43:57target mostly due to recreation facility

44:00fees and instructional lessons. Doing

44:02really well in recreation.

44:06Any questions there?

44:09Um rents are under target primarily due

44:11to target calculations for the utility

44:13>> Amy

44:14>> Yes, sorry.

44:14>> I I got a question. I I'm just

44:17about the franchise fees with cable and

44:19TV. You say it's declining, is that is

44:22that just people cutting the cord?

44:26I mean it does does that include

44:28internet as well or

44:30>> Yes.

44:31>> Okay.

44:32>> Mhm.

44:34>> Thanks.

44:35>> You're welcome.

44:38Um we talked about this before the

44:39utility reimbursements and the annual

44:42rent collections were just a little

44:44their target calculations are off and

44:46boat slip rent is under target because

44:47the diesel line was was down at the

44:49Maritime Center.

44:51Some and then we have some contractual

44:53rents that are under target that we're

44:54working on as well.

44:57Contributions and donations we have CWS

44:59and UMA that both came in over target.

45:05>> Let me let me ask a question back to

45:07I have to take care of this on the other

45:08side. If the city

45:10rents a I don't know private property at

45:13on a triple net lease.

45:15>> Mhm.

45:16>> Um

45:17we

45:18city have to pay the property tax

45:20portion?

45:21>> It depends on how that it's it's written

45:24but yes.

45:25Many cases we do, yes.

45:27>> Oh, okay. All right, [clears throat]

45:28thanks.

45:31>> I'm sorry, was that this? Did anybody

45:33have any questions?

45:35Any other questions? Okay. Enterprise

45:38funds are looking good. Everybody is

45:40there um

45:43expected profit or loss is better than

45:45expected in at at each of our

45:48facilities.

45:57Angel Loaf is revenue at target and

45:59expenses are under target so loss today

46:01is less than we we anticipated.

46:03City Market

46:05also the same. Um the ballpark though

46:09a loss today is less than expected. And

46:11then the mini golf course is doing well.

46:14as well. Revenues are slightly over and

46:16expenses are on our target.

46:24Any questions?

46:27All right. Um also Lake Murray, revenues

46:29are slightly over target, expenses are

46:31under, profit today is slightly higher

46:33than expected, and then parking

46:35violations are significantly over

46:37target, which is good. You know, the

46:39last couple of years we struggled with

46:40that a little bit. Meters are under

46:42target. I'm sorry, that's not right.

46:45Violations are over target. Meters are

46:47what we struggled with or under target,

46:49but they're higher than previous years,

46:50so we are doing better.

46:52Um the budget that we we might have been

46:54a little bit aggressive in the budget

46:56for for meter revenue.

46:58Permits and fees are over target, and

46:59garages and lots are at target.

47:05Any questions on those?

47:10And then stormwater revenues are

47:12tracking over target and have exceeded

47:14budget.

47:16And that does not include any late

47:17payments from CWS accounts, Councilwoman

47:19Waring, just so you know.

47:26And then um

47:28expenses are under target as well in

47:30both development services and stormwater

47:32management.

47:38Any questions on that?

47:41All right. Tourism funds are looking

47:43good. Mini A tax state A is um over

47:46target by about 800. State A tax is over

47:50about almost 300,000, and hospitality

47:54we are actually a a bit over target,

47:55which is which is good news since you

47:57know that that was flatlining. So,

48:00our our budgeted number was

48:03pretty good. So, feeling a little bit

48:05better about hospitality fees.

48:10Any questions about any of those?

48:14All right.

48:17Um just municipality tax, there's a

48:192-month lag that we talked about, so

48:22it's just through May. State

48:24accommodations is just through the

48:25second quarter cuz we receive those

48:27payments every quarter. And then

48:29hospitality, we do receive on a monthly

48:31basis.

48:32But it's still a 1-month lag.

48:38And then fuel,

48:42we budgeted 330 per gallon for the year,

48:45and these are the average price per

48:47gallon for each month so far and through

48:49August 15th.

48:53So, we went real high in April and May,

48:55we came down a little bit in June, and

48:57then we went back up a little bit in

48:58July and August.

49:05So, what we're projecting is probably

49:07about a $500,000

49:09over budget number by the end of the

49:11year.

49:14Hopefully, prices will come down a

49:15little bit, but that is about That's

49:17where we're we're predicting right now.

49:20Obviously, it's fluid as you all know.

49:22So, we'll just continue to monitor the

49:24prices, and we're encouraging

49:26departments to conserve fuel, especially

49:28now that hopefully the weather will get

49:30a little cooler.

49:32That might help that a little bit as

49:33well.

49:36Any questions on that?

49:39Okay. And this is just kind of the

49:40rolling 7-day average fuel costs for

49:44unleaded and diesel. You see, diesel

49:46doesn't even fit on the chart. So.

49:54And then this is quantities purchased

49:56over the last 4 years. We're pretty much

49:58right at the same level as we were in

50:0025.

50:04So consumption is saying at least a

50:06little steady till last year.

50:15And then

50:16any questions on fuel?

50:202027 budget timeline just where we are.

50:22Um next week we will have public service

50:25and traffic and transportation report

50:27out to you all. On the 16th will be

50:29planning and preservation, parks, and

50:32fire.

50:33And then police, HR, and information

50:35technology will go on the 23rd. And the

50:3730th we'll have um

50:40BFRC and executive.

50:42So that'll be the schedule for this

50:43month.

50:48Do you have something else you're

50:49worrying about?

50:50>> Yeah, I do. As we, you know, obviously

50:52we're in budget season. Do you see any

50:56um

50:56big items of areas on the horizon that

51:01you know will be problematic?

51:03>> Healthcare.

51:06And insurance, just our our property

51:08insurance will be

51:11and then will be a little bit more

51:13significant than we would have liked.

51:16And then also, you know, the

51:17compensation study, whatever we do with

51:19the compensation study will be another.

51:24>> The compensation study has been so long

51:26by the time we get it it might be

51:28obsolete.

51:29>> No, they did a lot of work this year to

51:31make it more current. So I feel

51:33comfortable that we'll have good more

51:34current data.

51:36>> That's great.

51:37>> For implementation, yes.

51:40>> That's great.

51:42Okay.

51:43>> All right. And so then October we'll

51:45finalize our revenue projections and

51:48make final recommendations. We have the

51:50public hearing I'm sorry Council member

51:51Seeking.

51:53You have something?

51:54>> Oh, I just

51:55I just had a real quick question a

51:56little bit behind the slides that you

51:58could put out there. When it comes to

52:00making money off of fee schedule, who is

52:03the arbiter of that and against what

52:06baseline is that measured? Do we do that

52:08internally? Do we get audited? How does

52:10anybody know the the the quotient there?

52:15>> So,

52:17we do it internally and we just look at

52:19the total cost of what the services

52:22we're providing around those fees is at

52:24the time and just

52:27look at revenues that way, increases in

52:29fees that way to ensure we're not going

52:31over

52:32the overhead basically.

52:36Is that what you're asking?

52:37>> Yeah, I'm just trying to sort of see if

52:39there's a formula or I mean you actually

52:41can do it to a some certain. It seems to

52:43me that it's not exactly any It's not an

52:45exact science.

52:48>> It's not exact exact, but

52:51it's pretty close.

52:53>> Okay. All right, thanks.

52:54>> Sure.

52:56Um cuz you know, there's probably

52:59we could always probably find some more

53:00expenses, right? But

53:03we have

53:04um we do the best we can. I think with

53:06Workday too and the way that we have um

53:09things recorded, it will be a little bit

53:11easier moving forward and then we're

53:12actually looking at

53:14some software and implementing things

53:16that's going to make that even easier to

53:18do Council member Seeking. So, hopefully

53:20as we evolve, um those exercises will be

53:24more fruitful.

53:27>> Thank you.

53:27>> Mhm.

53:29And then the public hearing we'll have

53:31in October.

53:32>> Yeah, just real quick Amy, sorry. Uh

53:35>> I'm sorry, I can't always see if you

53:36guys are raising your hands, so please

53:38just speak out.

53:39>> well, I'm I'm turning my my on and off,

53:40so um

53:42I guess just to follow up on Council

53:45member Seeking's question, and this may

53:46be more of a legal question, but um

53:49you know, with user fees

53:51do is the is the same rule applicable to

53:55to what we're doing in our enterprise

53:58funds and

53:59>> No.

54:00>> I mean, those those are not Okay. Those

54:02are not user fees.

54:04>> Right. Those are right, and it's those

54:06operate like a true business

54:09enterprise funds.

54:10>> Okay.

54:12Thank you.

54:13>> You're welcome.

54:15We have our deadline

54:17to have the budget advertisement to the

54:19Boston Courier is November 10th, and

54:21then we have to have the draft budget to

54:24all on November or by November 17th.

54:27First reading the budget is December

54:291st, second and third is December 15th.

54:36And that is all I have unless anybody

54:38has any other questions.

54:45All right.

54:47We will see you all next week. It's a

54:49fun every week ad hoc meeting month.

54:55>> Thank you all.

54:56>> Sure. Let us know if you need anything

54:59or have any other questions, okay?

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