Charleston County Council approved the Town's request for matching funds for construction of the Camp Road Sidewalk Phase II.

This is Transportation Sales Tax (TST)  funding.  The Town will use $85,000 of Town funds and Charleston County will match that with $85,000 of TST money.  The Town has already funded the design work.

Phase II of the Camp Road Sidewalk project will provide sidewalk along Camp Road between Dills Bluff Road and Secessionville Road.  

We hope that construction will be completed in the Spring of 2016

Thank you to Charleston County Council for helping the Town of James Island with this project.

Council approved on a 3-2 vote a 20 mil property tax and a $2,948,058 property tax credit.   The millage will appear on the October property tax bill as will a Town property tax credit.   The amount of tax due to the Town will be zero on all tax bills.   Here is an example of a property tax bill including the Town millage and tax credit.

$2,948,058  is equal to the total amount of revenue the Town has received from the LOST (Local Option Sales Tax) Property Tax Credit Fund since 2012, along with the interest earned on those funds, as well as the amount the Town anticipates receiving during the 2015-16 fiscal year.

The millage is for payment for a Town Hall by lease purchase agreement and the maintenance of a reserve.

The Town's tax plan will not increase the property tax of any taxpayer.  However, I deeply regret that I was unable to convince a majority of JIPSD Commissioners to reduce rather than raise their property tax and allow the Town to pay the JIPSD for solid waste collection by contract.   That plan would have allowed for a substantial reduction in property tax in the Town.  Even though a reduction in property tax was not possible this year, I still believe that it is in the best interest of the Town to provide a  tax credit against its own millage.  I appreciate the support of the majority of Town Council.

I hope that a property tax reduction will be possible in the near future, most likely after the 2016 JIPSD elections.

Mayor Bill Woolsey

First Baptist Church of James Island will be having a Community Outreach Day.  A day of food, fun, clothes giveaway, information on health care, substance abuse disorder, financial services and much more. There will also be a school supply drive.  We are asking for donations of school supplies: new book bags, wide ruled and college ruled paper, pencils, pens and mechanical pencils, large and small erasers, pencil boxes, pencil pouches, colored pencils, markers, highlighters, rulers, pencil sharpeners, index cards, crayons, dry erase markers, glue sticks, composition books, safety scissors, 3-ring binders, notebook tab dividers and pocket folders.   Please see flyer for more information.

The Town of James Island will meet on Tuesday, July 28, 2015 at 3:00 p.m. in an Executive Session to discuss contractual matters for a Request for Qualification (RFQ) for a Town Hall.

Charleston County Government announces nighttime lane closures will continue July 19, 2015. Crews will be working on Harbor View Road for the Harbor View Road Improvement Project. Click here for more information.