[{"_1":2,"_111":-5,"_112":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87,99],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6550065,"mediaKeyId","5418276-c814b0e605a32ad49b9715023d1d24d5","parentId",5418276,"title","Votes at a glance: James Island council approves vehicle purchase, auditor contract and ordinance updates; rezoning request denied","audioSeconds",949,"startMs",2665000,"endMs",3614000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5418276-c814b0e605a32ad49b9715023d1d24d5&start=2665&end=3614","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5418276-c814b0e605a32ad49b9715023d1d24d5/thumbnail_2665000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6550065/James-Island/Charleston-County/South-Carolina/Votes-at-a-glance-James-Island-council-approves-vehicle-purchase-auditor-contract-and-ordinance-updates-rezoning-request-denied","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6550065-affcb82ec5a25158f37e11755a2f8d54/orig.mp4?Expires=1771095254&Signature=SKi0EQRWL-ZYlaRxpMnb~8rr7ZCxdRi~yT42vMKLKrcPGyfcOPWuW0az9DCHpVbkt8dMUtWz8I24tGEHMlPgI~HDxwKWqH0XtAPo59EcpSwXVR3qhEv5UYEzNCWdGW6fDpW1R43QOlIKiuAVmHZvti6NqIBQX0aGfcsSMi9x04v0iOIRtuFrV~aRljVMYbuElEyF4v0l7ZnHV-QKx2mEPm~awMqmpJqQOyidJQioXSMyy61Cs~aP1FBVUG2uWLauJh9isbQ1A8bYjKQ1pcnzr-JdkEtIVqwgNSb-wC2CEH1CrSh22b9YUfOk6XH~Vx9PILv~Kjc7OH8T8EsOYVZmlQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","James Island","date","2025-07-17T00:00:00Z","article","The Town of James Island council took several formal actions during the meeting. Key votes and outcomes are summarized below.

Approve minutes: The consent agenda, including approval of minutes, passed unanimously.

Town vehicle purchase: Council authorized staff to purchase a replacement town vehicle for code enforcement/administrative duties, approving up to $35,000 to complete the purchase. Finance and public-works staff had identified several suitable models (Chevrolet Trailblazer, Chevrolet Equinox, Toyota RAV4, Subaru) and recommended a maneuverable, all‑wheel drive vehicle appropriate for non‑CDL drivers and field work.

Auditor selection: After staff tabulation of proposals, the council voted to retain Love Bailey (Lawrence, South Carolina) as the town's auditor for the proposed contract; Love Bailey’s four‑year proposal was reported at $63,000 and staff recommended sticking with the incumbent to avoid transition costs.

Lowcountry Local First partnership and sponsorship: The council approved a municipal partnership and tuition sponsorship for Lowcountry Local First’s Community Business Academy with a maximum town contribution of $29,800 (see separate article for details and presentation highlights).

Ordinance votes:
- Ordinance 2025‑O‑5 (zoning/land-development code: remove fee schedule from the code): Final (second) reading passed unanimously; the ordinance removes the fee schedule from the code so fee changes will not require a full ordinance adoption process.
- Ordinance 2025‑O‑7 (zoning text amendments to allow certain animated signs with restrictions): First reading passed by a narrow 3–2 margin. The amendment permits limited animated/rotating facade icons under specified conditions and will return for second reading.
- Ordinance 2025‑O‑6 (rezoning of 1444 Folly Road from OR to CN): Motion to approve at first reading failed (council did not pass the ordinance); the parcel remains zoned OR.

Appointments: Council approved several local board and committee appointments, including additions to the Neighborhood Council (Meredith Poston, Maggie Badger Fitch), Tree Advisory Committee (Bridget Lussier), and Arts Council nominees (Trudy Mack and Christina Bailey Whitson).

Executive session and litigation: Council entered executive session to receive legal advice on litigation (KT Properties LLC v. Town of James Island) and returned to open session with no votes taken.

Council members and staff indicated implementation follow-ups where appropriate (procurement for the vehicle, contract finalization for the auditor, and staff work on the Lowcountry Local First contract).","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","James Island - Town Council - Jul 17, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","Council authorized a town vehicle purchase (up to $35,000), reappointed Love Bailey as auditor, approved a municipal partnership for a business academy, adopted changes to the zoning code fee process, approved a sign-text amendment (first reading), and declined a rezoning request for 1444 Folly Road.","taxTitle","James Island, Charleston County, South Carolina","taxId",70277,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6550070,"Residents urge limits on fireworks; council hears concerns but takes no immediate ordinance action",4386,1990000,6376000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5418276-c814b0e605a32ad49b9715023d1d24d5&start=1990&end=6376","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5418276-c814b0e605a32ad49b9715023d1d24d5/thumbnail_1990000.jpg","/articles/6550070/James-Island/Charleston-County/South-Carolina/Residents-urge-limits-on-fireworks-council-hears-concerns-but-takes-no-immediate-ordinance-action","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6550070-f684605734eaf3674f3f0bee1fb414de/orig.mp4?Expires=1771095254&Signature=hIReNZNQXmmQF7L6xUFsL~vvRg9hMik8qLg5TjDB9Wdr9fSuc44vz-pNZ2sSSOaK2oaHUGVVFpgOJclHnFBUWx4z90b9jcORQx8X1NUe6tfvShUK15X7QQE4yiOawB6jBbpUvY2MAfnwMNQHUJ6I-BqWyKzT0bE4z5w7oZch7~cNPwmmeFE3dAbt63CmGpO1ehZS8u-JIgKG-jazh9rQeFkVT27ImtFg~3hicu2Vp2ZUDqeCk9CEyyzvj8HuK7AOGZTtN5Rh9gwwjXjghuBv6boAnjjeTItFkdHAF20yVZwcM2mA7mxhy0YP8ZViB0nVAzw0L3DI4WLMrd1hjNsAJA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Dozens of residents and several local veterinarians urged the Town of James Island council to restrict fireworks use and/or sales, citing animal welfare, veteran PTSD and environmental concerns. The council heard public comment and discussed outreach and enforcement options but took no ordinance action at the meeting.

Speakers during the public-comment period included Lindy Mills (565 Schooner Road) and Wendy Mills, who requested limits on hours when fireworks can be set off and suggested point-of-sale notices for buyers. Lindy Mills told council, “If we are going to allow fireworks to be sold in our community… the firework provider should be required to host when those fireworks can be used and what hours.”

Veterinarian Jean McKee Thompson described increased demand for pet sedation around fireworks season and said clinics are treating animals for weeks around fireworks events. “My own dog has had to be tranquilized… for the last 3 weeks every day, every night,” Thompson said, and urged reasonable time limits rather than a total ban.

Edward Green, a Vietnam veteran, said fireworks severely affect him and described leaving town during major holidays to avoid them. “The fireworks, it terribly bothered me,” Green told council.

Council members acknowledged the complaints and described jurisdictional and enforcement limits. The town does not operate its own police force; the county sheriff enforces livability and noise ordinances and has limited ability to pursue fireworks discharge unless county law specifies. Council members recalled an earlier compromise that had set allowable hours on certain holidays and said that changing enforcement or county ordinance language would likely require county action.

Council discussion emphasized outreach and point-of-sale measures. Councilman Troy Mullenax suggested distributing short printed notices at fireworks vendors and working with animal and veteran groups to raise awareness of time restrictions and impacts. Mayor Bridal Lyon and other council members said they wanted more information from the sheriff’s office and to explore voluntary point-of-sale notifications as an immediate step rather than new, potentially unenforceable local restrictions.

No new ordinance was introduced. Council directed staff to gather additional information from the Charleston County sheriff’s office about enforcement options, and councilmembers asked staff to research outreach/education measures (including printed notices at points of sale) and report back to the council.","Multiple residents, veterinarians and a veteran urged the Town of James Island to restrict fireworks hours and sales; the council discussed outreach and enforcement limits and asked staff to gather more information.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6550075,"Council declines rezoning request at 1444 Folly Road; swim school owner says zoning change was meant to keep property",5355,301000,5656000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5418276-c814b0e605a32ad49b9715023d1d24d5&start=301&end=5656","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5418276-c814b0e605a32ad49b9715023d1d24d5/thumbnail_301000.jpg","/articles/6550075/James-Island/Charleston-County/South-Carolina/Council-declines-rezoning-request-at-1444-Folly-Road-swim-school-owner-says-zoning-change-was-meant-to-keep-property","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6550075-31d796678dc63973584ad30720a2910c/orig.mp4?Expires=1771095254&Signature=aqFrQW1nkiHQfeUOtq7DtNgfxvQR4K7aQOILsjUjeKJH6W5g7tmuJWT2NH1FReCeQkdWdRuGVgTpB~kFLY2r6WXXfsSrGxVrrc7p-dIY5nlL~JWcz-lMxZ38NFHjcz5XS0fm1cqm~6E5izu4bGQdThnnY4un4YpsztJNZdhwWh62NHbjA6fWGoO7bAei524sCaJMlym9TeEK6vmr-bI9i-34MhHQlb16yURKfzKcGjaYz-vqmyLOjBZ~henfTGpt47xw1Baj2zFU2cdhS0PhX6pbpSkBR9-I6tq78kVKxkZdQzI9x9Z-iZQsFuTNE7lE7un9EoQpn1qgKUp8XxzyBQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Town of James Island council declined to approve a rezoning request for 1444 Folly Road (TMS 427-01-00-051) that would have changed the property from residential-office (OR) to neighborhood commercial (CN).

Property owner Amy Edney, who operates a swim school at 1444 Folly Road, told the council the rezoning was an effort to retain ownership and generate limited revenue while she sought financing to expand. “My goal… was the rezoning is really an attempt to help me to not have to sell the lot,” Edney said at the public hearing.

A neighbor representing Emmanuel Baptist Church, Rosalie Speer, told council the church frequently is told by realtors that the church will allow use of its parking lot by new buyers, and she said that is not the church’s policy. “Every time somebody’s the swim team… they told them that the church will let y’all park there. And that’s not true,” Speer said.

The planning commission previously considered the rezoning and voted against it; the planning director, Kristen Crane, and council members noted letters of opposition and concerns about introducing storage-type and low-density commercial uses along Folly Road as the corridor undergoes long-term planning discussions.

Council discussion referenced the property’s allowed uses under the current OR zoning. Several council members said the owner may be able to pursue specific uses through business licensing or a variance rather than a blanket zoning change, and one council member said up‑zoning could remove the town’s ability to control future uses of the parcel.

A motion to approve the ordinance for first reading failed at the meeting; council members voted and the motion did not pass. Mayor Bridal Lyon told the property owner she respected the decision and wished her luck finding a path for her swim program.

No ordinance was adopted; the property remains zoned OR. The council and planning staff encouraged the owner to discuss specific business-license or variance pathways with the planning director if she sought limited, temporary or specific uses consistent with the current zoning.","A proposed rezoning of 1444 Folly Road from residential-office (OR) to neighborhood commercial (CN) so the swim school owner could develop revenue-producing uses failed at first reading after public comment from a neighboring church and the owner.",{"_33":100,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":101,"_41":102,"_43":103,"_45":104,"_47":105,"_49":106,"_51":107,"_53":108,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":109,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":110,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6550080,"Town council approves partnership funding for Lowcountry Local First business academy",730,706000,1436000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5418276-c814b0e605a32ad49b9715023d1d24d5&start=706&end=1436","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5418276-c814b0e605a32ad49b9715023d1d24d5/thumbnail_706000.jpg","/articles/6550080/James-Island/Charleston-County/South-Carolina/Town-council-approves-partnership-funding-for-Lowcountry-Local-First-business-academy","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6550080-f1bcf1abeeacf2a298fb71ceb01f732b/orig.mp4?Expires=1771095254&Signature=g5CJyV7Q78pkKq9mLR4hSQ-Sdzg44pGuviC51~eldJ3-khsQyL9YB4EGVOyaB6uEAJwspYfYSX1O3p939d1YCfl0WxXoJP2DopFSfwHcuwSmZT3GtfYVdH~x2Wzt4Qpz0qQykDZpnFdLUgS6-P5~m0tN6Ocu3y5E~wlX3M33iawkfX7jwDj0eodqj6aauAkTaxHKn-705PQD1qAaRUgMK9Ch7uJcs~ueStwCJVoqYoITWEPMkYJlGbLzaZgH1yLjKk38XapObUb-N1O1kQ2R9ezrxzFwiJFysRmpfmr5JM5gJ~uhw1jwRF2OXOC7fzUPJlJ88zF1NRAunWKZDlvPlQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Town of James Island council voted to approve a municipal partnership and sponsorship with Lowcountry Local First to bring the nonprofit’s 13-week Community Business Academy to James Island and underwrite tuition for up to eight participants, at a cost not to exceed $29,800.

The vote followed a presentation by Jackie Berger, executive director of Lowcountry Local First, who described the nonprofit’s training, marketing and graduate services for local independent businesses and asked the council to underwrite tuition for eight James Island participants and include the town as a municipal member.

Berger said the academy provides a 13-week curriculum, graduate services and an annual pitch event with cash prizes. She told council the program has more than 360 graduates and offered to recruit once the council committed to funding: “We would start recruiting and promoting in James Island, tomorrow morning.”

Two program graduates who attended the meeting described the program’s local impact. Tana Dukes, owner of Ranch Dressing Company and a program graduate, told council the academy helped turn her early sales into a more structured business and credited the program with expanding her retail footprint. “I was able to participate in the Ready, Set, Pitch competition last year, and I won. I was able to invest that back in my business, and that helped a lot,” Dukes said.

Julia Drayton Crumlin, who said she drove an hour to attend a prior cohort, said the academy helped her develop a practical business plan that supported a recent childcare center application and connected her with a mentor in the childcare field.

Council members asked about program completion and cost-sharing details. Berger said student contributions are limited to $125 for curriculum materials and that typical cohort retention is about 80–90 percent. She and staff said the town would only pay for James Island residents or businesses and that the town could be reimbursed on a per-graduate basis if enrollment fell short of the eight-slot commitment.

Finance director Mike Hemmer told council the spending could be covered in the town’s current budget and that the fully loaded maximum for the membership and sponsorship was $29,800; the actual cost would fall if fewer than eight James Island residents participated.

Councilman Troy Mullenax moved to approve the partnership and sponsorship as presented, the motion was seconded, and a roll-call vote approved the expenditure. Mayor Bridal Lyon and council members voted in favor; the motion carried.

The program will be hosted in town-owned facilities if scheduling permits, include local promotion for the town’s businesses, and provide graduate services and pitch-event eligibility to the sponsored participants. Lowcountry Local First said it would begin recruiting James Island participants after the council’s approval.","The Town of James Island voted to fund a municipal partnership with Lowcountry Local First to host a 13-week Community Business Academy locally and sponsor tuition for up to eight participants, with a maximum town contribution of $29,800.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Votes at a glance: James Island council approves vehicle purchase, auditor contract and ordinance updates; rezoning request denied

Residents urge limits on fireworks; council hears concerns but takes no immediate ordinance action

Council declines rezoning request at 1444 Folly Road; swim school owner says zoning change was meant to keep property

Town council approves partnership funding for Lowcountry Local First business academy