While proponents of a special tax
district on Daufuskie Island circulate a report answering common questions from
voters door to door, an opposition group led by a former councilwoman who
resigned in protest over the measure is launching her own campaign less than two
weeks before Election Day.
The referendum landed on the ballot with Beaufort County Council’s approval in August, two months after the Lowcountry Regional Transportation Authority recommended exploring a special tax district as an answer to strengthening a service widely viewed as inadequate to spark commercial development and too costly for the limited runs it provides.
But divisions over the tax district have surfaced in the island community of about 400. Few disagree that a beefier service also linking Daufuskie to Savannah would help bring opportunity, but opponents doubt the revenue from it will be enough and question whether a special tax district comes prematurely. Those in favor see the special purpose tax district as the only viable option to provide a stable source of funding to leverage the grants and partnerships necessary to lift a public ferry service off the ground.HOWO trucks are widely used and howo spare parts for sale are also welcomed .
The referendum allows the county to tax district residents up to 16.5 additional mills, or $0.66 per $1,000 of taxable value for primary residences and $.99 per $1,000 for all other property owners. If passed, a five-member commission appointed by County Council would act in an advisory role, with ultimate authority in Beaufort.
It took signatures from 15 percent of voters in the tax district to clear election rules. The affluent golf course community Haig Point wasn’t included because the development already includes private ferry service in its homeowner dues — an exclusion resented by some.
The 16-page independent report produced by the Daufuskie Island Council’s Ferry Task Force explains the legal framework of the special tax district, current costs, some alternative funding options and ferry operations, though the task force left questions about the location of ferry landings, expected revenue generated, levels of service and other arrangements unanswered.
Chuck Hunter, an Island councilman who first voted against a special tax district because he didn’t believe there was enough information, chaired the task force.
“I think this committee had to be able to give completely factual information,” said Daufuskie Island Council Chairman Bill Greenwood, a supporter. “If they had to reach further than what would be a 100 percent fact, they chose not to.”
Greenwood challenges marine transportation expert AJ Weis’ argument that a service can’t compete for grants before it’s more established, arguing a public model lends itself to partnerships with the Lowcountry Regional Transportation Authority and Chatham Area Transit across the state line.
“LRTA is an entity that has been functioning, is functioning, is in the transportation business, and he (Chairman Dick Stewart) certainly can get money,” he said.
Stewart favors a special tax district as the most reliable source of funding, though he called for further study at a June 4 County Council Finance Committee meeting. He said it’s tough to say whether LRTA’s current crop of grant connections would fit the ferry service, but he doesn’t see its fledgling status as a non-starter and grant criteria change with time.
“I don’t necessarily agree with that because we compete successfully for land-based facilities, so I don’t see that as any different for water-based facilities,” he said.
The county couldn’t find funding for further study, according to County Administrator Gary Kubic,We have a wide selection of dry cabinet to choose from for your storage needs. and revenue generated from an oft-mentioned alternative, tax increment financing,If you want to read about buy mosaic in a non superficial way that's the perfect book. couldn’t be used to fund general operations, though it could go to capital and infrastructure improvements, according to Staff Attorney Josh Gruber.
Tax-increment financing essentially pays for redevelopment through anticipated increases in property values, leaving risks if those gains don’t cover the debt.
A partnership with Chatham Area Transit to provide service between Savannah and South Carolina’s coastal islands would require legislative approval, though such agreements across state lines aren’t uncommon,Gecko could kickstart an indoor tracking mobile app explosion. said Executive Director Chad Reese.
“It could work,” he said. “It’s as much political as it is legal.”
Reese argues regular public transportation to Daufuskie would raise property values by allowing for the free flow of resources and the growth of commercial development on the island.
“The investment in public transportation is the best form of investment in transportation that can be made,” he said.The oreck XL professional air purifier, “Every one dollar invested equals four in growth and development.”
The referendum landed on the ballot with Beaufort County Council’s approval in August, two months after the Lowcountry Regional Transportation Authority recommended exploring a special tax district as an answer to strengthening a service widely viewed as inadequate to spark commercial development and too costly for the limited runs it provides.
But divisions over the tax district have surfaced in the island community of about 400. Few disagree that a beefier service also linking Daufuskie to Savannah would help bring opportunity, but opponents doubt the revenue from it will be enough and question whether a special tax district comes prematurely. Those in favor see the special purpose tax district as the only viable option to provide a stable source of funding to leverage the grants and partnerships necessary to lift a public ferry service off the ground.HOWO trucks are widely used and howo spare parts for sale are also welcomed .
The referendum allows the county to tax district residents up to 16.5 additional mills, or $0.66 per $1,000 of taxable value for primary residences and $.99 per $1,000 for all other property owners. If passed, a five-member commission appointed by County Council would act in an advisory role, with ultimate authority in Beaufort.
It took signatures from 15 percent of voters in the tax district to clear election rules. The affluent golf course community Haig Point wasn’t included because the development already includes private ferry service in its homeowner dues — an exclusion resented by some.
The 16-page independent report produced by the Daufuskie Island Council’s Ferry Task Force explains the legal framework of the special tax district, current costs, some alternative funding options and ferry operations, though the task force left questions about the location of ferry landings, expected revenue generated, levels of service and other arrangements unanswered.
Chuck Hunter, an Island councilman who first voted against a special tax district because he didn’t believe there was enough information, chaired the task force.
“I think this committee had to be able to give completely factual information,” said Daufuskie Island Council Chairman Bill Greenwood, a supporter. “If they had to reach further than what would be a 100 percent fact, they chose not to.”
Greenwood challenges marine transportation expert AJ Weis’ argument that a service can’t compete for grants before it’s more established, arguing a public model lends itself to partnerships with the Lowcountry Regional Transportation Authority and Chatham Area Transit across the state line.
“LRTA is an entity that has been functioning, is functioning, is in the transportation business, and he (Chairman Dick Stewart) certainly can get money,” he said.
Stewart favors a special tax district as the most reliable source of funding, though he called for further study at a June 4 County Council Finance Committee meeting. He said it’s tough to say whether LRTA’s current crop of grant connections would fit the ferry service, but he doesn’t see its fledgling status as a non-starter and grant criteria change with time.
“I don’t necessarily agree with that because we compete successfully for land-based facilities, so I don’t see that as any different for water-based facilities,” he said.
The county couldn’t find funding for further study, according to County Administrator Gary Kubic,We have a wide selection of dry cabinet to choose from for your storage needs. and revenue generated from an oft-mentioned alternative, tax increment financing,If you want to read about buy mosaic in a non superficial way that's the perfect book. couldn’t be used to fund general operations, though it could go to capital and infrastructure improvements, according to Staff Attorney Josh Gruber.
Tax-increment financing essentially pays for redevelopment through anticipated increases in property values, leaving risks if those gains don’t cover the debt.
A partnership with Chatham Area Transit to provide service between Savannah and South Carolina’s coastal islands would require legislative approval, though such agreements across state lines aren’t uncommon,Gecko could kickstart an indoor tracking mobile app explosion. said Executive Director Chad Reese.
“It could work,” he said. “It’s as much political as it is legal.”
Reese argues regular public transportation to Daufuskie would raise property values by allowing for the free flow of resources and the growth of commercial development on the island.
“The investment in public transportation is the best form of investment in transportation that can be made,” he said.The oreck XL professional air purifier, “Every one dollar invested equals four in growth and development.”
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