Jump to content

James Island Reincorporation

Spartan

By Spartan
in Charleston

 Share

Recommended Posts

Charleston native Burg

Charleston native

Posted
Posted

^ The only thing "evil" that town proponents always mention is what city taxes are used for. According to them, the city of Chas uses taxes from JI residents to fund downtown projects such as the aquarium, visitors center, and other things like street improvements. Meanwhile, the city completely ignores JI in improvements.

These residents seem to forget that the city has several public tennis courts that residents can use as well as a recreation center with a pool and a municipal golf course. The city has built several parks on the island and has plans for more. Not to mention all of the economic prosperity throughout the island due to retail and office developments. What more must the city do to be considered helpful for the island?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 246
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Popular Days

Top Posters In This Topic

Popular Days

Popular Posts

Spartan
Spartan

The links are fixed. I don't understand how this incorporation attempt is any better than the last one. Sure it's smaller, but how does this make any sense from a services standpoint? Reminder: C

  • 4 months later...
Charleston native Burg

Charleston native

Posted
Posted

:lol: Everytime more news about the logistics of this pseudo-town comes into play, I have to laugh as I remember: this is what the voters on James Island asked for. In the article link below, the 911 response times add more questions about the incorporation of the rest of the island, and if it's really the best thing as opposed to having city services.

The story tells of a pickup truck that crashed through a neighbor's fence, and the nearest available Chas County Sheriff deputy was 20 miles away in Wadmalaw Island. The police report indicated that the response time was 32 minutes, but the 911 caller and the owner of the fence estimated the response time was closer to 50 minutes. These people who witnessed the incident are wondering whether the "invisible line" between James Island and Charleston is working and how quickly a deputy would respond in a more serious situation. Mayor Clark, in an almost typical political cliche, said this was just an isolated incident. :rolleyes: The mayor of this pseudo-town is sounding more like a politician everytime. I think she, among others in the town admin, are turning a blind eye to future potential problems that will occur if the town continues. The mayor even said that the town is seeking grants to fund extra deputies and has no intentions of forming its own police department.

Meanwhile, city officials had no comment, except for councilwoman Kathleen Wilson. I think their silence on this issue speaks volumes...they let the situation speak for itself.

911 wait time worries some on James Island

Link to comment
Share on other sites
  • 1 year later...
knightrider162 Whistle-Stop

knightrider162

Posted
Posted

The next chapter in the continuing saga....

James Island and Charleston case goes to Circuit Court

I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the THIRD time is NOT the charm for James Island.

The law that was passed seems highly unconstitutional so it should not be the charm. Has James Island provided its own police force yet?

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Spartan Gigalopolis

Spartan

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Looks like they are taxing their citizens to use the Charleston County Police. Seems to me like this is a waste of resources, but hey what are you going to do when you have a disjointed city boundary and you have to selectively patrol certain areas of the island.

http://www.townofjamesislandsc.org/buildingserv/index.htm

Link to comment
Share on other sites
  • 3 months later...
krazeeboi Gigalopolis

krazeeboi

Posted
Posted

All of the concessions the Legislature has made in order for there to even be a "Town of James Island" is crazy. I suppose the legislators feel they have no choice when that's the base for the state's most powerful political figure and opposing any of those measures would put funding for any of their local projects in jeopardy. Good ol' boy politics at its finest and a brilliant example of what is holding SC back.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
teshadoh Burg

teshadoh

Posted
Posted

Oddly enough half way around the country I've had to deal with James Island myself. Like most SC municipalities - they require insurance companies to collect a privilege tax on premiums. Unlike most SC municipalities - most GIS data firms nor official resources such as USGS or Census register the city as an incorporated entity. Unfortunately, the Municipal Association of South Carolina does - so I've had to create our own city boundary for James Island.

It would really make my job easier if they could finally come to a conclusion about this 'city'.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
teshadoh Burg

teshadoh

Posted
Posted

As far as I can tell - the city boundaries are whatever is not incorporated by Charleston on the island. It's by far not a legal interpretation, but the best that I could come up with. I also realized that James Island receives a sales tax - so that is their other funding since they don't tax properties (since the public services district covers most of their services).

Link to comment
Share on other sites
  • 3 months later...
Spartan Gigalopolis

Spartan

Posted
  • Author
Posted

We're talkign about this over in the SC Annexation Laws thread in the main SC forum too. This quote is my response to the court's decision.

This quote says it all:

The decision means the town will be able to keep operating as it has been, overseeing functions like code enforcement and zoning. Most basic government services in the town are provided by the separate James Island Public Service District, just as they were before the town was formed, and police protection continues to be provided by the Charleston County Sheriff.

As you can see, the town admits that it exists for no reason except for zoning and code enforcement. Basically, since the island is mostly built out, the Town's only purpose is to tell people to cut their grass. But only the parts of the island that are within the town limits.

Here's a map of Charleston's City Limits in orange. The Town of James Island is approximately everything in white. I would love it if someone could tell me how having an incorporated municipality like this makes any sense. Its an inefficient arrangement. You can literally have a situation where you live in the Town and both of your neighbors live in the City. The worst part about it is that once this happens, the situation will not change if this town is allowed to exist.

jamesisland.png

Hopefully the SC Supreme Court will see things the right way.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
  • 8 months later...
  • 1 year later...
  • 4 weeks later...
vicupstate Metropolitan Area

vicupstate

Posted
Posted

Supreme Court hears arguments in James Island incorporation case

No word on when a decision will be rendered. Does anyone know what timeframe is typical or what it was in the two prior cases?

I hope if the town is found to be legal that at least some of the areas included will be excluded from the incorporation, based on flaws in James Island's application of the process.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
ZUMAN Whistle-Stop

ZUMAN

Posted
Posted

Supreme Court hears arguments in James Island incorporation case

No word on when a decision will be rendered. Does anyone know what timeframe is typical or what it was in the two prior cases?

I hope if the town is found to be legal that at least some of the areas included will be excluded from the incorporation, based on flaws in James Island's application of the process.

Not sure on the timeframe. Could take be a few days or a few months. Not sure if there's any typical timeframe for these rulings.

Personally, I think the Court will rule in the town's favor. That's not based on any legal understanding I have of the case, just my gut feeiing.

Now, if I recall correctly, if the city loses the case, the city could sue the James Island PSD over the issue that the PSD is not chartered to provide services to a municipality. This could force

the town to create its own trash collection and fire departments. I doubt the city would bring suit, and at the end of the day it doesn't accomplish anything.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
  • 2 months later...
Spartan Gigalopolis

Spartan

Posted
  • Author
Posted

I've heard it's way worse than that. The "Executive Director of the Webpage" -The Mayor's son, gets paid an exorbitant salary and does a piss-poor job. The town's website looks like it was done by a high school student.

Update: Ok, they actually have a new website, but it looks like it was done with a blogspot account.

http://www.jamesislandsc.org/temp/

Link to comment
Share on other sites
  • 2 months later...

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
 Share
Go to topic listing

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.