Pair of important questions on the November 2 ballot

BEAUFORT – There is a lot going on here in the Lowcountry as fall gives us tolerable weather and fall festivals are flourishing.

But don’t forget: there is a county-wide vote on November 2 on two issues – a local option sales tax and a slight restructuring of the structure of the county government, in particular, the treasurer and the auditor’s office.

Just to beat the drums a little longer, some information about the LOST that would be on top of the six percent sales tax:

The SC Revenue Department predicts that the one percent local sales tax will bring in about $ 49 million to the county.

If passed by voters, local sales tax collection will begin on May 1 and continue until voters decide to repeal it.

71% of the money to be collected would go back to residents in the form of property tax credits.

The question was on the ballot in 1990 and 1991, but was rejected by voters.

In 2006, voters supported a one percent transportation sales tax with a six-year deadline.

And if you want to know what sales tax could mean to you financially, the county provides a detailed explanation of the sales tax proposal and what it will mean for the individual owner: https: // www. beaufortcountysc.gov/topics/local-option-sales-tax/index.html.

There is also this question about the restructuring of the county management team, in terms of making the treasurer and auditor – the two currently elected positions – the hires of the county administrator.

And yes, early voting is allowed if you plan to be away from home on that date.

DRB doesn’t give developers what they want

BEAUFORT – It’s the City’s Historical Review Committee that usually catches public anger, but more recently the Design Review Committee has made the news by sidelining not one but two projects. deemed inappropriate as proposed.

The DRB shingles last week on the plans for WaterCrest Apartments, a 504-unit development behind the Walmart Supercenter on SC 170.

Members in attendance felt that the design of 21 three-story buildings was just too massive, especially for a wooded area that would be a popular camping spot for the homeless.

Representatives of Logan Homes, developers of the property, said the proposed rents would be around $ 1,500 to $ 2,000.

City staff, unsurprisingly, told council they were following the city code and recommended approval with 12 conditions.

Although the 38-acre land owned by the John Gray family is adjacent to Walmart and other amenities located in the Cross Creek Mall, such as a nail salon, Pet Smart, and the new Big Lots, DRB members were concerned about the possibility of walking since the property is bordered by the arteries of Parris Island Gateway and Broad River Boulevard.

Also unusual was the fact that the project drew two letters of opposition before the council’s review, one from the Coastal Conservation League and the other from the city’s former planning director.

AND, also unusually, Mayor Stephen Murray came to the meeting and said he didn’t think the project was up to city code.

While the chairman of the DRB has offered a categorical rejection of the design, his two colleagues have in fact only postponed action on demand.

The council also denied a request for final approval from developers of a storage facility at the corner of Boundary Street and Parris Island Gateway. The Savannah-based development company received, instead, preliminary approval with conditions to fine-tune their design.

The board of directors gave final approval to Enmarket, a new convenience store at 1200 Ribaut Road, at the corner of First Boulevard where a closed Shell station is located.

PS If you are a Beaufort resident and want to participate in shaping the city’s future look, you too can be part of the DRB action. The city is looking for two more volunteers to sit on the board of directors.

Lolita Huckaby Watson is a community volunteer and former journalist / editorial assistant / columnist for The Beaufort Gazette, The Savannah Morning News, Bluffton Today, Beaufort Today and The Robesonian (Lumberton, NC). She can be reached at [email protected]