Board of Zoning Appeals - Regular Meeting

I'd like to call this meeting of the planning commission to order and invite you all to join me in the pledge of the flag. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible. For the record, we do have a quorum present. Uh, commissioners, you've all had a chance to review the agenda. Uh, staff, are there any changes to today's agenda? There are none. So, do I can I have a motion to approve today's agenda? Commissioner Hens moves supported by Commissioner Lo. Any discussion? All in favor, please raise your right hand. It's unanimous. Uh, again, the approval of the minutes from our regular meeting of May 21st, uh, those were circulated in advance, so we've had a chance to review them. Any changes or additions to those minutes? Otherwise, is there a motion to approve Commissioner Loba, seconded by Commissioner Why? Okay, any discussion? All in favor of approval of minutes for May 21st? Raise your right hand, please. It's unanimous as well. Okay. There is no unfinished business. So, we will go uh to our first item on the agenda today, which is a report on the Gulla Dichi Land and Cultural Preservation Task Force. And the chairman of that group, Leavon Stevens, is going to give us a presentation now. So, Mr. Stevens, welcome. Okay, I should I should know that being a a musician and entertainer, we love microphones. Uh again, Leavon Stevens uh with the uh Town of Hilton Head Gulligi Land and Cultural Task Force. Uh it's my

pleasure to be here with you today. Thank you for inviting me. And uh uh again, I want to acknowledge the service of you guys as planning commissioners and I've sat in your seat and have transitioned to this position as the chair uh of the task force. So I still continue to be involved in the community certainly uh u being a subcommittee of the task force and and again it's been my pleasure to to serve in this position. Uh I think we've made some tremendous progress uh with our gullichi culture and some of the preservation of some of the issues just a little bit of the context. Um if most of us who know and I won't assume that we all know so pardon me I don't want to insult your intelligence but the Galagichi culture of course is uh very important to this island and to this region u the Gulligi uh heritage corridor which is a national organization it's been established by the United States Congress uh the area spanning from southern parts of North Carolina down through the coast South Carolina, Georgia, and uh northern parts of Florida and going about 30 miles inland is that corridor. So, a lot of the things that we're doing and and talking about are are issues that are affecting the gulla culture up and down the coast and for a lot of uh people who are involved in that effort are discovering that it is actually something that's being na uh recognized nationally. So again, we're proud of the work that the town uh has recognized back in uh 20 2023 as part of their strategic plan and the Gulligi culture as an important important fabric of this island and also the disturbing trend that we see in the loss of land, the loss of the culture and therefore the loss of the people that we see that are a part of this culture.

For many many years, uh, people have felt disenfranchised and, uh, have lived here. And this history that we all live in presently, uh, folks who were here generations ago realized that the town of Hilton Head was established in 1983. Well, folks were already here. They had to adapt to a lot of changes and finding that the way of life was changing u and having to um adhere to some of the policies and uh rules and regulations of the town if you will. This was a disturbing trend to a lot of us in the community because again people were uh losing their property, not knowing what to do with their property or feeling like they don't have the same opportunities. Uh I'm speak I'm speaking not from my own heart but from those who are in our community I consider mentors. The Tom Barnwells, the Emery Campbell's uh God bless his soul, Perry White and so many others Dr. Louise Cohen and the list goes on and on. when I hear these folks talk about uh some of the issues that we need to address and feeling like again there's been some uh not always uh a fair balance when it comes to uh economic development and sustaining themselves as a culture and as a people. I am happy and proud to say that one of the things that I've tried to do in my community service is to build bridges and men fences. Yes, we always realize there's been some things that may not have been u you know service or some of the injustices, but we are brave enough to speak up to those and address them head on and move forward as a community. So, thank you guys again for being in the position that you are understanding that the task force is a subcommittee of the planning commission. uh we stand as stakeholders to help address the issues that come before you as planning commission and eventually to a town

council and then eventually into policies and things that are going to affect not just the Gulligi culture but our community as a whole. So I'm just going to go briefly through some of these things and feel free to stop me if you have any questions along the way and I try not to take up too much of your time but again thank you for having me here. Um yes in the calendar year of 2024 u through December January through December uh the task force held six meetings and this is a summary of those meetings. The uh Gulligi Cultural Preservation Task Project report outlines 37 recommendations with 16 identified as priorities aligned with the town council's 2023 2025 strategic plan. Um and 13 of those have really been we've made made some really good progress on those. Uh the report provides recommendations in the following categories. Cultural preservation focuses on preserving the Golagichi identity through education, storytelling, historic site interpretation, cultural events, youth engagement, and creative heritage tourism efforts. Public policy supports systemic changes that protect Gulla own land and empower residents. includes updates to zoning, land use regulations, application fee structures, and economic development incentives. Heir's property uh addresses general generational land ownership and challenges promote by promoting legal education, supporting title clearance, encouraging family planning, and advocating for resources to prevent land loss. And the majority of those

recommendations have been activated and are currently in progress. Uh 23 of those to to number them have have been activated. Um and you'll hear a little bit more about that definition of the word activated. We don't like to ever say that the work is done or is finished because it's always ongoing as we continue to look at those. And um the remaining recommendations which have not been activated will transition into the Gulagichi Historic Neighborhoods Community Development Corporation for future implementation which I'm very happy and proud to say in the last year or so that we've been able to establish that community development uh corporation going forward. Notable achievements in 2024 include launching the the Gulla history and cultural awareness program, implementing expedited permitting and flexible land use provisions, and advancing heirs property support efforts. And uh the cultural awareness program is one that uh I'll speak a little bit about because one of the things we try to do is the interaction between the culture and the town and certainly um the understanding the education piece is always important. It's not always sometimes that uh people don't understand what they can or cannot do with their property or how they operate in the town, but it's it's about education. Uh we talk about that front door experience a lot of times. So when folks come to the town, what's that experience they get at the front door? Is it just a hard no or is it walk in? Let's see what we can do. So I think we've made some significant progress with that certainly by adding the uh our our land plan and our administrator uh who is that

position now is Miss Shironica Gavin. And uh having someone here at the town level on our staff has been uh something I can tell you that in the community makes us feel good about we have some place to go to address our concerns, ask those questions, and feel like we're being heard. Uh the following reports and discussions were led by town staff with the task force. The land management ordinance planning staff provided periodic updates of the status of the LMO project including priority amendments. district planning. Uh this is something that in my mind is very exciting and as a task force we're happy to be in a position of stakeholders and certainly listening uh ears to the community and again u as you know uh helping the planning commission and town council understanding the voices and what we're hearing in the community. Most people in the community know that they can come to the task force if they don't come to the town meetings or planning commission meetings or if they're not aware of things that they do have uh those of us who are interacting with uh the community as a whole. The home and home safety and repair program has been going very well. Um, it was successfully relaunched in July of 2024 with updated processes and procedures designed to improve efficiency for staff, applicants, and contractors with approximately 899,000 in available funding. The program identified and assisted 68 households in addressing critical home repair needs. And I can tell you from speaking with Shironica that folks are showing a lot of gratitude that we're helping to address some of those home repair issues uh in our community. Lateral sewer connection program with

approximately 66 69,000 in funding provided in 2024. The lateral sewer connection program successfully connected additional properties to the public sewer system. And I remember when we started this effort and again it was about education and going out and to knock on doors and inform people of why connecting to the sewer was so important. Of course there was a lot of fear about you know property how was that was going to affect their property values and how there was going to impact uh the property that they had. So that was a a huge success and it is still again ongoing. Uh we had a special meeting on on July the 1st of 2024 and the presentation of the Gulla history and cultural awareness program for employees was delivered to the task force led by Sanc Kofa communications. This is again very important as we understand how we interact with each other and that uh when we have new staff and folks who are new to uh our different committees in the town um to be educated about this culture and again how we communicate and how we ask those questions and how we find those answers and and move forward together as as a community. Um, and I just want to pause right there to see if you have any questions so far. Any questions of Mr. Stevens at this point? I think No, I think we're I think we're good for now. Okay. And I'm just going to touch on a few of the things that we've been working on with some of the recommendations and and I appreciate Mr. Hence as being a part of our task force and certainly uh John Campbell as representatives from the uh planning commission and the when we talk about activated

recommendations activated means a recommendation has been put into action and is now actively being used or carried out as part of the town's standard procedures. So that's what we mean when we say activated. And we again we've got 23 of the 37 recommendations that were from the Gulligi report um that that was uh the town when we hired the consultants put that report together and I hope and encourage that all of you have read that report and are familiar with those recommendations. For those of us who were intimately involved in that process um we know what a lot of those recommendations are and we take them to heart. So um the purpose and background of the uh Gulligi cultural preservation project focuses on preserving and celebrating the rich heritage of the Gulligi community on Hilton Head through strategies addressing cultural preservation public policy heirs property challenges. Um and as I said we've outlined 37 of those reports. Those are the three main areas that we talk about. um the cultural preservation, public policy and heirs property. Uh the comprehensive approach demonstrates the town's commitment to preserving the Gulligi culture and addressing critical challenges faced by the community through collaboration with the Gulligi Land and Cultural Preservation Task Force, the Gulligi Historic Neighborhoods, Community Development Corporation, and uh community organization and external partners. The town is making measurable progress toward implementing the recommendations and ensuring the sustainability um of this cultural heritage. A few of those activated recommendations

include um we promote the heritage library. They've been very helpful in uh helping us to establish some of the lineage with the families in identifying legal resources going forward to help clear titles in dealing with heirs property issues. So, we're very grateful for that organization and the work that they're doing. Uh funding initiative for Gulla Cultural Program and interpretive sites. uh adapting the Gulagichi corridor. Again, that's the national organization. Interpretive themes for consistent Gulla storytelling on Hilton Head. Uh create uh multiformat self-guided tours on Gulla sites. I know we've worked very closely with the office of cultural affairs to help us with a lot of those u being attracted to sites, the tours and the signage around around the island. a consistent way finding an exhibit system for Gulla uh cultural sites studentled oral programs regarding Gulla elders education program engaging youth through interactive cultural interpretation technical and financial assistance for Gulla businesses and this is one that we certainly hope to keep making some progress with as we find new ways and new resources And again, the community development corporation will be very instrumental in that. A comprehensive inventory of Gulla cultural resources on Hilton Head. Uh we like to do an inventory on cultural resources as well as the properties and the residents and try to see to me measure our progress to see where we were 5 years ago, 10 years ago as to where we are now. See what those trends are and how we can address those trends. And even with the reports that we've established, we realize that

we have to adjust along the way. And when when we uh discover new ways to to move forward outreach with Gulla churches, which is a very big fabric of our Gulla community and of our total community here on Hilton Head, preservation, recognition of Gulla Cemeteries. I know we've in the last two or three years have had to address some issues and I think that's brought some attention to the importance of our Gulla cemeteries which is where we find a lot of our history in those Gulla cemeteries and through our families and through the generations who've been here fasttrack family compound and family subdivision applications historic neighborhood permitting and design studio. Design Studio is another one that we're very proud of where folks can come to the town when they uh have a question about doing something with their property. If they want to develop their property or if they don't want to develop their property, how do they protect it? How do they preserve it going forward? If they want to do a family compound, if they want to do a family subdivision, most of us as uh residents and natives uh are not developers. And so we've been addressing some of those issues. If you want to develop your property, what are those resources going forward and how can we do that and assist? And again, that's all a part of cultural preservation. Establishing an overlay district, which we now know some of that language is being transferred into district planning, family compound, and family subdivision allowing site u design flexibility is another area. Uh we have to understand that a lot of the native island uh properties uh especially after the town has been developed and we have a lot of development move in um they're not always clearly defined and not always always clearly recognized. So we have to

make some adjustments for some of the sites as far as setbacks and buffers and things like that. Um and certainly with landscaping and I think it is a a good partnership again that we understand as residents again how we can do it and what we can do and where our limitations are. Fund for delinquent taxes. I know that through Low Country Gulla, we've tried to identify some resources to help folks with uh rescuing their property from tax sales and things like that and also education again for folks to stay off the tax sale list every year. And we've identified resources and educational programs for them to be involved with and understand that through generations that has been something we've tried to address. Uh so Low Country Gulla and certainly the heritage library has been very instrumental in that. We do throughout the year educational meetings and workshops. I feel like the CDC will also be very much involved in promoting uh the community reinvestment act where we are approaching some of our financial institutions about being involved in helping to assist folks with finding resources for developing and finding monies to um to just to survive and strive uh to just to be here. uh we want to be able to approach those financial institutions to help them understand how important it is for them to be involved in our community. Again, lots of folks have land or property, but as we say, we are land rich and money poor. So, we we're learning how to uh work that partnership to access those resources with our financial institutions. Other activated recommendations are heirs property and family research project. I've talked about that a little

bit um and coordinating with heirs property organizations. The center for heirs property preservation satellite office. I know we've explored that. That has not been established here on the island and we've looked at that and talked with those folks and haven't quite decided if that is something that is best for us to have here on the island and they haven't seen a real need to come here as well. But uh we still have them as one of our resources. recommendations are in progress by district plans and LMO project implement transfer of development rights in historic Gulla neighborhoods. Um, and we are learning how that works, questioning how that works, and asking if that is something that we can use in our Bella communities where people have challenges again with particular pieces of land um that may not be useful in one area that they can combine or transfer those rights to another area or partner with other folks to do a development. And again, it's all about cultural preservation. um preserving Gulla land ownership through development rights purchase. Design regulation amendments to reflect Gulla cultural traditions. Uh we've as Gulla folk have certain things that are in our culture uh that help us identify who we are. Sometimes that might not fit into the exact design of what people think of of this community or Hilton Head Island, but you know uh so we we want to look at those designs, those uh uh architectural designs, if you will. And that's why you might see a purple house sometimes or a yellow house instead of just the plain old brown and tan house throughout the island, which

we know that's a main design here on Hilton Head. And that just reflects the culture again. And we want the community to embrace that and not be offended by that to to recognize that this culture is very important to this island. It has become a great attraction through many of our organizations here uh through the Mitchville Freedom Park, the Gulla Museum, and certainly our Gullet Heritage Trails and many others. I'm happy to say that we have a lot of young entrepreneurs coming up on the island now who are starting to ask those questions about um how can we operate in the town. So I'm encouraged by that because we believe that the economic sustainability certainly lies with uh this generation and the generations to come behind us. So we want to encourage folks that there are opportunities here because too many times over the years what we've heard is that I have to leave here. my family was here, but there's nothing for me to do here. I can't survive here. I can't thrive here. So, we're changing that, and I'm happy about that. Promoting uh Gulla cultural attractions regionally, uh integrating Gulla culture into islandwide tourism marketing. That's the same thing I'm speaking about now. and to have a program that uh Gulla authenticity certificate certification program what is bonafide gulla what is genuinely gulla um I I will just say a little bit about that we have to be mindful and uh somewhat of gatekeepers about not being um taken advantage of in our culture when we have people who speak about our culture make sure that they are are saying the right things are coming from the right place. This is a world that we live in now that anybody has any access to anything and can interpret any way they want to and make money off of it. So I can tell you that

there are people in our gulla culture who are very sensitive about things like that. If you take a photo, if you record them, if it's on Facebook, you know, it's like how are we benefiting that? Why are you doing this? So we ask questions a lot of times just to be as gatekeepers uh for the culture um leveraging the economic impact studies and strengthen gulla herit her heritage tourism. I spoke about that a little bit already to establish the open air gulla market. U that is something again where we can have something visually folks can see. I remember years ago we had the the uh Gulla flea market here. I don't know if anybody in the room has been here long enough to remember when Perry White had that market up on the north end. It was a place where people would go to the flea market and you know you could go there and it was it was a flea market true enough but it was a cultural experience and folks were would be there selling their art or their wares and furniture and certainly fruits and vegetables but that also uh gave us an opportunity to have that visual art presentation as well as economic sustainability. uh the comprehensive cultural preservation plan uh on a focus on Gulla heritage. Going forward, uh we're looking at some of the recommendations to be carried out by the uh community development corporation, landowner development partnership program for historic Gulla neighborhoods, development fee waiverss and grant assistance for Gulla neighborhoods. reduce tax burden through current use valuation in historic Gulla areas, temporary and seasonal signs and fund to clear um titles. So again, numerous of these uh

recommendations have been activated and we are continuing the work uh with strong community and inter agency collaboration in place, measurable impacts on cultural preservation, economic opportunity and policy reform. Uh the foundation lays for continued progress through the Galaguchi Historic Neighborhoods Community Development Corporation. And we are again excited about uh the progress that we have made, but we know there's still a lot of work to be done. And I will say that uh with our Gulligi task force, the community is holding us accountable. So they're looking at us to be stakeholders and uh watchd dogs, if you will. So as we go forward with things like the district planning, we want to be intimately involved. Again, the task force stands here to assist the planning commission in the efforts that you are working on. Even when those efforts are not necessarily uh involving cultural preservation, but if it calls for interaction with uh the community and with our culture, we stand here to be available to help you with with those things. And uh with that I I will stop there. I would like to read this last quote uh that I have. It says preserving Gulligi heritage is not just a project. It is a responsibility. Through unity, strategic action and respect for the past. We are shaping a future where culture and community thrive together on Hilton Head. So, with that, I would close and ask if you have any questions for me. And again, thank you for this opportunity. Thank you, Mr. Stevens. Any questions? Commissioner Whe

to the face I've seen on uh the remote viewing, you know, YouTube. I have two questions. Um, and forgive me, I'm not steeped in your culture, but how far along are we as a community in understanding how much heir's property is in that risk category? Have we started straighten it out? Do we have a long way to go? I've never got a good sense of that. And um, what can we do as you know, fellow residents? And I don't know if the planning commission has any role in that, but how do we get that clarified and moved along? Because I know uh not just in Hilton Head, but you know, inland South Carolina, there's been a lot of grief and just I think uh scurless behavior with respect to families. And I'm just curious where we stand on the island, what's been done, and what can be done in the future. Thank you. Thank you for that question. That's a very good question. He's property is certainly one of the very sensitive areas we've dealt with in the last uh four or five years. I'd say a little bit more aggressively. Uh organizations like Low Country Gulla uh has established a program u again where we um go to to tax sales. Uh, and before that, we look at who's on that list and contact those families and make them aware that they are on the list. Um, sometimes folks don't even know that they're on the list. Uh, because if someone passes on or the taxes don't get paid and then the next thing we know, we've lost the property on a tax sale. So, we've made some significant progress with that um with Low Country Gulla and the work that they're doing and u so uh Miss Luana Grace Sellers has done some

great work with that and taking an inventory to try to answer your question to say where were we and where are we now? I can tell you that in the last two or three years, we've made real significant progress in keeping folks off of that tax sale through again education and awareness. And again, she also has a program where we've raised some funds to assist families with paying those taxes if they need some help uh with that. What we don't want to do is to uh have that happen year after year. That's why the education piece is so important. What can we do as residents? Uh certainly again the awareness that that this is actually happening uh to our neighbors and to be aware of that there are fundraising efforts that you can support uh through financial uh contributions and certainly just those of us who are in key positions town council and planning commission just to be aware of this and the work that's going on. Other questions of Mr. Well, we thank you very much for bringing us up to date. I I know we uh love hearing from you at least annually, but don't let that be the only time we hear from you if there are some things that your task force feel that need to be brought to our attention or that you where you think that the planning commission might be able to assist you in some way. Please don't wait for the annual report to let us know about that. Well, I hope to see you a little bit more often and so great. But thank you for your service. Thank you for inviting me. Thank you. All right. Uh, okay. Our next item of business will be the consideration of a street naming opportunity known as STDV00003625. And we will have a report uh from Joe Haida Fister on that. But first, let me open the public hearing and then invite Joe Haida to help us understand this.

Well, good afternoon. Joe Haida Fister, Deputy Fire Chief. Um today I am here to present uh STDB 0000362 uh 2025. Um so this is on behalf of Naen Chaplain in conjunction with the town of Hilton Head Islands dirt road paving project. um which you will see on the map coming forward that as part of the rep or the paving of Alice Perry, it is changing some of the um structure of the roads there. And so we need to rename an access easement that is located off of Alice Perry Drive. Uh Lzette Place is what we are proposing the name to be. It'll provide direct access to seven homes on two parcels. And um due to the zoning in that area, um there is an undeveloped lot that could also hold up to seven dwelling units in the future. Our recommendation is that the planning commission approve the application based upon the re the review criteria that is enclosed in the staff um report. Uh, Lzette Place was chosen as a new street name. Lzette is the applicant's middle name, which it will fit the character of that area as um there's an access that is adjacent to it that we we named um Naen's Way. And you will see this is the realignment of Alice Perry and the paving. And so, um, right now, horses sugar kind of meanders here and goes this way up to this par these parcels. Um, with the paving of Alice Perry, it's going to straighten out and make Alice Perry um

kind of cut between those that that area. Um, so these parcels up here have addresses off of horse sugar and it won't make sense anymore once we do the paving project. Um, and so you'll see this is how it is today. Alice Perry um, comes in off of Fish Hall and kind of ends there where this is horse sugar and it comes up and creates that loop up there. So, the paving project is really going to um create good access for us fire department wise and is going to really define what the roads truly are in that area. Um and so this is what is currently that second part of Horsugar and you can see Naen's way is right there. Um Alice Perry comes up here and will get straightened out and then this access will come off of it. And so we needed to rename it to give um that part so that it's not horse sugar and it doesn't it makes sense um in the new alignment. And this is just how it looks today. And as described in the staff report um we vetted the street names. They meet the criteria that is set set out in the LMO. So we are asking that you um approve this the new street name. Okay. Any questions by commissioners of Jhaida? Don't see any let me invite public comment. Is there anyone here today who would like to speak to us on this application? Okay. Seeing none, I will close the uh public hearing and go to the commission for discussion or a motion. I'll make a motion. I make a motion that we approve the

request to rename the street to Lzette, please. Moved by Commissioner Lobos, seconded by Commissioner Dwis. Discussion on the motion or any ready to vote. Okay. All in favor of approval of the motion, it goes 50. And we are on to now STDV 000308 2025 Joha. All right. So the the second one is um for Roanna Lane. Um so this one is on behalf of Mr. Ford and it also is the access that will serve the town's future Patterson Park. Um Mr. Ford is uh developing some of uh some additional homes on his property and in order to give them addresses and to plan for the park so that the park has an address. Um we are proposing to name the road that will serve them. Um, it provides, like I said, access to the town's future park and it could also serve up to eight additional dwelling units in the future on adjacent parcels. So, staff is recommending the planning commission approve the application based on the criteria in the LMO. Um, Rosanna Lane was selected as the new straight name in honor of Rosanna Murray, the matriarch of the Green family. The Green family has deep roots on Hilt NED with a history spanning multiple generations. Their lineage includes an ancestor who bravely escaped the Confederate Army to serve in the Union forces during the Civil War. Naming the street is a tribute to their enduring legacy and proud heritage. And um it was uh Mr.

Ford's recommendation that we choose Rosanna Lane. Um this it will serve um the the street will come through this parcel right here and it will serve the park which is now 23 Marshall Road and then it will also serve 21 19 and this additional parcel back here. And that's just a little um to show where the park is going. same uh the future Patterson Park and the subject property. And then this is just a uh rendering of what the street will become the for the park. And then um Mr. Ford's lots are these two right here. So as described in the staff report, the street names we vetted them and they meet the criteria that was set out in the LMO. So, we just ask that you would approve Rosanna Lane so that we could move forward with the new street. Thank you, Joe. Any questions on this proposal? The commission. Uh, I invite public comment. Is there anyone here who would like to comment on this application today? Okay, we will close the public hearing and go back to the commission for discussion or a motion. Moved by Commissioner Why to approve, seconded by Commissioner Dubois. Any discussion? All in favor? Let's raise that right hand. It's unanimous and we are good. Thanks, Joe. We appreciate it. Thank you. This would be a time on the agenda that would be open for public comment for items that don't appear on today's agenda. Is there anybody here who would like to comment make a comment to us um on something that does not appear on the agenda today? I'm seeing none. So, we will move to the

next item which is the uh election of officers for next year. Uh let me outline kind of reiterate what I sent to you in an email within the last week about how we're going to do this today. Um I will uh we're going to use the open nominations process. So I will first ask uh for nominations. Those nominations do not require a second. However, if there's it's not inappropriate. If somebody feels like they want to second it, they can, but it's not necessary to keep the nomination alive. and self-nominations uh are allowed. Uh after all the nominations are made uh I will actually ask the nominees if they are willing to serve if elected and after those responses we'll move to the vote. We will start with the person who was nominated first and keep moving until we move through that and we will begin with the office of chairperson before moving into the office of vice chair. So with that ground rules underway, uh I would now open the floor for nominations for the office of chair for the commissioner why. Yes. Can anybody hear me? At this time, I'd like to propose the nomination of Mr. Hens. Uh he has the longest tenure here. He's been very clear in helping to articulate problems, uh, understand and listen to the community. Um, I don't always agree on everything, but I think he'd be a he's he's he understands the community and the process, and I'd be supportive of his chairmanship. Thank you. We have a nomination for Commissioner Thomas Hence as chair. Um, are there other nominations for the office of chair? I would I would second that nomination. Thank you, Commissioner Dubois. I'll ask one more time other nominations for the position of chairperson.

Okay, then we'll close the nominations and uh sounds like we don't have multiple votes. So, uh let's just ask for a vote on the motion that Thomas uh Hence be elected chair of the commission. Sorry. Commissioner Hence, would you be willing to serve if elected? Uh, sure. It'd be my honor. Thank you. Thank you. Yeah. After I get after I give you the rules, you had to feed them back to me. Okay. Uh, looks like we're ready then. So, all in favor of of that motion, please raise your hand. Okay. Congratulations. Uh, Chairman Hence, we appreciate your willingness to do that. So, I will now open up the process for the same office for the office of vice chair. Do we have any nominations for the office of vice chair? Uh, Commissioner Dwa would nominate Commissioner Whe is nominated. Are there other nominations for the commission to vice chair? Commissioner Whe would you be willing to serve if elected? Just kidding. Okay, we have uh we have agreement there. I'm going to ask one more time. Are there other nominations for the commission for the role of vice chair? That case, all in favor of electing Ellen why to that office of vice chair, please raise your right hand. Okay, we have a new chair and a vice chair. Thank you very much. Your roles will begin with our meeting in July, although it will probably begin sooner because Shay will be in touch with you to talk about the agenda for that meeting and you'll be uh off and running from that point. under the chair report. Excuse me. I'm just uh make a comment that it's been my privilege and honor to serve for the last two and a half years in this role and I'm intending to stay on the commission and support our new leadership, but thank you for stepping up and offering to do that and look forward to continuing to work with you. Now, let me find out is there a staff report today, Shay? Any anything from

the staff? Anything else from the commission? Commissioner Why? Uh, since this is your last opportunity to be chairman here, um, and I've only been on it for one term and a quarter, I just want to tell you that I've appreciated your leadership, your ability to moderate, uh, set agendas, communicate to the public during public hearings, which can get quite passionate here. And I've learned a lot from you, and, uh, I appreciate all the time and effort you put into moderating the whole process. Your leadership has been uh instrumental in me understanding this. Thank you. I I think Thank you very much. I appreciate that. Thank you. Are you allowed to do an applause? No. Thank you so much. I appreciate it. U seems like there's no other business, so I'll take my last wrap at the gamble to join the meeting. Good job. Congratulations. Good job. Yeah. Congratulations.