City Council - Regular Meeting

And also to pledge allegiance. Please bow your heads. Father, we come to you today asking you to continue to lead, guide, and direct us as leaders that you put before the people and as your children who understand how to actually listen and give direction and love on each other as we try to continue to improve the city of North Charleston. Father, I know that you are looking at the city to see how far it has come. And your love is everything we need. But you also want us to love each other as you love us. And Father, we ask you as a city to continue to lead, guide, and direct us. And also, Father, let us always know that you are everything. And only through you will we become the city that we really want to be. Amen. 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, with liberty and justice for all. You can sit down. We're going to actually have Tony Tessarotti. We're going to actually, I think it's a six or seven minute video of the All-American team. Now, this All-American team wasn't put together based on individual mindsets this all-american team was put together okay sound it's better it's better now oh oh oh yes yes i'm sorry can we can we rise again i apologize rise again We had a warrior for the state of South Carolina that the Lord called, and we want to have a moment of silence for former Senator of the United States, Lindsey Graham. Thank you. As I stated before, we had a team put together to actually present to the All-American City, which is the National Civic League. If you read the paper articles, it talked about what we did. There were two cities. selected in the state of South Carolina, of all the cities in the nation that put in, there's only 20 cities that actually received an opportunity to come and present. And what you all don't know is that, where's Mandy at? Mandy, where you at, man? Man, that's our rock right there, man. That's our rock. That's our rock. Thank you. As you probably heard, I asked Mandy the first day I became the mayor. I walked in the room the first week, and I said, Mandy, I said, we had the prerequisites. And I said, this is the all-American city prerequisite. Is there any way we can actually take a look at doing this? That was in 2024. And Mandy said, why not? And she took it. And every day she told me something about it or what we need to do. And then the year went around and she says, I have to put it together. So we came to this year, and Mandy said, okay, I'm speaking to other folks that have won it, Charlotte, other cities, and they give her good information. And Mandy said, I'm going to submit it for the city of North Charleston. She submitted it, but guess what we end up being? The 21st city. The 21st city. We were 21. Now, Mandy was down. She was out. She was broken. I said, Mandy, that means we're getting closer. And we hugged and talked. And she was upset. She really was. Man, we were standing in the hallway. We were standing by Gwen's office. We were just talking. And Mandy walked up. And she was standing there. I said, Mandy, you need me? She said, well, yeah, I just wish we could have made it. I just got a call just now. Made the top 20. I was like, oh, my God. Oh, man, we was jumping up, pounding each other. And I said, Mandy, get it rolling. And not only did she get it rolling, people, she actually helped us to present this thing. We went over to Park Circle, got on the stage, and we actually recited our presentations. She broke it down from the Walter Scott family. She broke it down from our recreational units. She broke it down with our after-school programs because it was all about civic engagement and building trust. And Mandy said to me, When she wanted the Walter Scott family and she said, Mayor, this is the big lift. We've got to ask the Walter Scott family to be involved with it. And I told Manny, I said, oh, you don't know about our immersion program. And she's like, nah. I said, Anthony and I and Rodney got together in 2019. And Walter was killed in 2015. And Anthony and I got together in 2019. And I said, Anthony, before any police officers from the city of North Charleston get hired, before they get a badge, before they have a gun, before they have a uniform on, this family needs to talk to them about the hurt that they experienced. And Anthony came to City Hall, Rodney was working, and Anthony called me, and I said, Anthony, I'm on the second level. I was the chief of police. He said, I can't do it. I said, oh, man, I understand, but you want to think about it? He said, no, I can't get on the elevator. And I said, on the first level, he said, I can't do it. So I had to take, I walked, I ran down the steps. When I got down the steps, he was sweating profusely. He had never been around cops that close since his brother was shot and killed. And it took so much out of him. So I grabbed him, and I said, man, God's got you. And Anthony got on that dog in the elevator and rode it up. And he and I sat down and talked. And then Rodney came when he was off, and I said to them, this is how we're going to do it. I said, I'm going in there with the recruits. I'm going to put on the Walter Scott shooting. And you can see how Michael Slager shot that man in cold blood. It's the cops saying this now. I said, we don't do that. And I said, once that happens, we're going to take a break, and you're going to come in there. Now, what happens when the officers saw it, right? They saw Anthony doing some testimonies when he was talking about his brother. They saw Rodney standing, and they were like, oh, that's the family. They saw Miss Judy. And I told Anthony, the reason why I called you Because when I went to the National Action Network Awards, I saw Miss Judy Scott, the mother of Walter Scott. And when I saw that lady, I got cold because I said, oh, my God, I'm the only cop in here. The Walter Scott family's in here. Everybody's going to be looking at me like you are the cause of it. And the Holy Spirit told me to go over to Miss Judy. I walked over to Miss Judy.

When I walked over to her, So I was like, okay.

That's why I called Anthony. And when I called Anthony, he came in, and we are the only department in the nation that had an officer-involved shooting that acknowledged we were wrong and got the family of the person, the life we took with us, every recruit with us in Denver, talking about the city of North Charleston, how we've changed, how we're better. Then we looked at our young kids. We have that big park, right? Don't we, Mandy? We have the big park. That's the biggest in the world, right? But there's no park in this world that should not allow everybody to play. Our park is inclusive. If you have unique or special needs as a parent and your child doesn't, you can give them a ride right with your child. If it's vice versa, they can ride and do everything. You can plug up your wheelchair. You can do everything there. Any of the slides, they don't bother anybody with cochlear hearing. It doesn't bother them because they need to be treated just like we are. Then we got Mr. Flood and Kobe Hilton's program, the after-school program. And that program showed you Brody, who is in the end of his elementary year. Then you have Kayvon in high school. then you have chance in college. All three of those young men went to that program starting in kindergarten area. It shows you if you invest in a program like that, The good will come out of it. So that's what we did. And Mandy, can you come up before we start the video? And it's kind of like, oh, you want to wait after the video? You want to wait after the video?

OK, come on.

Come on. Come on up, man. What am I doing? Come on. I want you just to talk, just to let them know the people who are involved.

OK. Hi. So can we turn this around? Hey, there we go. OK. Okay, that's good. Okay. Oh, no, let's not do that. Okay. So the people we brought with us... Can I introduce them all? Okay. Well, first, let's start... The Scott family is just the nearest and dearest to my heart now. We've become really good friends, and I love them all. Jalondre is Rodney and Daenerys' daughter, Walter's niece, and she was just such a light to deal with, and I love you, and I love her babies. We have, where's Anayla? Oh, there she is. And where's... And you, ma'am, Amira, you rocked it. And you did such a great job. And you are... So older than your years, and you're going to do great things. I'm really proud of you. And then there's Anthony and Denise. Anthony is Walter's brother. Denise is his wife. And then Rodney and Janarius. Rodney is Walter, and Anthony's brother, Janarius, is his wife. And they're just a really lovely family. And along with them, we had Tyreka. Where's Tyreka? Tyreka, who is, if you look in the pictures, Has been the forefront of the recap. The community policing that we are doing is because of Tyrica. She gets out there. She is boots on the ground. She is praying with people in the community.

So what she is doing is...

The best work we can all do. And then Jamila Harper is with Metanoia. And we've had a really good relationship, great relationship with Metanoia for a long, long time. And they were a real push for us to kind of be real and get into that racial... And then with the playground, we have Liz Pettit, who started it, and Jess, who is part-time, but really she needs to just say she's full-time, part-time. But we've got the Austin Page family with their children, Hudson and Lucas, who have been a part of our sports programs from the start, our therapeutic Raptors. Go Raptors! Go Raptors! So if you don't know, before I finish introducing the families, we are the go-to for therapeutics, right, Liz?

Yes.

I mean, people are calling us to ask us questions on how we're doing it. How are we getting these kids involved? Well, it is you have people like Liz and Kathy and Jess who are actually putting the programs on. And we have a council that approves new athletic centers and sports complexes that allow us the space to put this stuff on. And there's also a lot of Jedi mind-tricking into getting sponsors, but they go to Topgolf every Monday night. And Topgolf, I don't think they would ever go without y'all coming every Monday night. What a gift it is that y'all go every Monday. And then we have Benjamin, Pike, and then Gabrielle. Where's Gabby? Yeah. We had a really hard time getting these kids out of their shells. I don't know. We got to Denver, and I was like, what are we going to do? They're not going to say anything. But their parents are the real heroes. Alexis, Michael, Jamie, and Amelia.

Their blessings, their gifts, and their families are just amazing.

And then you've got Robert's Liberty Hill Afterschool Enrichment Program. And when we started researching it and finding all the stats and the data, it's just fascinating. You're doing really great work. And I don't think you have the time to recognize it. You just keep going. You're like a train, and you just keep moving on that track. But having Chance and Kayvon and Stuart and Brody were just huge.

I think it was the only way for us to tell the story. We had to have the people that were involved.

And I think that made a difference when we were there. So I'm really proud of everybody.

Thank you.

All right. Mr. DJ, kick the mic.

They are living proof of a city working together, going together, and moving forward together.

Forward together! We are White North Charleston!

We are in Denver, Colorado. Great state of Colorado to the National Civic League All-American Cities Championship. That's what it's all about. There are only 20 cities that were offered to be here. So the city of North Carolina. is one of those teams that are 20 nationally. So it's a blessing for us to be a part of it. Oh man, I feel awesome because from day one, before we even came up to Denver, we were already a team. Everybody here, they're doing one job, and that one job is to represent the city of North Charleston. And we're representing North Charleston in the way that we can be proud of. It does not work without the people being involved. Everything that I do,

Everything that our citizens do and everything that our workers do in the city of North Charleston, it must be about the betterment of people.

Our communities, then our neighborhoods, and then our city. Everybody in North Charleston cares about everybody. People in North Charleston count. They matter.

We ensure this community thrives within.

Your citizens and your groups, your leadership, special needs groups, and the Walter Scott family, you can see how much we love the city of North Charleston. We have 19 other cities here. But as far as we're concerned, there's only one city that matters. That's North Charleston.

North Charleston! Go away! Together! Go away! Together! Go away! Together! Go away!

during what should have been a routine traffic stop, changed our city forever. When a white officer shot and killed an unarmed black man. That man was our brother, Walter Scott.

He was a good man that loved his children, his family, and God.

North Charleston has built a true community of inclusion. The first six months, the playground welcomed over a half a million people across the country here. Kids, parents, adults of all abilities play, learn, and grow.

I started in Liberia when I was in kindergarten. I am now a rising junior at Hampton University, where I am the section leader of the drum line. I come back every summer to be a counselor to impact my community.

I was raised by a city with more grit, heart, resilience than anywhere else. My mother used to say, son, good things come from North Charleston. I've always known that to be true, and today you know it too. These programs are the heartbeat of a community that refused to break. They are a living proof of a city working together, growing together, and moving forward together. Forward together.

We are One North Charleston!

This is one of the most emotional presentations we've had. And to the Scott family, I mean, it takes special people to work with special cities. I just want to applaud you for it.

Now, I just feel like there's something about your spirit and leadership that we need more of in our country.

I hope you can take that.

And I don't know what it looks like, but maybe you should run for president of the United States.

I just really feel blessed to be invited for us by the Civic League and also to have everybody around the City of North Charleston team. It's real. We came up here with real information. We came up here with the Walter Scott family. Real. We came up here with our Liberty Hill Enrichment Program. Real. We came up with our Unique Needs Skills Program. It's real. Everybody up there, they're either engaged in something or helping others in their lives to be better. And that's all this thing is about. Being seriously real about life and helping people in the best way we can. The spirit just gets into you and you realize that we are looking at our city in a different light now. But we have a community that's behind us.

In this community, all means all.

Thread by thread, this community is stitching its future together. The first time All-America City of North Charleston, South Carolina

I'd like to thank everybody up here, all of the group that was working hard to get us here. I'd like to thank our city council. I'd like to thank all the folks in Newark, Charleston. But most importantly, other than God, I want to thank the citizens of Newark, Charleston. Thank you. The last thing I'll say to you, Last thing I'll say to you, I'm 61 years old. I'm telling you this, people don't care so much about how much you know until you show them how much you care. Let them listen to this one.

One more toasting! One more toasting! One more toasting! One more toasting!

How we doing? How we doing? How we doing? How we doing?

Forward, together! Forward, together! Forward, together!

One more chance!

All right, let's go.

All right. Thank you.

Madam clerk, please proceed with the meeting.

Our first item on the agenda is a request to approve the City Council Minutes from July 9th, 2026.

Move to approve.

Second.

We have a motion to second. Any changes, corrections? Hearing none, Madam Clerk, please call the roll.

Mr. Perry. Aye. Mr. Rome. Aye. Dr. Ganaway-Paisley. Aye. Dr. Palmer-Roberts. Aye. Mr. Emdy. Aye. Ms. Brown. Aye. Mr. Brown.

Aye.

Mr. Hudson. Aye. Mr. Skipper. Aye. Mr. Brown. Aye. Mayor Burgess.

Aye.

Our next item on the agenda is the final reading and a public hearing of a proposed subdivision text amendment and ordinance omitting section 18-40 of the subdivision regulations of the City of North Charleston regarding lot size, lot frontage, and lot width requirements. If there's anyone here who would like to speak on this item, please come forward, state your name and address for the record.

Move for approval. Second.

We have a motion to second. Any discussions? Hearing none, Madam Clerk, please call the roll.

Mr. Perry. Aye. Ms. Jerome. Aye. Dr. Ganaway-Paisley. Aye. Dr. Palmer-Roberts. Aye. Mr. Emdy.

Aye.

Ms. Brown. Aye. Mr. Brown. Aye. Mr. Hudson.

Aye.

Mr. Skipper.

Aye.

Mr. Brown. Aye. Mayor Burgess.

Aye.

We have the final reading of an ordinance adopting a bill to be entitled an annexation ordinance of the City of North Charleston, annexed in an area of Charleston County known as 54V, TMS number 390, parcel 89, and make it part of present-day Council District 7. as shown on the map prepared by the GIS Department for purposes of this annexation, dated June 1st, 2026, bearing the title Area Proposed for Annexation by the City of North Charleston, Section 55B in Council District 7.

Move for approval.

Second.

We have a motion and a second. Any discussions?

Hearing none, Madam Clerk, please call the vote. Before you call the roll, Mr. Mayor. Yes, sir. Members of Council, the annexation petition pending before tonight contains 100% of the freehold property owners and represents 100% of the assessed values. The records of the auditor and the censor have been checked. The petition is ready for adoption if you so choose tonight. And if approved, the services will begin or be effective after tonight's vote. Thank you, Mr. Mayor.

Okay. All right. We had a motion. I'm second. Hearing none, Madam Clerk, please call the roll.

Mr. Perry. Aye. Ms. Jerome. Aye. Dr. Ganaway-Paisley. Aye. Dr. Palmer-Roberts. Aye. Mr. Emdy. Aye. Ms. Brown. Aye. Mr. Brown.

Aye.

Mr. Hudson.

Aye.

Mr. Skipper?

Aye.

Mr. Brown?

Aye. Mayor Burgess? Aye.

We have the final reading of an ordinance rezoning a portion of the property addressed as 2597 Midland Park Road, Charleston County, TMS number 47501, parcel 46, from R3 Mobile Home Residential to B1 Limited Business to Limited Business District and Council District 2. Move for denial.

Second. Second.

We have a motion and a second for denial. Any discussions? Hearing none, Madam Clerk, please call the roll.

Mr. Perry? Aye. Ms. Jerome? Aye. Dr. Ganaway-Paisley? Aye. Dr. Palmer-Roberts? Aye. Mr. Emdy? Aye. Ms. Brown? Aye. Mr. Brown?

Aye.

Mr. Hudson?

Aye.

Mr. Skipper?

Aye.

Mr. Brown?

Aye.

Mayor Burgess? Aye.

Mr. Mayor? Yes, sir.

Without exception, can we bundle by title only items five, seven, and eight?

Mr. Mayor.

Yes, ma'am.

I do have a question for number five.

Okay.

So we can still bundle them, and then when you have your discussion, you can bring that discussion together.

Thank you, Council.

Yes, ma'am. Thank you, Council. All right. Without objections, we will hear items five, seven, and eight through by title only discussion for number five.

We have the final reading. of an ordinance rezoning a portion of the property address as 2810 Ashley Phosphate Road, Charleston County, TMS number 484-14, parcel 91, from B2 General Business and M1 Light Industrial to M1 Light Industrial in Council District 2.

Move for approval.

Bundling, bundling.

Oh, we're bundling, sorry.

Then we'll get back to number five, I think. Councilwoman Cannaway.

Item seven is an ordinance rezoning the property addressed as 9650 Dorchester Road, Dorchester County, TMS number 171, parcel 197 from B2 General Business and R1 Single Family Residential to PDD Plan Development District, Cusaw Crossing and Council District 9. And we have the final reading of an ordinance amending section 5-5B of the City of North Charleston Code of Ornix's Appendix A Zoning Regulations with regard to conditional uses.

Move for approval.

Second. Stand by.

Question. Yes. For item number five, counsel, I sent an email to Mr. McCall, and I realize I believe he's on vacation this week, and he did partially answer my question, but he didn't fully answer it. And I want an answer in regards to I was asking whether there's a specific plan to address the increased traffic and noise caused by continued development along Ashley Phosphate Road.

Okay. Andrew.

Which item was that, clerk?

Item 5. Which is? 2810 Ashley Phosphate.

Okay. We do have a traffic study ordinance that requires traffic studies for new businesses and new development that reach a certain threshold. And so they're analyzed at the time that they come in for development within the city. Okay.

Now I understand that the city considers traffic and quality of life concerns when reviewing new development, but you're saying there is a specific plan in place that would address this?

For this property specifically, there's not. As far as I'm aware, the existing buildings and uses, the property's already developed, so there wouldn't be a specific traffic study for this parcel.

Okay, Councilwoman.

Yes, Mayor. Thank you. Okay. Thank you.

We have a motion and a second. We are here at this discussion. Madam Clerk, please call the roll.

Mr. Perry. Aye. Ms. Jerome. Aye. Dr. Ganaway-Paisley.

My second.

Yes, aye.

Dr. Palmer-Roberts? Aye. Mr. Emdy? Aye. Ms. Brown? Aye. Mr. Brown?

Aye.

Mr. Hudson? Aye. Mr. Skipper? Aye. Mr. Brown? Aye. Mayor Burgess? Aye.

Mayor Burgess?

Yes, sir.

If it's okay by council, items nine through 18, can we do those by title only, sir?

9 through 18?

Yes.

Okay. I've got 17 on mine.

Okay.

I'll just peek over this side for 18, but anyway. Yes, sir. Without objection, we will hear items 9 through 18 by title only.

We have a resolution authorizing the City of North Charleston to accept the Spark Good Local Grant in the amount of $1,000 from Walmart facility number 628. A resolution authorizing the City of North Charleston to accept the Cincinnati Children's Hospital Buckle Up for Life Grant of Safety and Kind Grant A resolution authorizing the city of North Charleston to accept the firehouse of public safety foundation grant award for 5 thermal imaging cameras for the fire department. A resolution authorizing the city of North Charleston to accept the 2027 South Carolina parks, recreation and tourism park and recreation development fund grant for Monty Park improvements in Charleston farm community center and Collins Park. A resolution authorizing the mayor to execute an intergovernmental agreement with Dorchester County relating to landscaping on Ashley Phosphate Road medians. A resolution authorizing the mayor to execute an updated agreement for the management operations of Westcott Golf Club. A request to approve the transfer of one deadline 2013 Chevrolet Tahoe from the North Charleston Fire Department to the Lincolnville Fire Department at no cost. A request to approve the transfer of Police Department 1995 Ford F800 VIN1FDNF80C1SVA30963 to the Government Training Institute in exchange for $4,125 in training credits. A request to award the Westcott Dog Park Turf Installation Project to Gordon Greenville South Carolina in the amount of $101,709, utilizing the South Carolina state job order contracting program, contract number 5400-29038. We have a request to approve The award of new tax in Lenovo server build to SHI Somerset, New Jersey in the amount of $743,536.74 plus tax utilizing the Omnia Partners IT solution cooperative contract number 2024056-02. Move to approve. Second. Second.

We have a motion and a second. Any discussions? Hearing none, Madam Clerk, please call the roll.

Mr. Perry? Aye. Ms. Jerome? Aye. Dr. Ganaway-Paisley? Aye. Dr. Palmer-Roberts? Aye. Mr. Emdy?

Aye.

Ms. Brown? Aye. Mr. Brown?

Aye.

Mr. Hudson?

Aye.

Mr. Skipper?

Aye.

Mr. Brown? Aye. Mayor Burgess?

Aye.

We have two speakers tonight. When I call your name, please come to the front, state your name and address for the record, and you have three minutes. Monica Mummy.

good evening monica mummy 2474 vistavia north charleston south carolina 29406. i'd like to address some public safety and quality of life and property value issues we are suffering with in northwoods estates we have three abandoned homes that put our community at risk of squatters and drug dealers and two properties that are running auto repair shops out of their homes that are r1 properties 8475 Deerwood is owned by Randy Altman. We've been making complaints to code enforcement for over five years. The only time we saw him was when he was arrested in the street on drug charges in front of the house in question. Contacting him requires finding out if he's in jail or in prison. At one point, he had renters in the house with a sewer line that was leaking raw sewage out of the front of the house into his neighbor's yard. Mr. Dandridge suffered with the smell of raw sewage for over three months before we got Charleston Water and Sewer involved and got it addressed. AD 297 Delhi has been abandoned for five years. We called the police when several young men were trying to enter the house and broke the bay window. I wanted to contact the owners and the neighbors told me at that time that the Browns hadn't lived in the house in several years, but they still get mail to that address sometimes delivered in the neighbor's mailbox. The Browns that own this property are related to our code enforcement officer. The windows have since been boarded up. The grass wasn't so bad because it's covered in pine straw, but there's still a broken lamp post in the front yard. And like I said, the windows are all boarded now. How long can the house be left abandoned and boarded up? The third house is 2550 Vestavia. There was a fire there several months ago. Nothing's been done to manage the property by the owner, the insurance company, or the city. The roof is open and exposed. The grass in these yards have been up to three to four feet tall. There was a meeting when I was out of town regarding 2550 Vestavia. I did a FOIA request. I got it stated back as completed and there was absolutely no information in that FOIA request in regards to what was determined by that meeting. These three abandoned properties have been reported to code enforcement multiple times. My last complaint, all I got back was a message that said received with no updates or no plan. I've been told that there's a process that takes time, but four to five years seems like too long of amount of time for houses that are abandoned and in poor repair. It is a safety hazard and a quality of life, and it negatively impacts our property values. We have two properties that currently have auto shops running out of them. Ms. Bryce will speak to that. They currently have cars jacked up and on stands in the front yard, which I know is against code for an R1 property. Any of these five properties, if they were next door to your homes, I think would have been addressed far sooner than this. It is really an eyesore and, like I said, a safety and health risk for our community. There are no signs posted that these have been addressed by the city. There's no no trespassing signs. There's nothing posted by the homeowners or the city or the insurance company regarding the house that was on fire. That's the house with 19 venomous snakes. Thank you for your time.

Thank you.

Sonia Bryce.

Good evening.

First of all, I wanted to say I'm proud to say I live in North Charleston. My name is Sonya Bryce. I live at 2524 Bingo Road. I bought my home 30 years ago. In 2020, I came before the council, and I'm not even sure if anybody that sits on here now was here. I had a neighbor that had moved into my house, into my development across the street, and the grandchildren began to... create a business of working on cars 24-7. I contacted code enforcement. At the time, Otto was the contact person in my subdivision. He did an amazing job as far as citing the people for what they were doing that was in violation. It took almost two years because COVID happened, but we eventually came into court, and unfortunately, I had to go to court to shut down the business because the biggest investment I think most of us make is our property. My piece is priceless, and I don't just speak for myself. I speak for my community that has over 400 homes in Northwest State. We have worked hard to... keep the neighborhood up because that's our job we're a team um i went to court and won a judgment of eighteen hundred dollars against the person that had created this business that was illegal uh fast forward in 2026 may 21st we've got new neighbors found out that an investor bought a house two doors across the street from me and uh renters are in there in They immediately began to open up a detail shop and to repair cars after 5 o'clock because they know code enforcement is closed, and all weekend, day and night. This is not fair to the community that we've worked hard and invested in. I have called Code Enforcement Director Angela McGee. Duncan, she's too busy to return phone calls. I have sent messages. She has refused to meet with me or to acknowledge the problems that we're all complaining about. Her department tells us that it's zoning. I have reached out to the director of zoning, who is Tim McCall. He's too busy, too. So I figure I'll come to the council and maybe somebody can make them do their job. The people that we see every day is telling us that zoning tells us it's code, code tells us it's zoning. Nobody knows whose job it is. In 2020, it was code. Now, code is saying it's not my job, and nobody's doing their job. So I'm just saying, can we just team together to help my community and all our communities to not turn into commercial versus residents? I bought into a residential area, and we're getting no help from the directors. So if the directors are not doing their job, you know everybody the tree goes down is not doing theirs. I will tell you the person in charge of our community, Her hands are tied. She says, I'm told this, so I can't do anything. That's not right. We're paying these people to do what? Like, they're doing nothing, and I'm just asking you guys to help us because they're not helping us at all. The last thing I'd like for you to consider is, can we have a situation where the community can meet with the directors so they can explain to us what they're responsible for and what they're not? Because we don't know. Thank you for your time. And I'm going to leave all these pictures. I have videos. I have more pictures of other people. Yes, ma'am.

Okay. Can we do this? Can we get a copy of that? Then we can get it to them. Do we have another copy?

I'll make another copy.

Yeah, because I want to get it to the folks.

I was going to say, Ms. Price, look here. Yes, ma'am. Thank you. Thank you. Mr. Mayor, I know Ms. Mommy knows. She sends me text messages. I'm available. I get messages from her all the time. And Ms. Bryce, please feel free to contact me. If I don't know, I can't assist, but I hear it now, so I know now. But don't hesitate to contact me. I'm available to you. I hate to say 24-7, but 24-7. Thank you, Ms. Bryce.

Okay. Any other business to come before the body?

Mr. Mayor? Yes. I want to take a moment to, may I? I want to take a moment to publicly recognize and thank Charleston County Council Member, Councilman Teddy Pryor and Councilman Henry Darby and the rest of the council team for their support in helping secure funding for the proposed sound barrier wall project in our district. Our district is very satisfied with that. This issue has impacted residents in our community for many years, and their willingness to support this effort demonstrates a commitment to improving the quality of life for the families who live alongside the interstate. And I thank you too, Ms. Mayor.

Thank you. Any other?

Yes, Mr. Mayor.

Yes, ma'am.

I understand how happy Northwoods is, but Midland Park is not very happy because their wall should have been included in this. And I will fight to the very end to make sure that there's not only one wall, but two walls put up. Find the money. That's all I'm going to say.

Thank you, ma'am.

And Mr. Mayor, we will stand with you because we know that, again, we know that this is a quality of life issue. So whatever we can do to assist our community, we'll stand with your community.

All right. Thank you. That's a collegial relationship. Love that. Now, what I want to say, I want to read a letter real quick. Any others? Okay. Well, one thing here. Yes, sir.

I just want to acknowledge my son Wells' first birthday. He joined us in the chamber tonight. Just want to say happy birthday, Wells.

Happy birthday, Wells.

Mr. Mayor. Good thing. Good thing, man. Mr. Mayor.

Yes, sir. Yes, sir.

I just want to say the funding has not been secured for any of these projects unless we pass the half-cent sales tax in November. You have to vote yes. You have to vote yes. It is critical that we vote yes to extend that sales tax.

100%, 100%. Thank you. And I'll say this to you all, is that this body right here really cares about our city. We may have different districts, but at the end of the day, we vote for all the city, and we have to remain one. So I want to read this letter real quick. It says, Dear Reggie Burgess, I don't care about the honorable stuff. I'm Reggie Burgess. It said, On behalf of the leadership and congregation of the Lord of Harvest Christian Faith Center, we would like to express our heartfelt gratitude for the outstanding service and unwavering commitment of the city's arms busman, Edwin Schiff Wright. throughout the throughout the years chef wright has exemplified the true meaning of his servant leadership his compassion accessibility and genuine concern for well-being of others have been incredible blessing to our ministry and to the citizens of north charleston he consistently goes above and beyond to ensure that the needs of the community are heard addressed and met with dignity and respect We are especially grateful for Chef Wright's support of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Parade and for helping make it possible for us to partner with Positive Vibes in creating such a memorable celebration for our city. His encouragement, collaboration, and commitment to the community engagement helped make the event a tremendous success, bringing people together in the spirit of unity, service, and hope. Please accept this letter as our sincere appreciation for allowing us the privilege of working alongside such an extraordinary public servant. We pray that God will continue to bless Chef Wright with wisdom, strength, good health, and continued favor as he faithfully serves the people of North Charleston. And they just want us to know that we have a gem. And Chef, what a way to go. God bless you.

All right. Mr. Mayor. Yes, ma'am. I'm so sorry.

Yes, sir. I want to acknowledge, if we can acknowledge the passing of former Representative Chris Murphy, who was a representative for District 4, and he was a great ally to me, a great friend, and he was very, very welcoming when I became elected. So I just would like for us to take a moment of silence and recognize him and condolences to his family.

Yes, a moment of silence, please.

Mr. Mayor, while we're taking a moment of silence, let's also include our former Senator Lindsey Graham.

Yeah, we did that earlier. Yes, sir. We did it earlier. Yeah, one moment of silence for Senator Chris Murphy from South Carolina. Thank you. Well, we don't have anything else. This meeting is adjourned.