FOR OUR FOOD TRUCK TEXT US AT 843-214-6299 FOR OUR IOP LOCATION EMAIL US AT PAPISTAQUERIA@GMAIL.COM WE CAN CATER YOUR HOLIDAY PARTY AT OUR NEW LOCATION ON IOP OR WE CAN COME TO YOU! Follow Us @cachitaskitchen on Instagram 8 NEWS IslandVibesIOP.com From Page 3 our island progressing.” She added, “Trust and communication is what I hope we can put back into the council as a whole. And I want us to get started on the right foot, even if we tend to disagree on some things.” Aside from choosing candidates, residents were asked on the election ballots whether the city should cap the number of investment shortterm rental business licenses at a maximum of 1,600. A total of 1,393 residents not only said ‘no’ to a cap, their decisive 54.5 percent of the vote means that any future cap as originally proposed by proponents is unlikely to happen across the island. “I’m very pleased the residents voted down a very poorly written and misguided referendum,” said Terri Haack, the designated representative of Wild Dunes, LLC, owner of Wild Dunes Resort. “A very small percentage of residents were attempting to regulate property rights. And if the two-thirds of the property owners that didn’t have a say in this vote had voted, I think the outcome would have been even more lopsided.” Mayor Phillip Pounds pointed out that the issue will likely be settled at some moment in the near future only by “an action of the council.” Current council member Blair Hahn said that both new and old members will have to set aside differing opinions to come up with a long-term solution. “Now that the election is behind us, I would like to start the process of crafting a short-term rental ordinance that does what the vast majority of the island says they want: protect residential neighborhoods,” asserted Hahn. “And in 2024, I expect the state legislature to pass a measure which, going forward, will void any STR cap ordinance.” The state house currently has a pending bill that, if passed, would require any qualifying short-term rental properties to be assessed at 6 percent of their value. “Primary residencies are taxed at 4 percent of their assessed value, second homes and STRs are taxed at 6 percent,” said Rep. W. Lee Hewitt (R) of South Carolina House District 108, which includes Charleston and Georgetown counties. “So even if a property owner on Isle of Palms wanted to turn their primary residence into a part-time STR, they would have to exceed 72 days as an STR for the tax rate to go from 4 percent to 6 percent.” “I’m sure we can look at the facts and data and see if we need to craft an ordinance that will work for everyone on the island,” Carroll added. Carroll, Campsen, Pierce and Ward will be sworn into office in the new year on Jan. 2, 2024. Editor’s Note: Candidates Elizabeth Campsen and Scott Pierce were contacted for comment, but were unsuccessfully reached by the print of this article’s publication. Jimmy Ward Ashley Carroll Elizabeth Campsen Scott Pierce
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