13% Property Tax Hike Approved by James Island Public Service District

The James Island Public Service District Commission voted to increase property taxes by 13 percent on first reading at its May meeting.    A public hearing hearing on the tax hike and second and final reading are scheduled for June 25th at the JIPSD offices at 1739 Signal Point Road.   The time of the public hearing is 5:30 PM and the meeting where the Commissioners are set to give final approval to higher taxes starts at 6:00 PM.

This property tax hike will apply in both the Town and the unincorporated area of James Island.    With nearly half of the typical homeowner's property tax bill going to the JIPSD, this will be a significant burden for many residents.

Voting in favor were Chairman Cubby Wilder and Commissioners Kay Kernodle, Donald Hollingsworth, and Eugene Platt.  Voting against were Commissioners Kathy Woolsey and Inez Brown-Crouch.   Vice-Chair Sandi Engelman abstained.   In a highly unusual move, Commissioner Kernodle was absent, but voted in favor of the tax hike by proxy.

The current JIPSD millage is 53.1 operating and 3.8 debt for a total of 56.9 mils.   The proposal for next year is 55.1 operating and 9.3 debt for a total of 64.4 mils.    The increase in total millage is 7.5 mils which is 13% of 56.9.    This is a 13% increase in the JIPSD tax charges on next years' property tax bill. 

The Mayor and Council of the Town of James Island have no say regarding increases in the property tax the JIPSD collects from Town taxpayers.   It is totally up to the Commissioners, who are elected by the voters of the District.   The majority of those voters reside in the Town, but many are in the unincorporated area.   Commissioners Wilder, Kernodle, Hollingsworth and Brown-Crouch are up for election this November.

 All government bodies must hold a public hearing on their budget, but the JIPSD does not follow the common practice of holding the public hearing before first reading.   They instead hold their public hearing before their second and final reading which is on June 25th. 

https://www.jipsd.org/commission-meetings/

If no one shows up, the majority of Commissioners will get the message that taxpayers of James Island just don't care and they can hike taxes however they want.

Here is contact information for the Commissioners:   https://www.jipsd.org/commission/