At the July 21, 2015 Special Town Council meeting, Mayor Page and Town Council passed an ordinance to approve a referendum regarding a proposed tax millage increase. The referendum will be added to the November election ballot for the public to either approve or deny the proposed increase. The text below is the approved language for the ballot question. All citizens are encouraged to fully inform themselves in preparation for the referendum vote in November.  

2015 Referendum Language

"Must a five mil tax be imposed in Mount Pleasant with the revenue of the tax used to pay, directly or indirectly, the cost of the following public projects in Mount Pleasant:

• Improvements to or acquisition of open space for the benefit of the public;
• Construction of recreation amenities, to include, trails and passive park space at the Mount Pleasant Memorial Waterfront Park;
• Construction of recreation amenities, to include, athletic fields at the Carolina Park Recreation Complex;
• Construction of recreation amenities, to include, athletic fields and trails at the town owned recreation property off of Rifle Range Road;
• Construction or lease of building space for an additional senior center;
• Construction or lease of building space for a community arts center."
   

2015 MASC Municipal Achievement Award 

The Town of Mount Pleasant recently received a Municipal Achievement Award for the Reading Patrol Program. Officials accepted the award during the Municipal Association of South Carolina's Annual Meeting on July 18. The Town won in the communications category. Twenty-nine cities and towns submitted their projects and initiatives. Since the start of the program, officers have hosted 19 readings and reached out to more than 500 children. Young readers have redeemed 102 Buddy Cards after gathering 1,020 signatures from officers. The Communications Office regularly posts pictures and videos of the events on Facebook where engaged parents regularly comment.

"The Reading Patrol Program is a wonderful way to engage children and their parents with local police officers in a positive and thoughtful manner," said Miriam Hair, executive director for the Municipal Association.

To learn more about the Reading Patrol and the 2015 MASC Municipal Achievement Award, click here.

Police Department Receives National Re-Accreditation With Excellence

The Mount Pleasant Police Department received their 8th accreditation award on July 25 during a formal hearing in Colorado Springs, Colorado. For this reaccreditation cycle the Mount Pleasant Police Department participated in a Gold Standard Assessment. This type of assessment focuses primarily on processes and outcomes associated with standards specific to agency policies. Assessors from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA) reviewed the policies, procedures, processes and outcomes of the Mount Pleasant Police Department in March of this year. According to CALEA, only 5% of all agencies in the nation are accredited. The Mount Pleasant Police Department first became accredited in 1992 and was given the Meritorious Award in 2009 after having been accredited continuously for over 15 years. To read more about the Police Department's National Re-Accreditation, please click here.

A special Planning Committee of Council meeting will be held on Monday, August 10, 2015 at 10 a.m. to review and discuss the proposed ordinance changes as recommended by the Planning Commission during their May 13 and May 20, 2015 meetings. These proposed ordinance changes are recommendations from the Planning Commission to be considered as a Growth Management Comprehensive Plan and address subjects such as density, workforce housing incentives, and the definition of "mixed used development". To read the list of proposed ordinance changes, click here. To view the Planning Committee of Council August 10 meeting agenda, please click here.

Coffee with the Mayor

Last month's Coffee with the Mayor took place at Cracker Barrel where Mayor Linda Page met with residents to exchange information and discover ways to work together to improve Mount Pleasant. Stayed tuned for more information about the next Coffee with the Mayor. The event is free and open to all!  Contact the Mount Pleasant Communications Office for more information about this event.

Thank You For Protecting Our Local Waterways!

Did you know that stormwater run-off can carry pollution from our homes and businesses that can flow untreated into local creeks and marshes?  These water resources are where our shrimp, oysters, fish, and crabs live and where our families recreate.  Having healthy waterways helps protect our local economy, property values, and way of life. 

Learn more about what you can do to protect our local waterways by clicking here.  

Town Hall Groundbreaking Ceremony, July 21, 2015

For more information about the new Town Hall, please visit our Town Hall Project webpage. For the latest news and updates on all our capital projects, please visit our Capital Improvement Program website.