By Jenny Peterson
Reprinted from The Journal

James Island Public Service District commissioners compromised on a 2008-09 budget plan at a committee meeting April 21, coming up with a third option, a $5.9 million budget that would give the fire department all of its requested increases without raising taxes.

The committee vote passed 4-3 with Commissioners Rod Welch, Inez Brown-Crouch, Eugene Platt and Donald Hollingsworth voting in favor of the new plan.

Under the new compromise budget proposal, money to fund the fire department would come from this year’s excess fund balance, which has close to $2.5 million.

Brown-Crouch’s vote was a departure from previous votes with Commissioners June Waring, Charles Rhodes and Karen Clark-Thompson on a budget plan that would have cut the funding request by the fire department but didn’t raise taxes.

Residents will have another chance Monday night to voice their opinions about the 2008-09 budget for the district before commissioners vote.

Controversy has surrounded two previous budget plans. One plan, for $5.66 million, proposed and favored by four commissioners would not have raised taxes but would have reduced the fire department’s funding request of about $3.35 million by more than $200,000.

Another budget plan, prepared and supported by the district’s staff, would have funded all the fire department’s recommendations and raised taxes by $11.52 a year on a $200,000 home.

At an April 14 commission meeting, the first vote on the four commissioners’ spending plan deadlocked 3-3 after Rhodes abruptly walked out in the middle of the meeting before the vote. He was in favor of the budget, and said he would have voted for it had he stayed. It had passed 4-3 at a committee meeting last month.

Hollingsworth, Welch and Platt voted against it. Instead, they favor the staff-recommended budget that raised taxes. They voted on this (last week) 3-3.

Nearly 100 people attended the April 14 PSD meeting, which is usually sparsely attended. The majority opposed the plan that cut the fire department’s funding requests.

The commission meeting room has capacity for about only 20 people; the rest set up chairs under a tent in the parking lot facing the meeting room. A loudspeaker was set up to broadcast all the comments outside. Many of the residents clapped and cheered when others opposed the budget plan that made cuts to the fire department.

About 10 firefighters were among the crowd. Rhodes said he left the meeting in part because of the firefighters in attendance. “Those were on-duty personnel; they weren’t in their stations,” he said.

Rhodes said another reason he left was because of Welch’s criticism of the budget proposal favored by the four commissioners. Rhodes left as Welch listed nearby municipalities that pay 100 percent of health insurance to its employees (contradicting Rhodes’ prior assertion that none did). The staff-proposed budget would cover 100 percent of health insurance for single employees.

Under the four commissioners’ budget plan, the district would continue to pay 80 percent of health insurance for single employees.

At a March 24 committee meeting, the initial vote was 4-3 in favor of the budget plan that does not raise taxes.

This voted resulted in an outcry from the community and the three opposing commissioners. Many said the fire department needs more money to maintain its level of service.

Some residents said cutting recommended funding for equipment and fire education programs was dangerous.

“It is totally distressing to me to cut $237,000 from the budget of one of the best (fire) departments in the country,” Hollingsworth said. “I don’t understand where they’re coming from.”

Some residents at the meeting said they did not mind a tax increase to fund the fire department’s budget requests.

“Eleven dollars is no problem to me,” said Faye Lohr.

“I don’t care if it’s $50,” added Elese Sifly.

Resident Shirley Rush gave the commission a petition with several hundred signatures opposing the four commissioners’ budget plan. An online petition has netted more than 400 signatures, commissioners were told.

Many residents mentioned the Sofa Super Store fire that killed nine city of Charleston firefighters in June, and said firefighters need to be protected with regulation uniforms and equipment.

Rush said the controversy surrounding the budget has put a spotlight on the district’s fire department. “Four commissioners have made citizens realize how important the fire department is to us all,” she said.

Fire Chief Chris Seabolt said, “I beg you to re-look at the budget. Listen to your employees, listen to the citizens and do what’s right.”

One person at the meeting, the Rev. Alex White of Emmanuel Baptist Church, said raising taxes was a burden to residents.

Rhodes maintained that he does not want to raise taxes, and the fire chief presented a “wish list” of items for next year.

At the meeting, Waring amended the four commissioners’ budget to cancel the staff’s annual event at a RiverDogs baseball game and transfer $2,000 that would have been spent on the event toward the fire department’s office supply fund. It passed 6-1 with Platt voting against it.

Platt pleaded with the other commissioners to reconsider the staff-recommended budget.

“I hope the words by all our constituents would be considered by commissioners who weren’t in support and hope they reconsider. I wouldn’t consider it losing face,” he said, “it would be honorable, after all we’ve heard.”

Waring said the four commissioners’ budget allows for district department heads to request that funds be moved into other areas as needed throughout the year. She added many homes in James Island are worth more than $200,000, and taxpayers already are burdened with rising prices.

Monday’s meeting will be at 7 p.m. at 1739 Signal Point Road.