Elected — ExOfficio Rick M. Crosby, Chale pe area, Linda Page, Mayor ‘Susan f, Mellichamp, Vice-Chair gy <, Mark Smith, Chair H. Mac Jenkinson, Secretary Treasurer Water Supply Committe, Town Council Diane D. Lauritsen, PhD. = dohn W, Burn Clay Due, General Manager 1619 Re Range Roa June 27, 2016 ‘The Honorable J. Elliott Summey Charleston County Chairman 4045 Bridgeview Drive Suite B254 North Charleston, SC 29405 RE: 2016 Sales Tax Referendum Dear Chairman Summey, Charleston County's efforts over the last decade to improve our communities’ road infrastructure and preserve open space have been a great success. Our Mount Pleasant community has benefited from your efforts along with the citizens of our region and state. We hope your efforts will continue to be successful, particularly with regards to the proposed 2016 Sales Tax Referendum, Mount Pleasant Waterworks has worked closely with your Transportation Department over the last decade coordinating the Road Wise construction along with our public water and wastewater system relocations required to accommodate the many road projects in our service area. | have observed much improved coordination and communications with the process. However, the critical issue for us remains the financing of line relocations. The customers of ‘Mount Pleasant Waterworks have invested over $12,000,000 since 2007 in utlity relocations with no return on that investment and not one new customer to help pay for it. We are budgeting to spend another $6,000,000 for the Coleman Boulevard project. Cumulatively to date, our ‘customer's financial contribution to regional road improvements will approach $20,000,000 plus their contribution as taxpayers via the / sales tax. The proposed road improvements that were highlighted at the public meetings this past week are very much needed. Our fellow citizens, customers and employees will benefit from these improvements, as will the region. However, we project another $18,000,000 in public water and wastewater system relocation costs to accommodate these future projects. Again this substantial investment by our utlity would not add one new customer, nor yield any rate of retum on the investment. In fact, our elected Commissioners would have to raise our customers’ rates significantly to fund these costs, without any kind of benefit to our utility. To put this in perspective, our customers would be called upon to contribute almost $1,000 each in additional water and wastewater rates, on top of their contribution from the % sales tax, to accommodate road improvements. It seems like double taxation. Therefore, we request that Charleston County Council include a provision in the upcoming referendum to include the public water and wastewater system relocation funding in the total costs of the projects. We strongly believe this provision will save money for our county's citizens. If the road designers and project managers have to fund the public water and wastewater system relocations, there will be fewer relocations, thus less total cost to the public. COMMISSIONERS OF PUBLIC WORKS OF THE TOWN OF MOUNT PLEASANT ——_—_———— ‘Pout Ofice Bex 330+ Mount Pleasant, South Carolina 29465-0830 + Phone 849-884.9626 + FAX 843-049-2227» wun MovntPeasnt Waterworks com‘A meeting has been scheduled for June 29, 2016 with Mr. Bustraan and Mr. Armstrong to pursue this issue on a staff level. However, as you know, it is your decision as an elected official to include the question in the referendum. We greatly appreciate your leadership in improving Charleston County's infrastructure and preserving our beautiful landscape. Thank you for your consideration and feel free to call me anytime at 843.276,1901 Sincerely, Soar Melbehempe? ‘Susan |. Mellichamp Commission Vice-Chair CC: Charleston County Council Town Council, Town of Mount Pleasant MPW Commissioners Keith Bustraan Jim Armstrong Eric DeMoura Charleston County Transportation Development Office