City Council Meeting Summary - December 16, 2025: Departures & Afford Housing Decisions
City Council Meeting December 16, 2025
The City Council convened for its final meeting of the year to honor four departing council members with farewell remarks, approve a new affordable housing purchase on 899 Morrison Drive while terminating the agreement with the county for 993-995 Morrison Drive, and vote to sunset the current HARC commission. The meeting featured student presentations, public testimony on racial conciliation, and the renaming of public infrastructure to honor outgoing officials.
Consent Calendar
- Approval of the minutes from the previous Council meeting.
- Adoption of the memorandum of agreement regarding third-party stormwater review.
- Approval of the TST (Transportation System) priorities list.
- Approval of Item 10 deferred for corrective maps (2147 St. James).
Public Comments & Testimony
- Anthony G. Bryant: Expressed concern regarding the Army Corps of Engineers' role in flooding and dredging; stated he filed a lawsuit against the Army Corps and the Mayor in 2019; advocated for the collection of the 5% franchise fee for affordable housing; raised allegations regarding witness testimony involving Windham Gilliard and Logan McPhane.
- Charles Duffy: Expressed strong opposition to the ordinance M14 to remove the terms "women," "minority," and "racial conciliation" from city documents; characterized the measure as an insult to the city's Black and white residents and a disgraceful act.
- Carol Jackson (Former Councilwoman): Expressed support for the Mayor's proposal to purchase 899 Morrison Drive; urged the Council to vote against the current HARC amendments (dismissing them as a "low water mark"); opposed the repeal of the HARC commission's intent.
- Travis Folk: Advocated for city funding to support a conservation easement on the Dill Tract on James Island to preserve ecological and historical resources.
- Carl Wark: Requested city support for Green Belt funding for the Dill property to protect cultural sites (African American cemeteries, Civil War batteries) and ecological rookeries.
- Charles Hayward: Expressed opposition to Item 14 (M14), arguing the language eliminates previous structures rather than creating new ones, thereby excluding previous participants.
- Tony Lewis: Lobbied for the naming of Homan Field after Mr. Oscar Fordham Sr. to recognize his 65 years of community service.
- Sherry Harris: Expressed opposition to M14, citing dangers in the preemptive compliance language which she deems possibly illegal; noted the irony of reversing course on diversity initiatives shortly after celebrating the Anston Street Burial Monument.
- Online Comments: Recorded 35 emails opposing the annexation of Zero Folly Road and 1 email supporting the former fuel location.
Discussion Items
- Farewell Tributes:
- Mayor Codswell honored Councilmen Mitchell (24 years) and Gregory (16 years) and Councilwoman Parker (4 years) for their service and institutional knowledge.
- Councilman Robert Mitchell: Emphasized community over self; advised the incoming Councilman on election to lead with honesty and integrity.
- Councilman Dudley Gregory: Retired after 16 years (49 years total public service); advised new members to leave disagreements on the floor and return collegial; highlighted personal service to constituents over "big things."
- Councilwoman Parker: Expressed that being a wife and mother was her greatest job, but serving the community was a close second; thanked the staff.
- Mr. Jerro & Councilman Shae: Former members thanked the departing trio for their dedication, integrity, and work to make Charleston fair and equitable.
- Johns Island Recreation Center: Students from Hot Gap Middle School presented a Minecraft design for the new center, including a water slide, gym, pickleball courts, and yoga area. The Mayor praised the design as "spot on" for the proposed floor plan.
- Affordable Housing (Morrison Drive):
- Mayor Codswell moved to terminate the purchase and sale agreement with the county for 993-995 Morrison Drive ($30 million) due to valuation disparities and access issues (a strip of land owned by a private party without recorded easement).
- Mayor Codswell proposed authorizing the purchase of 899 Morrison Drive as part of the ILA property ($18 million) to secure affordable housing and allow for design work with existing TIF funds.
- Councilman Waring and Councilman Mitchell expressed support while emphasizing the need to maintain a cooperative partnership with the county to rezone their property successfully and ensure workforce housing goals are met.
- Discussion highlighted the legal and logistical complexities of the county property versus the zoned advantages (12 stories vs 8) of the ILA property.
- HARC (Human Affairs, Racial Conciliation Commission):
- Councilman Waring argued for sunsetting the current HARC ordinance to allow it to emerge as an independent non-profit, citing the need to move beyond state-level divisiveness.
- Councilman Gregory seconded the motion, stating HARC grew out of an apology for slavery and should not be altered by administrative bullying; urged it to become independent.
- Councilman Balden agreed to sunset to avoid division, noting the complexity of reconstituting a new nonprofit.
- Councilman Waring also highlighted the "Blue Square Alliance" initiative to combat rising hate against the Jewish community.
Key Outcomes
- Honors:
- Mr. Rossi Brown (Accounting Technician) named Employee of the Year and winner of the Susan Griffith Customer Service Award.
- Dudley Gregory Pump Station: A motion was passed to name the new pump station on September Clark Parkway the "Dudley Gregory Pump Station" in honor of his 16 years of service and passion for water infrastructure.
- Affordable Housing: Approved a motion to terminate the agreement with the county for the 993-995 Morrison Drive parcel and authorized the Mayor to proceed with the contract to purchase the ILA property at 899 Morrison Drive ($18 million aggregate).
- HARC Vote: Item 14 (M14) passed with an amendment: The commission is struck from the ordinance, allowing it to sunset naturally. The final vote count was 7 in favor, 1 opposed (Councilwoman Parker), with Councilmember Tinkler recused.
- Annexations & Zoning: Items 1-9 and 11-13 (various parcels for Commercial General Business, Conservation, and Residential) were approved. Item 10 (2147 St. James) deferred for corrected maps.
- Bills: Bills were approved for first and second reading; Items 3, 8, and 14 (as amended) passed third reading. Item 15 passed third reading (1 nay, 1 recusal).
- Public Hearings: 14 public hearings completed (1 deferred). No specific public hearing votes on annexations or amendments were detailed beyond the motion to approve items 1-14 excluding 10.
Meeting Transcript
All right, I'd like to call the December sixteenth meeting of City Council to order. Madam Clerk, please call a roll. Council Member Greg, Councilmember Sheeley, Council Member McBride, Councilmember Mitchell, Councilmember Brady, President, Council Member Gregory, Councilmember Waring, Councilmember Seekings, Councilmember Tinkler, Councilmember Balden, Councilmember Appel, Councilmember Parker, Mayor Codswell. Here. Help us to see the divine spark in each other, regardless of our paths or beliefs. May the love that brought light into the world fill our homes, communities, and nations. Remove barriers of prejudice, selfishness, and division, replacing them with compassion, forgiveness, and empathy. Inspire us to extend kindness, grace, and a helping hand to all, fostering peace beyond our own traditions. May this season renew our commitment to walk together in love, celebrating our shared humanity and reflecting the best of all our faiths. Amen. Again, the Susan Griffin Customer Service Award and the title of employee of the year. This award embodies the very spirit of public service, dedication, compassion, and excellence in meeting the needs of our citizens. Over the past year, 31 quarterly winners have stood out for their remarkable contributions and countless additional nominees, both internal and external, have demonstrated the extraordinary talent and commitment that makes our city thrive. From this outstanding field, one individual has risen above, as exemplifying the very best of who we are and what we strive to be. Their work has touched colleagues, residents, and partners alike, and setting a standard of service that again inspires us all. So it is with great pride that I announce the winner of the Susan Griffith Customer Service Award and our employee of the year 2025, Mr. Rossi Brown. Come on up. So he's as shocked as everyone else is. But I did want to read the nomination because I think this is really uh just talks about how uh Mr. Brown has gone above and beyond, literally, for this city. And this is from this was the uh um uh nomination that came from Mr. Terry Williams. And by the way, uh Rossi is an in the accounting BFRC, an accounting technician and finance and who's been with the city for two years. But this is what Mrs. Terry Williams provided uh the nomination. This is her words. On Friday, February 28th, I was sitting at my desk getting some work done, picking it some breakfast. I'm not sure what happened, but the next thing I knew, I was choking, and I was totally unable to breathe. I approached Rossi holding my throat, and he immediately asked if I was choking. I turned and he started with the Heimlich. Rossi never lost his cool and continued until I was finally able to breathe. At no time did he ever seem to lack the confidence or knowledge to help me. He sent me a text message that evening checking on me, and only then did he tell me how concerned he was that he wasn't working that it wasn't working and was contemplating getting help. He showed the courage and confidence to step up, and I'm very thankful for him and for having him as a part of the AP team. So again, everybody, please join me in congratulating Mr. Rossi Brown for this well-deserved honor. He truly is a lifesaver. Good stuff, good stuff. Jesus. This will be their last meeting. So I would first like to ask Councilmember Robert Mitchell to join me up on stage, and he is also the mayor pro Tim. Come on. Mayor Pro Tim. And I'll just say briefly that it has been quite an honor to serve with Councilman Mitchell. He is somebody that uh has a deep love and appreciation and connection to this place. Uh his institutional knowledge has proven invaluable to me as a new mayor. He's been very patient with me, uh, very supportive, uh, especially when I've done stupid things. So I just want to say thank you for uh all that you have done for this city and your time here, and would love to give you an opportunity to say a few words. I think I had spoken enough low host here, but I always say let the work I've done speak for me.
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