OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Mount Pleasant Town Council Special & Regular Meeting Summary – May 12, 2026

Town Council — Tuesday, May 12, 2026
BodyMount Pleasant, South Carolina
SessionTown Council
DateTuesday, May 12, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:13:14

Transcript — Verbatim
0:03

That's ridiculous.

0:05

I don't know.

0:08

Twenty twenty thousand to four private leaves tournament.

0:16

It doesn't make sense.

0:19

No.

0:35

Yeah.

0:37

So battery charge it.

0:45

Right.

0:55

I got it with my dad.

1:12

Catherine's gonna be Let me call to order the special town council meeting for this Tuesday, May the twelfth.

1:22

Um, Council Member Whitaker is flying back into town from a work trip and will be with us as soon as she lands and gets here.

1:31

Um, item number two would be public comment.

1:34

Is there anyone here to make a public comment?

1:36

Uh reminder this is the special town council meeting.

1:40

We have the monthly meeting at six.

1:43

Anyone for public comment?

1:45

All right, public comment is closed.

1:47

Item three, executive session for legal and contractal discussion and possible action regarding an economic development incentive package.

1:56

Do we have a motion to go into executive session for that reason?

2:00

Second.

2:01

All right, before uh we vote, um council may take action on any item including any subsection of any section listed on an executive session agenda or discussed in executive session during a properly noticed meeting.

2:15

All in favor of the motion, please say aye.

2:17

Aye.

2:18

Any opposed.

2:18

All right, we are in executive session.

2:21

To the conference room.

25:42

Let the record show we have reconvened from executive session in our 515 special council meeting.

25:49

Um no votes were passed, no action was taken.

25:52

Um do we have a motion resulting from the information received?

25:56

Uh yes, Mayor, um I have a motion to approve economic development to and to negotiate an agreement as discussed in executive session.

26:06

Second.

26:07

We have a motion, we have a second.

26:09

Is there any discussion?

26:10

All in favor, please say aye.

26:12

Aye.

26:13

All opposed, no motion carries.

26:16

Uh and uh is approved.

26:19

Thank you very much.

26:21

Item number five, National Tennis Month Proclamation, Mr.

26:26

Rambo.

26:41

All right, I will read the Tennis Month Proclamation.

26:44

Whereas the United States Tennis Association and the Town of Mount Pleasant Tennis Clubs promote the play and growth of the sport of tennis in South Carolina at every age, ability and level of play from beginners to professionals, and whereas playing tennis at any ability and level improves heart health, agility, and can provide a positive and fun environment to spend time with family and friends while staying active, and whereas by increasing accessibility of tennis for Mount Pleasant residents of all ages and abilities, the USTA and the town of Mount Pleasant have helped make our community healthier.

27:18

And whereas USTA has declared the month of May as national tennis month to encourage players, organizations, facilities, retailers, tennis manufacturers, and many other tennis providers to promote local programs and activities at public parks and facilities, private clubs, schools, colleges, and universities to showcase tennis and spread the word about the sport and its benefits, and to help players and non-players alike find courts and play and play opportunities in their communities.

27:48

Now, therefore, I, Will Haney, sorry, mayor, uh just not me.

27:55

Mayor of the town of Mount Pleasant do hereby proclaim May 2026 National Tennis Month in the town of Mount Pleasant and encourage all of our residents from youth to senior to stay active and play tennis.

28:08

And let me add that we have an exciting groundbreaking tomorrow at two o'clock for the uh additions to the Muggsy Kerr tennis facility over off of Whipple Road.

28:19

So we are very excited about that, and we invite anybody to come to that who would like to come.

28:24

Would you guys like to say a few words or yes?

28:27

Okay.

28:29

I'm Andrea Weinstein, the president of the Low Country Tennis Association, and I've provided council members with um a handout here that has pictures of uh first of growth of tennis, and I want to emphasize how important Mount Pleasant is in terms of the Low Country Tennis Association.

28:51

We have over 1,000 registered tennis players, adult tennis players, who play from Mount Pleasant Wreck.

29:00

And in addition, we have players that play um at some of the private facilities such as Snee Farm, Park West, Dunes West, Creekside.

29:09

So Mark Mount Pleasant represents a large portion of the Low Country Tennis Association, and we are the fourth largest tennis association in the United States by registrations.

29:23

And that's because we live in Charleston area where we can play year-round and we facilitate play all year round in um in this little country tennis area.

29:36

And on the next pages, um we try to improve the experience um uh for our players at our facilities through a facility improvement grant.

29:46

And um, there were some picnic tables at Mount Pleasant Wreck, and you can see a picture of them.

29:52

And on the next picture, there are the four facil uh uh picnic tables that Low Country Tennis Association has provided uh for our players and other people who come to Mount Pleasant Wreck.

30:05

So that was a $7200 expenditure that we made um to improve the experience and just to show how important Mount Pleasant is to our player experience.

30:18

Thank you.

30:18

And I want to thank you very much for reading the proclamation.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Procedural███████████████████████23%
Economic Development██████████████████18%
Youth Programs███████████████15%
Engineering And Infrastructure██████████████14%
Budget Equity Analysis███████7%
Parks and Recreation█████5%
Community Engagement█████5%
Public Engagement█████5%
Arts And Culture████4%
Summary of Proceedings

Mount Pleasant Town Council Special & Regular Meeting Summary – May 12, 2026

The Mount Pleasant Town Council met for a special meeting at 5:15 PM and a regular monthly meeting at 6:00 PM on May 12, 2026, at Town Hall. The special meeting included executive session regarding an economic development incentive package, a Tennis Month proclamation, and recognition of state champion unified basketball and swim teams. The regular meeting covered public hearings, zoning overlay districts, budget adoption, and accommodations tax funding decisions.

Consent Calendar

  • Final reading of consent agenda items (7A and 7B) were approved unanimously.
  • Approval of minutes from the April 14, 2026, special and regular council meetings and the March 2026 financial statement was approved by voice vote.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Bill Reside, a Libertarian candidate for U.S. House District One, introduced himself. He stated he filed with the FEC in November 2025, received the party ballot line on April 11, 2026, and holds a BS in nuclear engineering from the University of Virginia. He expressed his intent to bring engineering expertise to Congress and noted that while Mount Pleasant is currently in District One, redistricting may change its boundaries. No opposition or further public comments were made.

Discussion Items

  • 10 Mile Zoning Overlay District (Ordinance 26026) – First Reading: Staff planner Ms. Reed presented the overlay, which mirrors Charleston County's historic overlay. Key differences include maintaining the town's own density standards (rural residential and suburban urban residential) and allowing duplexes, triplexes, and quadplexes as workforce housing only via Board of Zoning Appeals special exception. The overlay prohibits community docks and boat ramps; staff could not explain the county's rationale but honored the community's three-year input process. Council Member Ross expressed support for uniform treatment of historic settlement communities and asked about manufactured homes (permitted), the prohibition on docks/ramps, and enforcement (by planning department). The ordinance passed first reading unanimously.

  • Rezoning from Area Business to R2 Residential (Motion to Deny): A motion to deny the rezoning (behind Art's Bar & Grill) was made and seconded, with no discussion. The motion was approved by voice vote, effectively blocking the rezoning.

  • Accommodations Tax (ATAX) Advisory Commission Funding Recommendations: Council debated a $5,000 request for the Turkey Day Run (held in Charleston on Thanksgiving). Council Member Brownstein moved to remove the item, arguing the event does not generate significant hotel stays in Mount Pleasant—a position supported by Mayor Pro Tem Chapman and Council Member Rambo (who stated he does not support running on Thanksgiving). The amendment passed 4–3. The remaining ATAX recommendations were then approved.

  • Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) for 2027–2031 (Resolution 2605): Staff noted the plan reallocates $150,000 from the Pitt Street project to the Merriam Brown project. The resolution was approved unanimously.

  • Lease Purchase Agreement (Resolution 26052): A resolution to approve a $2.5 million, five-year lease purchase for listed equipment was approved unanimously.

  • Five-Year General Fund Financial Plan (Resolution 26053): A resolution to adopt Mount Pleasant's five-year general fund financial plan (FY27–31) was approved unanimously.

  • Final Reading on FY27 Budget (Ordinance 26024): Council first approved the base budget, then approved amendments discussed in the budget committee (a 1.5-hour committee meeting). The ordinance as amended was approved unanimously.

Key Outcomes

  • Economic development incentive negotiations approved: Council voted unanimously to approve economic development and negotiate an agreement as discussed in executive session (no action taken during the session itself).
  • Tennis Month Proclamation declared May 2026 as National Tennis Month in Mount Pleasant; a groundbreaking for additions to the Muggsy Kerr Tennis Facility (Whipple Road) will occur May 13, 2026, at 2:00 PM.
  • Recognition of state champion unified basketball team (MPRD Stingers – undefeated at state tournament on April 18, 2026, among 54 teams and 500+ players) and unified swim team (MPRD Piranhas – brought back 3 participation ribbons, a 6th place, 3 fifth places, 6 fourth places, 10 bronze, 12 silver, 9 golds from state tournament with over 1,000 athletes).
  • Debbie Antonelli's 24-hour "Nothing But Net" fundraiser raised $195,000, bringing total to nearly $1.6 million; event will return next year.
  • Turkey Day Run ATAX funding removed (4–3 vote).
  • All resolutions and the final budget ordinance passed unanimously.

Dates & Timing

  • Special meeting called to order at 5:15 PM; regular meeting at 6:00 PM.
  • Public comment period included one speaker (Bill Reside).
  • Meeting adjourned after item 11 (no further business).

Meeting Transcript

That's ridiculous. I don't know. Twenty twenty thousand to four private leaves tournament. It doesn't make sense. No. Yeah. So battery charge it. Right. I got it with my dad. Catherine's gonna be Let me call to order the special town council meeting for this Tuesday, May the twelfth. Um, Council Member Whitaker is flying back into town from a work trip and will be with us as soon as she lands and gets here. Um, item number two would be public comment. Is there anyone here to make a public comment? Uh reminder this is the special town council meeting. We have the monthly meeting at six. Anyone for public comment? All right, public comment is closed. Item three, executive session for legal and contractal discussion and possible action regarding an economic development incentive package. Do we have a motion to go into executive session for that reason? Second. All right, before uh we vote, um council may take action on any item including any subsection of any section listed on an executive session agenda or discussed in executive session during a properly noticed meeting. All in favor of the motion, please say aye. Aye. Any opposed. All right, we are in executive session. To the conference room. Let the record show we have reconvened from executive session in our 515 special council meeting. Um no votes were passed, no action was taken. Um do we have a motion resulting from the information received? Uh yes, Mayor, um I have a motion to approve economic development to and to negotiate an agreement as discussed in executive session. Second. We have a motion, we have a second. Is there any discussion? All in favor, please say aye. Aye. All opposed, no motion carries. Uh and uh is approved. Thank you very much. Item number five, National Tennis Month Proclamation, Mr. Rambo. All right, I will read the Tennis Month Proclamation. Whereas the United States Tennis Association and the Town of Mount Pleasant Tennis Clubs promote the play and growth of the sport of tennis in South Carolina at every age, ability and level of play from beginners to professionals, and whereas playing tennis at any ability and level improves heart health, agility, and can provide a positive and fun environment to spend time with family and friends while staying active, and whereas by increasing accessibility of tennis for Mount Pleasant residents of all ages and abilities, the USTA and the town of Mount Pleasant have helped make our community healthier. And whereas USTA has declared the month of May as national tennis month to encourage players, organizations, facilities, retailers, tennis manufacturers, and many other tennis providers to promote local programs and activities at public parks and facilities, private clubs, schools, colleges, and universities to showcase tennis and spread the word about the sport and its benefits, and to help players and non-players alike find courts and play and play opportunities in their communities. Now, therefore, I, Will Haney, sorry, mayor, uh just not me. Mayor of the town of Mount Pleasant do hereby proclaim May 2026 National Tennis Month in the town of Mount Pleasant and encourage all of our residents from youth to senior to stay active and play tennis. And let me add that we have an exciting groundbreaking tomorrow at two o'clock for the uh additions to the Muggsy Kerr tennis facility over off of Whipple Road. So we are very excited about that, and we invite anybody to come to that who would like to come. Would you guys like to say a few words or yes? Okay. I'm Andrea Weinstein, the president of the Low Country Tennis Association, and I've provided council members with um a handout here that has pictures of uh first of growth of tennis, and I want to emphasize how important Mount Pleasant is in terms of the Low Country Tennis Association.

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