ISLE OF PALMS, S.C. (WCSC) - Isle of Palms leaders have applied for permits to dredge parts of the Atlantic Intercoastal Waterway and the city marina to deepen the water access.

The permits, filed in January, note that parts of the marina measure only eight feet deep and the plans are to make the intercoastal entrance 12 feet deep and the Morgan Creek inlet where the marina is located ten feet deep.

The project is part of regular upkeep and the last time the marina was dredged was in 2011. Mayor Phillip Pounds says it’s an important way to preserve waterway access.

“We spend so much time and effort on the beach side of our island. This marina, this dock, the dredging, you know, it’s the focus on the intercoastal side or the creek area that sometimes doesn’t get as much attention as you like, but again, the purpose of the marina was to provide access to the water for those that didn’t have it,” Pounds says.

In 2023, the State Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism earmarked $1.5 million for the city to spend on dredging. That source will be the main fund for the work, which does not have a final price tag as it is in the early application stage.

“It just naturally silts back in. So it’s time to do that again. So hopefully we’ll get the permit this year, and at some point, line up a contractor and get the project done, maybe late this year, more likely first half of next year,” Pounds says.

The project plans to remove up to 20,000 cubic yards of soil, sand and silt material from the bottom of the channel. There are a few proposals for what to do with those materials.

Ideas include putting the materials under the Isle of Palms connector, onto Goat Island, at Inlet Creek or Swinton Creek on the opposite side of the intercoastal waterway. Another proposal is to put the sediment material on parts of the Wild Dunes Harbor Course, building up the land.

The routine dredging applications come around the same time the city celebrated the opening of its first public dock on the intercoastal waterway.

The mayor and city leaders hope to continue improving the plot of land at 40 51st Avenue making it an asset for visitors and residents alike.

“They’ve added a boat club with our new tenant over here at the marina. So it’s just been a lot of amenities added to this area and improvements made. We’ve invested a lot of time and energy and money, obviously, out here,” Pounds says.

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ISLE OF PALMS, S.C. (WCBD)–The Isle of Palms City Council made a decision on hiring a new executive administrator Wednesday in a special meeting.

This comes after controversy surrounding the circumstances under which the candidate was chosen.

The city voted to offer Douglas Kerr the position, after he had served previously as the administrative assistant, however many citizens are frustrated saying that proper procedure for selecting Kerr was not followed.

Isle of Palms has been searching for a new executive administrator since late 2024 when the previous administrator announced her resignation. They announced Tuesday afternoon that they had chosen the previous administrative assistant Douglas Kerr for the position in a 6 to 3 vote. Mayor Pounds says he believes they hired the best person for the job.

“We’ve had a significant amount of turnover in the last five years in our leadership team, between fire chief, police chief, rec director, finance director. We have a couple other key retirements coming up this year and from my view, institutional knowledge is really critical. There is a lot of projects going on and they are multiyear projects typically and to have some of that history stay with us is critical to keep the city running in a good way,” said Isle of Palms Mayor Phillip Pounds.

Last night at the city council meeting, many residents expressed frustration with the selection process. They say Kerr was not one of the five candidates narrowed down by the committee and was added to the list by the mayor without the city’s approval.

“No actions may be taken by the mayor independent of a council vote. So, the process itself, there has never been a public meeting whereby a decision to add Douglas Kerr into the mix of candidates has been made. That’s been researched and that’s a fact. The mayor acted outside his authority, void of process, void of integrity and inserted this candidate into a process where we all knew unfortunately, he had 5 votes to push through and that’s what we witnessed today,” said Randy Bell, a former Isle of Palms city councilmember.

News 2 reached out to the city to confirm the list of five finalists and have not heard back.

Another point of contention in the meeting was the salary increase for the role, which is expected to be between $150,000 and $180,000. During public comment at the February 25th meeting, residents said was an incentive for Kerr to apply for the position, that he had previously not expressed interest in.

Now that Kerr has been offered the position, Mayor Pounds hopes the public can move forward

“The only decision this council needed to make was who is the best person for this job, for this city. In my personal opinion, I feel like we did that. Hopefully we can get it negotiated quickly, and we can move forward,” said Pounds.

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Charleston and Isle of Palms agreed to settle a lawsuit against a number of short-term rental companies, including Airbnb and VRBO, in an attempt to recoup some taxes and fees that the businesses owe.

Both city and town councils approved a settlement agreement at their respective meetings on Jan. 28. But neither government publicly disclosed how money they will receive from the businesses that have been operating for years without paying local accommodation taxes or business license fees, according to the complaint.

Attorney Jesse Kirchner, who along with two other lawyers, represents 14 South Carolina cities, towns and counties that joined the suit. He told The Post and Courier after Charleston's vote that the deal isn't final until all municipalities sign off. Once all agree, Kirchner said details of the settlement will be released.

Earlier this month, Mount Pleasant Town Council accepted a payout of nearly $500,000 in the same suit. Mayor Will Haynie, the lone vote against the settlement, disclosed the figure that Mount Pleasant would get saying it was not enough to "make up for what it's going to do to this town."

Haynie said he's worried about state legislation that could remove the town's cap on short-term rental permits and essentially open the floodgates to these companies that collect from tourists taxes and fees that never make it to the localities they're visiting.

The municipalities that initiated the lawsuit are some of South Carolina's biggest tourism destinations, including Charleston, Columbia, North Charleston, Myrtle Beach, Folly Beach, Isle of Palms, North Myrtle Beach and Hilton Head Island. Mount Pleasant later joined the suit, as did Beaufort County, Edisto Beach, Port Royal and Greenville.

The complaint alleges the companies failed to pay local accommodations taxes and, in some cases, business license fees despite collecting payment from rental operators and vacationers who use their sites.

Annual license fees are based on a businesses' gross income, according to the city of Charleston's website. This year, the city expects to collect $52 million from the licenses — the city's second-highest revenue generator behind property taxes, according to figures from a November budget workshop. The money flows into the city's general fund, which covers its day-to-day operation.

Municipalities across the state levy accommodations taxes of up to 3 percent on hotels and other rented lodgings. In Charleston, the tax is set at 2 percent. The fee is paid by the renter, collected by the hotel or business renting the space, and paid to the municipality.

This year, Charleston expects to bring in nearly $12 million through the local Accommodations Tax, or "A-tax" as its commonly called. The money helps pay for upkeep of popular tourism spots. At the city’s historic Battery, the tax funded a six-year and nearly $75 million restoration of the crumbling century-old sea wall.

Short-term rentals, and how to manage them, have been a sticking point for many communities. Charleston and Folly Beach are among a handful of municipalities that have instituted regulations or caps on short-term rentals. North Charleston recently considered the same.

Editor's note: The headline has been updated to reflect that the pending settlement only involves Airbnb. No other defendant has settled, according to attorney Jesse Kirchner.

Reach Ali Rockett at 843-901-1708. Follow her on Twitter @AliRockettPC.

In suburban Philadelphia where I grew up, going to the beach meant driving east across New Jersey, paying per-person fees for access and pinning "beach tags" to bathing suits to prove the fees had been paid.

I've long appreciated South Carolina's free public beaches, first as a child visiting most summers, then as an adult living here more than 20 years.

But while the beaches are free, parking can be costly.

Just days ago Anna Sharpe reported that the Isle of Palms has increased its parking lot rate to $25 on a Saturday, Sunday or holiday from Memorial Day through Labor Day. Parking meters must be fed $3 per hour.

The $25 cost for parking lots matches the rate at the 445-parking-space Isle of Palms County Park, which is adjacent to the city's metered parking and lots near Front Beach (Ocean Boulevard) businesses.

That's expensive, but the important thing to know is that paying for parking on the Isle of Palms is almost entirely a matter of personal choice. I mean, you can't avoid paying if you park in a lot or at a meter, but you don't have to park there.

IOP, like neighboring Sullivan's Island, has many hundreds of free parking spots in the public right-of-way. On the Isle of Palms most of them are along Palm Boulevard on the east side of the business district, from 21st to 40th avenues and from 42nd to 53rd avenues.

There are limited spots on the west side of the island, along 3rd through 9th avenues between Ocean and Carolina boulevards.

Those who park in the free spots should know that parking enforcement is quite strict, and vehicles must be at least 4 feet off the pavement, which isn't always easy.

Last year the city's contracted parking enforcers — a company that got to keep 24 percent of the money from fines — issued more than 5,600 tickets for between $50 and $100 each.

One option to avoid fees and parking tickets on weekends is to take the free Beach Reach shuttle bus from Mount Pleasant Towne Centre, at Market Center Boulevard, where parking is free. If you're driving, it's of course inconvenient to stop just minutes from the beach and wait for a bus to take you there, but it does solve the parking dilemma.

When my family was living in Mount Pleasant with a young child, the Isle of Palms was our closest beach. We usually parked in the county park lot, or in a free space not far away, for two reasons: the availability of lifeguards and bathrooms.

People can use the county park and its services without paying to park there, and county residents can park there for far less than the advertised rate.

For regular beach-goers and, I would think, most families with children, a Charleston County parks Gold Pass is a great option. For $80 — $65 for those age 60 or older and $95 for non-residents — that covers parking and park entrance fees for a year, for up to 15 people per vehicle.

A Gold Pass includes festival admissions, too, and comes with discounts on things such as equipment rentals.

So, for those who live here, it doesn't have to cost money to park at the beach. And regular visitors to the Isle of Palms who want amenities and lifeguards should consider buying a Gold Pass.