The minutes of the Public Hearing on the Intergovernmental Agreement of the Town of James Island held Tuesday, January 20, 2004 at 6:20 p.m. at Town Hall, 1246 Camp Road.

Following the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag, Mayor Mary Clark welcomed those present and stated that this hearing had been duly noticed in accordance with the Freedom of Information Act and South Carolina law.  Present at the hearing were:  Mayor Mary Clark, Councilmen Parris Williams, Bill Woolsey and Bill Wilder.  Also present was secretary, Marie Copeland.

The purpose of this hearing was to solicit input from the public regarding cable and franchise fees for the Town of James Island which are to be collected by Charleston County. Mayor Clark opened with remarks stating that, just as the business licenses, Charleston County has continued to collect all franchise fees from the cable companies that operate on the Island.  Since the County was in negotiation with the major cable companies Comcast and Knology in excess of one year, the decision was made by Town Council in the fall of 2003 for the County to continue collecting these fees and to remit to the Town of James Island its portion. The Town adopted the County’s Ordinances and contracts with various cable operators.  In addition, there is an Intergovernmental Agreement between Charleston County and the Town of James Island that authorizes the County to be the franchising authority for cable services for the Town and allows the County to collect the fees and remit them to the Town.  The Ordinances and the Agreement are retroactive to January 1, 2003.

The following ordinances were presented for comment by the public:  (copy attached)

Ordinance 2004-01 – An Ordinance Entering Into An Agreement whereby the Town will adopt the Cable Regulatory Ordinance and Cable Franchise Ordinances of Charleston County and Contract with the County to Administer the Franchise Agreements and Collect Cable Franchise Fees for the Town - Comcast Cable – No public comments were offered.

Ordinance 2004-02 – An Ordinance Entering Into An Agreement Whereby the Town will Adopt the Cable Regulatory Ordinance and Cable Franchise Ordinances of Charleston County and Contract with the County to Administer the Franchise the Franchise Agreement and Collect Cable Franchise Fees for the Town - Knology – No public comments were offered.

Ordinance 2004-03 – An Ordinance Adopting the Charleston County Ordinance Providing for the Grant and Regulation of Non-Exclusive Franchises with Respect to Cable Television Service and Other Matters Related Thereto – Other Cable Providers – No public comments were offered.