Glenn Stanford for Island ResidentsGlenn Stanford for HHI Town CouncilGS4HHI_ebdf0aca-f898-11ea-9c89-45550483ea00So, who is this guy Glenn Stanford on the Town Council. Well I grew up in Atlanta and spent my first 63 years there before moving to Hilton Head Island in 2006... My first experiences on Hilton Head Island were in the late 50’s while I was still in high school. Then, with my own children we started coming to the island for family vacations. As time went by we rented condos, owned timeshares and then purchased a condo of our own. In 2006 we decided to move full time to the island and we have never looked back. I decided not to try to start a new law practice here and decided to get involved with the local community.Hilton Head Town Council Ward 6It has been a privilege and an honor to serve on the Town Council of Hilton Head Island for the last two years representing Ward 6.University of GeorgiaI graduated from the University of Georgia in 1965 with a business administration degree.Emory Law SchoolThen I went on to Emory Law School where I earned a Juris Doctor degree in 1968.Cyndy StanfordWhile a senior in law school I met Cyndy and we were married in the Spring of 1968. I am proud to say that we produced two fine children who are each happily settled and perusing their own careers. Our son and his wife have presented us with two beautiful GrandGirls.US Army1968-1969US Navy ReservesI then served in the US Navy Reserves in the JAG Corps. I entered private law practice where for almost 40 years I was engaged in a practice specializing on small business clients in there various business affairs.County Rural & Critical Lands ProgramI worked for four years in the County Rural & Critical Lands program conserving land all over the county, including on Hilton Head Island.Town Board of Zoning AppealsWhen that job came to an end, I was appointed to the Town Board of Zoning Appeals where I served 2 three year terms, the last term as Board Chair.Town Planning CommissionI was then appointed to the Town Planning Commission where I served for two years until being elected to the Town Council to fill John McCann’s unexpired term.Southern Beaufort County Corridor Beautification BoardIn addition to these roles I also served on the County Southern Beaufort County Corridor Beautification Board which was charged with beautifying the corridor of US 278 leading to the island.Public Planning CommitteeSince being elected to Town Council I have been fully engaged in Town government attending council meetings and many meetings of various commissions and boards in the town government. I am a member of the Public Planning Committee of the Council where we deal with various planning issues to come before Council in review and recommendation of those issues to full council.Finance CommitteeI also serve as an alternate member of the Finance Committee where I have learned a great deal about town budgets and public finance.AEI MarketingWebsite Developer -- We seek and serve motivated, analytic clients who focus on achieving goals and documenting results. Our team delivers creative, mission-driven solutions.The interests of those who live and work here are promoted and protected_ebdf0be2-f898-11ea-9c89-45550483ea00To reelect Glenn Stanford to the Hilton Head Town Council_ebdf0cb4-f898-11ea-9c89-45550483ea00Community InterestsMy philosophy of Town government is that the first responsibility of the Town is to promote and protect the interests of those who live and work here. So I try to approach issues with that philosophy in mind. Sure, I see the value of our tourism economy but those interests are largely taken care of by private enterprise.Fiscal ResponsibilityI know that Council is entrusted with significant tax revenue and that we must spend those funds wisely. I also know that we need to live within our means and I resist tax increases wherever possible.PandemicSupport state mandates and promote a safe opening of business._ebdf0d72-f898-11ea-9c89-45550483ea001State of South CarolinaTHE PANDEMIC: Clearly the first role of government is to protect public health and welfare. Early on in the pandemic I heard that we should close the bridges and stop the tourists from coming here. Those actions were beyond the powers of the town and not practical. Speaking of Town power, I have learned a lot about that. In this state, all power comes from the state legislature and many powers have been reserved to the state. So when we tried to stop short term rentals during the emergency, we quickly learned that power was reserved to the state. We did close town parks and beach access to try to control spread of the virus. I think our mask ordinance has been effective, although it does have its detractors. We have actively supported state mandates and worked to promote a safe opening of business. No doubt, there is still work to be done._ebdf0e3a-f898-11ea-9c89-45550483ea00Arbor NatureOppose the storage and transfer of waste materials from Summit Dr. next to the airport._41ae601a-fa13-11ea-aac8-56eb1783ea002Arbor NatureSCDHECARBOR NATURE: I assume you know the history of Arbor Nature and the litigation that arose after the Town ruled that the tree processing and chipping operation was not a permitted use at their Leg’O’Mutton location. The town reached a settlement with Arbor Nature that allowed the company to move to Summit Dr. next to the airport. (I was not in office when the settlement was approved.). The current problem comes from the application for a permit from the state for a Class 2 Waste Transfer Station at the Summit Dr. site. This type of operation permits temporary storage and then transfer of waste materials including hazardous waste such as asbestos. I am strongly opposed to this application and will stand against it as a private citizen. SCDHEC has scheduled a virtual public meeting for September 10, 2020, at 6:30pm. (SCDHEC.gov) (https://www.scdhec.gov/arbornature-cd-debris-transfer-station-hilton-head-island). Then a week later on September 17, 2020, at 6:30pm there will be a formal hearing on the application._41ae6664-fa13-11ea-aac8-56eb1783ea00AirportGet more and better control of airport noise._41ae679a-fa13-11ea-aac8-56eb1783ea003Hilton Head Island AirportBeaufort CountyAIRPORT NOISE: Many residents are impacted by noise from the airport. This is a difficult issue since the airport is a Beaufort County function and it has been here for at least 50 years. To address this issue, I have learned more about airports and noise remediation. One noise control is to require flights to maintain their flight paths over water before making turns, and I have worked with the airport to encourage these actions. I attend Airport Board meetings and I have frequently spoken to them about noise abatement. I am hopeful that over time we can get more and better control of airport noise._41ae68b2-fa13-11ea-aac8-56eb1783ea00US 278 CorridorMinimize impacts on the Stoney Community._41ae6970-fa13-11ea-aac8-56eb1783ea004SCDOTStoney CommunityUS 278 CORRIDOR GATEWAY: For a couple of years now SCDOT has been in the process of study and recommendation for improvement of the corridor and bridges leading to the island. Our citizens have approved a sales tax referendum to provide the required local funding and the state has approved the necessary state funding for the project. This will be the biggest project ever for this community. The process involved first an environmental assessment and then study and recommendation of right-of-way alternatives. Next SCDOT will propose its preferred alternative around the beginning of 2021. Then the Town Council will be asked to approve or disapprove of that alternative. Council has decided to retain the services of a qualified highway engineer to advise us and assist us in this huge decision. The project is fraught with problems starting with impact on the Stoney Community of Native Islanders. We are very concerned about those impacts and are working to find ways to minimize those impacts. You will be hearing much more about 278 as time progresses._41ae6a24-fa13-11ea-aac8-56eb1783ea00SheriffProtect our citizens from “double taxation” for the expense of Sheriff service._41ae6aec-fa13-11ea-aac8-56eb1783ea005Beaufort County Sheriff's OfficeTHE BEAUFORT COUNTY SHERIFF USER FEE: In August, the County adopted an ordinance to impose a fee on Hilton Head taxable Island properties. This ordinance capped a long running dispute between the Town and the County about the expense of Sheriff services on the island. First, it must be understood that the Sheriff’s budget is paid from the general fund of the County which is funded by property taxes. We all pay property tax, and in fact the tax base from Hilton Head Island makes up more than 40% of total property taxes received by the County. The expense for basic Sheriff services to the island is much less than that 40% contribution to the County. A few years ago the Town began paying a voluntary contribution for Sheriff services. But when it became clear that the Town was paying too much, the Town sought to eliminate or at least reduce that voluntary contribution. Negotiations failed, and the Town gave notice of reduction of the voluntary fee. In response, the County has adopted the fee on island properties. There are a number of problems with the fee including: 1) It will collect the entire cost of Sheriff services without credit for the property tax contribution for those services; 2) It is not uniform through the County since it is only assessed on Hilton Head Island, and 3) It is not a fee, but rather it is a property tax which again is not uniform. The County is adamant in its effort to assess the fee, which has left the Town no option but to ask the courts to overturn it. This effort on behalf of the Town is to protect our citizens from “double taxation” for the expense of Sheriff serviced._41ae6baa-fa13-11ea-aac8-56eb1783ea00Town ManagerFind the very best person to take the reins of running the Town._41ae6c68-fa13-11ea-aac8-56eb1783ea006Hilton Head Town ManagerSELECTION OF A NEW TOWN MANAGER: In our form of government the Town Manager is central to every government function since that person is the CEO of the Town charged with execution of policy set by the Council. The current Town Manager, Steve Riley, has served the Town now for almost 30 years. And, I am sure you know, Steve is retiring at the end of the year. Since the Town Council employs the Town Manager it is incumbent on Council to find the very best person to take the reins of running the Town. We have retained the services of a search consultant with broad experience in finding town managers. Our first challenge was to define the exact job of the manger in our town. We drew on the input of a representative number of citizens to aid us in creating this scope of work. The process is now underway and the consultant has received a number of applications. We are sensitive to the confidentiality of those applications since we don’t want an applicant to lose his or her current job as a result of the application to us. The process now is narrowing the number of applicants to a few finalists. We hope to be able to announce a new Town Manager later this fall._41ae6d3a-fa13-11ea-aac8-56eb1783ea00GrowthDecide how and where future growth will occur._41ae6e02-fa13-11ea-aac8-56eb1783ea007PLANNING FOR GROWTH: I see the Town as essentially built out. This means that the period of rapid growth is over. So we must decide how and where future growth will occur.Commercial StructuresDeal with deteriorating commercial structures._41ae6eca-fa13-11ea-aac8-56eb1783ea007.1Commercial Property OwnersA big part of this is dealing with deteriorating commercial structures, and possibly re-purposing them to other uses. This is a challenge Council must meet so that we can achieve our vision of “best in class”.BusinessesStem the tide of business closures and assure that needed services are available on the island._41ae6fa6-fa13-11ea-aac8-56eb1783ea008Hilton Head Island BusinessesLOSS OF COMMERCIAL BUSINESS: We have lost a number of businesses in recent years. This has occurred partially because of congestion getting onto the island. In addition Bluffton has grown significantly, and is now offering jobs and opportunities to those who live off the island that were not available before. It appears that the main reason businesses are leaving is because they can’t get qualified workers. Some of this was inevitable but I hope with with proper planning and improved workforce housing we will be able to stem the tide of business closures and assure that needed services are available to those of us who live and work here._41ae7078-fa13-11ea-aac8-56eb1783ea00Workforce HousingStimulate appropriate workforce housing on the island._41ae714a-fa13-11ea-aac8-56eb1783ea009Hilton Head WorkforceWORKFORCE HOUSING: The Town has identified lack of adequate workforce housing as a major problem for many reasons. Hilton Head Island is an expensive place to live. So the tool or partial solution to our workforce and loss of business is to stimulate appropriate workforce housing on the island. We have the report of the consultant who suggested tools to accomplish this goal. These tools include bonus density, expedited processing, reduced fees and others. Council is close to adopting specific changes to our laws to promote workforce housing._41ae7226-fa13-11ea-aac8-56eb1783ea00TreesProtect buffers, wetlands and specimen trees._41ae7302-fa13-11ea-aac8-56eb1783ea0010Clear Cutting: Hilton Head Island is known for our tree protection and the fact that we treasure the environment and, part of that involves protection of our tree canopy. About I year ago I discovered that some of the developers were removing all, or most of the trees for development because it’s easier to develop a site without trees. Clearly that is not our way, and there are protections laid out in the Land Management Ordinance. Over time some had simply ignored the protections or claimed errors by subcontractors. I worked with Town staff to review and clarify those rules and I am pleased to say we are seeing benefits. Now protected areas including buffers, wetlands and specimen trees are protected with silt fences. But most importantly developers know the rules are going to be enforced. This is not solely based on my efforts, but I am proud to be on the team._41ae73de-fa13-11ea-aac8-56eb1783ea00St. James Baptist ChurchFind a new and safer location._41ae74ce-fa13-11ea-aac8-56eb1783ea0011St. James Baptist ChurchSt. James Baptist Church: The Native Islander community is a vital and important part of our community. St. James Church is a traditional icon of that community and it deserves protection and preservation. The fact that the church is located at the end of the airport runway has created a serious safety concern in addition to the obvious noise issues. The Town and County have been working the the church to find a new and safer location. I have been the representative of the Town on a committee made up of the Church, the Town, the County, and the airport working to find a new location for the church. I think we have found a suitable site for the church still in traditional Mitchelville on Union Cemetery Road. Assuming the FAA accepts the site and the development plan this will be the new location of the Church adjacent to its cemetery site._41ae75b4-fa13-11ea-aac8-56eb1783ea002020-09-18http://www.glennstanfordhhi.com/issues/OwenAmburOwen.Ambur@verizon.net