Meet the Candidates | November 12

The Kiawah Island Municipal Election is coming up on Tuesday, December 1, 2020. The Community Association is hosting a virtual Meet the Candidates on Thursday, November 12 at 6:00 p.m. where the community will be able to hear from candidates on important Town issues. Register to attend here Submit questions in advance by emailing communications@kica.us Visit our dedicated election webpage for more information including candidate biographies, voting information, a copy of the sample ballot, and more.

Updates from Town Council

The following are highlights from Town Council's November 3 meeting. Watch the meeting on YouTube here.  Fiscal Year 2019/2020 Audit Presentation Town Council received the conclusions of the 2019/2020 audit by Mauldin & Jenkins, who issued a clean opinion for the Town's financial report, the highest level of assurance an external auditor can provide. View the Comprehensive Annual Financial Report Ordinance 2020-13 & Resolution 2020-05 Town Council approved the first reading of two readings of Ordinance 2020-13 to set salaries for the Mayor and Council Members, and approved Resolution 2020-05 which sets the salary for the Judge of the Municipal Court. More 2021 Charleston County Deputy Contract Town Council approved the Charleston County Off-Duty Deputy Contract renewing the existing coverage from January 1, 2021 to December 21, 2021. More Third Amendment to the 2013 Development Agreement Town Council approved an Amendment to the 2013 Amended and Restated Development Agreement by and between Kiawah Resort Associates and Town of Kiawah Island affecting Parcel 13 Lot 1. The Amendment increased the allowable dwelling units per building and decreased the total number of dwelling units for Lot 1, as well as a height reduction for a portion of Lot 1 More To see additional actions taken, visit the full summary here.

Deer Population Update

Deer numbers on Kiawah are monitored using spotlight surveys and have been conducted by Town Biologists since 1997. Surveys take place in early fall and late winter each year and then are averaged together to create an annual estimate of deer density, expressed as deer per square mile. The 2020 fall survey was completed in October, showing a density estimate of 123 deer per square mile. This is the highest deer density on record for Kiawah Island. The graph provided here shows densities from all fall surveys since 1997 and shows increased deer numbers in recent years. The winter survey is scheduled for mid-January 2021. The official deer population estimate for 2020 will be available in February 2021. The increase in deer numbers is directly related to Kiawah’s declining bobcat populations, which has been heavily influenced by second-generation anticoagulants. Read more about this concerning issue.

Second-generation Anticoagulants (SGAs) found in Screech Owl and more

Town Biologists have received results from four additional animals that were submitted for anticoagulant testing recently. The new animals tested include one bobcat, two raccoons, and one screech owl. Three out of the four animals showed exposure to second-generation anticoagulants.   Uncollared female bobcat hit by a car on exterior Parkway near Cassique on Sept 10 – low exposure to 2 SGAs Raccoon found dying near Ocean Course Clubhouse on Sept 28 – no exposure Raccoon found dead on deck of a residence on Goldeneye Dr. on Sept 28 – exposure to 1 SGA Screech Owl found dead on bike path near Tallow Tree Ln. on Oct 10 – exposure to 1 SGA   To date, 13 out of 14 animals submitted for testing have been exposed to SGAs. These results show the substantial impact of SGAs on Kiawah’s ecosystem.

The next King Tide that could affect the island will occur November 13-18. King Tides are the highest seasonal tides that naturally occur each year. In some cases, they may barely even be noticed. In other cases, a King Tide may cause flooding of low-lying areas and disruption to normal daily routines. More

Traffic Delay Notice | November 27

The Kiawah Island Golf Resort is hosting Santa Claus is Coming to Town on Friday, November 27 from 1p.m. – 3p.m. at Night Heron Park and East Beach Village. Santa will be escorted through a two-mile route that may cause minor traffic delays and detours. Avoid driving in the following areas on November 27: 1p.m. – 1:45p.m.- Sea Forest Drive 2p.m. – 3p.m.- Green Dolphin Way, Turtle Point Lane, Tennis Club Lane More

The Town continues to monitor the spread of COVID-19 in our area, and has created comprehensive webpage with resources pertaining to COVID-19 including updated statistics, DHEC reporting links, emergency orders and more.

Notices

Office Closures November 11 - Veterans Day November 26-27 - Thanksgiving Solid Waste No yard debris collection the week of Thanksgiving. Brown Trash Collection - Friday, December 4. All brown trash must be placed on the curb by 7:00 a.m. to ensure collection. More

Previously Mentioned

You have seen these announcements before, but here it is one more time in case you missed it. Beach Leash Ordinance Seasonal Change Invasive Species Alert – Asian longhorned beetle Kiawah Island Parkway Project Phase 2 Begins Arts & Cultural Events Season Update Solid Waste Collection Change Notice

Committee Meetings

Public Works Committee – November 16 | 10 a.m. Board of Zoning Appeals – November 16 | 3 p.m. Public Safety Committee – November 18 | 11:30 a.m. Ways and Means Committee – November 24 | 2 p.m. Town Council - December 1 | 2 p.m. (live-streamed) Planning Commission - December 2 | 3 p.m. Arts & Cultural Events Council - December 3 | 2 p.m. Public Safety Committee - December 9 | 11:30 a.m. Meeting Changes During the height of COVID-19, the Town live-streamed all committee meetings as they must be made available to the public. Some committees are returning to in-person meetings. This will change what the Town live-streams as we transition back to our standard format. Town Council is meeting in-person and will be live-streamed per usual. Committees that conduct their meetings over video conference will be live-streamed on the Town's YouTube channel. Committees that conduct their meetings in-person where the public can attend will not be live-streamed. Agendas are available here and will reference the location of the meeting. Meeting dates, times, and locations sometimes change. Before planning to attend a meeting, check our website.

(843) 768-9166 www.kiawahisland.org

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