28 Oct Security Cameras Will be Installed Downtown
The ATAX Chair serves the city well but did not get everything his committee recommended.
While the chair of the City’s Committee recommends distribution and appropriate investment of bed tax dollars has done a magnificent job of sorting through annual requests, stretching the dollars as requested by the city and helping to make the system more accountable and transparent throughout his extensive tenure as committee chair, I am sad to say Chip Dinkins’ last presentation was not likely his happiest.
As noted in last week’s post, during budget discussions and debate last Spring the City Council made some fundamental changes in how we see some of the a-tax dollars invested. There was a disconnect between the Committee’s priorities and those of the City Council.
While almost all of the applicants were awarded as much as they received in the last cycle, the City reserved the use of additional dollars to invest in tourism related expenses. These dollars have heretofore been born by the general fund. All are within the boundaries of acceptable use as outlined in state law.
The additions requested by the city, denied by the committee and reinstated by City Council, were all directed to making our principal tourist destination more safe for the public.
Since as long as I can remember former City Council member Donnie Beer has pled with council to install security cameras in the downtown area. We finally found a way to fund them.
The other decision we made was to apportion part of the dollars the police department spends in areas where tourists gather from the tourism funding. This includes a portion of the costs of policing tourism areas and the tourism coordinator. And finally we believe the Spanish Moss Trail is a tourism destination and attributed some of the costs of its maintenance to the fund.
Thanks Chip for an incredible job. Though we may not have agreed on all matters, your service over the years is very much appreciated.
Beaufort police receive money toward downtown cameras
Beaufort News By Stephen Fastenau - October 27, 2021
If all goes to plan, a Beaufort police officer will be sitting in front of video screens next summer, monitoring crowds at the Beaufort Water Festival. The officer can access different cameras and angles, zooming in and out and covering a lot of area with little manpower. That’s the Beaufort Police Department’s hope for new surveillance cameras soon to be installed downtown.