If you had an eyeglass portal that could show you Isle of Palms from 1925-2000, you might see the same scenes with remarkable recurrence: white sandy beaches all around, periodic hurricanes, nesting turtles and wildlife, a steadily growing number of residents and visitors and practically no such thing as traffic jams. While much of the island’s beauty and landscape remains, there have also been more noticeable changes in the last 25 years than the previous 75 combined.
Island visitors now come year-round with as many 20,000 per day in peak season; ongoing beach nourishment efforts are employed to combat erosion and the growing threat of a sinking land mass. There is traffic congestion that is now too often comparable to mainland Charleston County and a population that now stands at about 4,300 – nearly four times as many people as in 1960.
This growth and change has brought concerns regarding shortterm rentals, traffic management, noise levels, wildlife feeding and whether to allow residents to install seawalls on personal property. In 2025, area leaders and officials are focused on many of these concerns with plans for more roadway improvements, more environmental preservation projects and other proactive measures intended to lead to major turning points in the area’s long-term direction.
To this end, here is a countdown of the IOP City’s Top 10 achievements in 2024:
10. COMMUNITY ENHANCEMENTS
Items include the dog park at 29th Avenue, the annual Holiday Door Decorating Contest, professional management of IOP City’s parking plan, two new ADA-compliant beach access paths, construction of two boardwalks and an improved public beach.
9. EFFECTIVE, CONSISTENT AND TIMELY COMMUNICATIONS
Sunnie, an AI-powered citizen engagement tool, was introduced by IOP City to provide residents and visitors immediate answers to online questions, make service requests, send personalized messages and get real-time alerts anytime via text and website. So far, more than 5,800 total users have engaged with Sunnie via text and the IOP website.
8. SPECIAL COMMUNITY EVENTS
The IOP Recreation Department successfully planned and executed 25 programs, events and activities which included: the Isle of Paws Music Festival, IOP Beach Run, Ghostly Tide Tales, Youth Spring Break Soccer Camp, the Holiday Street Festival and the Halloween Golf Cart Parade & Carnival and a Drive-Through Haunted House.
7. MANAGING PRESSURE FROM AREA POPULATION GROWTH
To help alleviate parking and traffic congestion, IOP City collaborated with the Berkeley- Charleston-Dorchester Council of Governments and the Town of Mount Pleasant to continue the seasonal operation of the CARTA beach shuttle, a free cross-county public transit service. In 2024, 703 riders used the service, a slight decrease from 2023.
6. EMPLOYEE RETENTION AND SUCCESSION PLANNING
IOP City held the annual Employee Appreciation Event where employees were recognized for their longevity and service to the island. A holiday party was also held for all city employees, elected council members and volunteers who serve on boards and commissions.
5. DRAINAGE IMPROVEMENTS
IOP City completed the Phase 3 Drainage Project at the 30th, 36th and 41st Avenue outfalls.
In 2024, approximately 32,000 linear feet of drainage systems were cleaned and restructured by the Public Works stormwater management team.
4. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION EFFORTS
The glass recycling and composting program continued with Harris Teeter, IOP Marina tenants and the community diverting approximately 52 tons of glass and 9 tons of food waste from the landfill in 2024. Lowcountry resident Howard Hogue was specifically recognized by the IOP Clean-Up Crew and South Carolina Aquarium for recording his 1 millionth litter item collected since 2018.
3. PUBLIC SAFETY EFFORTS
The IOP Police Department conducted multiple traffic operations to address traffic violations and logged almost 100 DUI charges during 2024. IOPPD reduced the number of vehicle collisions in 2024 by 27% from the previous year. It also received a Law Enforcement Mental Health and Wellness Act grant in the amount of $90,036 to implement a wellness app, certify the agency as the first trauma-informed agency in South Carolina through Columbia College and the first to host a law enforcement wellness seminar for law enforcement from around the state.
2. BEACH PRESERVATION
In an ongoing battle against coastal erosion, IOP City leaders and engieering consultants coordinated and implemented emergency protective measures in the area along Breach Inlet and the north end of the island along Beachwood East. Sand from a new 2,500-foot-long sandbar shoal that is attaching parallel to the beach directly in front of Beachwood East at Wild Dunes is expected to be a key source of beach nourishment protection.
“We’re looking at how the shoal is attaching right now and what it’s going to do over the next 12 to 18 months,” said Steve Traynum, president of Coastal Science & Engineering in Columbia, in May 2024. “That’s going to have a big impact on how many more years we’re going to get out of this particular project.”
1. FINANCIAL STABILITY
IOP City ended Fiscal Year 2024 with $44.6 million in cash reserves, of which approximately $20.7 million are restricted funds. Maintaining the highest credit rating possible, the city has a manageable debt load with rates ranging from 1.6 to 4.14%, with a significant portion maturing in the next five years. Net assets surpassed liabilities by $60.6 million, with $52.9 million attributed to governmental activities and $7.6 million to business-type activities (IOP Marina). Additionally, the city received a clean opinion from the auditors for FY 2024.
“All of these accomplishments are obviously important but from my council’s seat, fiscal responsibility is job one,” said IOP Mayor Phillip Pounds. “The variety of projects and events and multiple focuses required to run a city, even our size, is quite remarkable when we capture the year in a report.”
By L. C. Leach III
Leave a Reply