Mayor outlines regional funding push (“CR 26”) and Army Corps resilience projects including Battery extension and stormwater grants

Mayor Cogswell told the Resilience Committee that the November half‑cent sales tax referendum’s failure left a “blank slate” for regional planning and funding. The mayor said the city is working with Charleston County and the Berkeley‑Charleston‑Dorchester Council of Governments (BCB‑COG) on an umbrella initiative currently described as “CR 26” (Charleston Region 26) to align traffic analysis, resiliency projects and housing priorities ahead of any future referendum.

“[The half‑cent sales tax] is dead. It is not coming back,” Mayor Cogswell said; he also explained staff estimates that a regionally coordinated package could raise roughly $6,000,000,000 over time when combined with state contributions, and that the county’s inventory of 22 priority road projects would account for about $2.5 billion of that total. The mayor stressed the need to present a unified, transparent set of projects to voters and to coordinate with other municipalities, county staff and the COG on project lists, traffic modeling and benefit allocation.

Resilience staff reported parallel federal partnerships and funding developments. Caitlin Cozzella, the city’s director of resiliency, described an ongoing design and feasibility process with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on the Battery extension—a proposed multi‑mile storm surge and coastal protection structure on the Charleston Peninsula intended to manage storm surge and creeping tidal flooding while providing multi‑benefit connections (for example, public access and integration with waterfront projects). Cozzella said the city has funded initial design work intended to shape the Corps’ alignment decisions and that construction could start in the coming years if design and funding negotiations proceed.

Coastal and inland flood efforts were also discussed. Cozzella said the city received roughly $7,000,000 for two city stormwater projects from the Army Corps and noted a $25,000,000 authorized special account the city may draw on for competitive stormwater projects. The Basin Flood Action Program—a public outreach and mapping tool tied to the city’s water‑plan basins—was described as moving toward an interactive GIS map and a series of public “water open house” events planned by basin.

On transit and funding choices, Catherine Basha, planning director at the BCB‑COG, explained why the region has favored bus rapid transit (BRT) over light rail: the light‑rail option was estimated to cost roughly $3.2 billion in earlier analyses while a BRT alternative was far less costly and would capture about 80% of the ridership of light rail. Basha added that BRT offers operational flexibility during flooding because rubber‑tire vehicles can deviate from guideways if a segment is flooded; rail systems would be constrained during such events.

Members and public commenters asked about program governance and long‑term coordination between municipalities. The mayor described CR 26 as a staff‑led, regionally coordinated effort that will require public outreach and a “roadshow” before any future referendum; he said staff are updating traffic models and scoping priorities so residents can see exactly where funds would be spent and how projects across jurisdictions would be balanced.

Ending — Implementation and next steps Committee members were urged to participate in outreach and to prepare stakeholder groups for a future public vote; staff described ongoing intergovernmental coordination with county and municipal leaders, the COG and federal partners. No formal votes or legislative actions were taken at the meeting.