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Region 9 asks Berkeley County for $184,334 assessment, highlights $150 million in local infrastructure projects
Summary
Region 9 executive director Rachel Snavely asked the commission to approve a $1.55 per-capita assessment that would bring an annual contribution from Berkeley County to $184,334, saying Region 9 manages about $150 million in infrastructure projects in the county alone and provides project-management services beyond routine grant administration.
Region 9 told Berkeley County commissioners on Jan. 14 that the regional planning organization manages hundreds of millions of dollars in infrastructure projects and requested a modest assessment increase to retain a second project manager and hire an administrative assistant.
Executive Director Rachel Snavely said Region 9 currently manages roughly $220 million in active infrastructure projects across its region, including about $150 million in Berkeley County alone. She said the organization’s staff serves as project managers — not simply grant administrators — coordinating engineers, on-call consultants, state reviewers and other partners through complex, multi-year projects.
Snavely walked commissioners through a recent large project timeline to illustrate the work. She cited the Bunker Hill water-treatment-project path from initial application in September 2022, through technical reviews and multiple funding revisions, to a July 2024 notice to proceed and an anticipated project completion date in January 2027. She said the process required repeated schedule and budget resubmissions and extensive coordination with state agencies, engineers and loan administrators.
Region 9 asked the county to approve a $1.55 per-capita assessment; Snavely said that would bring the county’s annual payment to $184,334 and cover the cost of an additional project manager (and an administrative assistant). She said the assessment increase, approved by Region 9’s board in June 2024, is intended to preserve project-management capacity as Region 9’s caseload expands.
Commissioners thanked Region 9 for work on major county projects and asked a series of technical questions about fee structures and how administrative fees track project drawdowns. Snavely said that some admin fees are grant-specific and fluctuate with project activity, and she offered to provide updated project sheets to the commission.
Why it matters: Region 9 positions itself as the county’s project-management partner for large capital projects — water, sewer and other infrastructure — and commissioners said retaining that capacity will help deliver multiyear, multimillion-dollar investments.
Next steps: Commissioners accepted the presentation and said county staff would include the Region 9 request in the budget review process. Region 9 offered to meet with commissioners individually on project details and to provide updated project inventories.
