Councilman Jim McBride told the City of Charleston Council on Nov. 12 that parts of Johns Island face mounting safety and congestion problems and urged the city to pursue new local planning and funding tools.

"Maybank is the main street of Johns Island," McBride said during a 20‑minute presentation documenting two‑lane state roads, narrow shoulders and limited evacuation routes. He noted recent crashes and a drowning on a bridge and said the island’s population growth has outpaced infrastructure: the city portion of Johns Island increased from about 5,266 residents in 2010 to roughly 14,819 in 2025, McBride said.

McBride emphasized that many of the roads serving Johns Island are state‑owned, complicating local repairs and upgrades. He cited SCDOT materials and a regional transportation report showing shortfalls in future funding and failing ‘‘level of service’’ grades on Maybank and River Road.

To address the problems he proposed that the mayor direct the legal and planning departments to: 1) examine reintroducing or re‑evaluating a Johns Island Municipal Improvement District (MID); 2) analyze whether development impact fees could fund infrastructure; 3) add road infrastructure level‑of‑service criteria to Planning Commission and Technical Review Committee decision processes; and 4) include the police department in TRC reviews for traffic‑safety perspectives.

McBride said prior MID projections (from a 2019 study) estimated initial first‑year receipts of about $17 million and roughly $52 million over six years, though he acknowledged the numbers would need updating. He recommended identifying tangible connectivity projects so money could be applied when available and urged the council to consider the half‑cent transportation sales tax as a potential funding source.

Council members responded with follow‑up questions and cautions. Councilman Waring asked whether a larger, multi‑district MID might generate more revenue; Councilwoman Parker said she worried about shifting state road costs to city taxpayers because many island roads remain under state jurisdiction. Mayor William S. Cogswell Jr. and other members said the presentation provided helpful data to pursue intergovernmental solutions and economic framing in discussions with the state.

The council requested that planning and legal staff review McBride’s six recommendations and report back; no ordinance or final vote on any of the proposals was taken at the Nov. 12 meeting.