Legislative eNews
Government Affairs Update from the Hilton Head Island-
Bluffton Chamber of Commerce -- Dec. 12-Dec. 16, 2005
www.hiltonheadisland.org
www.highway278.org
Topic #1 -- County's admissions fee ordinance amended -- Beaufort County Council approved on Dec. 12 third and final reading of an amendment to its new admissions fee ordinance that charges a 2.5 percent fee at admission-based places of amusement and entertainment. With the amendment, the fee will only be charged on usage of the facilities. For instance, if a club membership costs $500, $50 of that total theoretically would be the cost for general-dues admission to the club and the remaining $450 would theoretically be for usage of the club's golf and tennis courts. The $450 would be subject to the fee, but the $50 would not be. According to county Controller Tom Henrikson, golf clubs, for example, will receive a form to delineate what portion of the overall membership fee is actual usage.
Further complicating the process is the ordinance implementing the fee has been in effect since Oct. 1. Several clubs have not been collecting it; others have. Those clubs that have collected the fee now need to figure out what portion is fee-applicable; those clubs that haven't collected the fee now have to figure out how much they owe retroactively. All of this sparked considerable discussion among members of County Council. The revenue from the admissions fee will help pay for county transportation projects.
Topic #2 -- County Council moves forward with bond referendum for land preservation -- Beaufort County Council on Dec. 12 approved the first of three readings of an ordinance to place a $50 million bond referendum on the November 2006 election ballot to extend the life of the county's land-preservation program.
The program, since its inception several years ago, has acquired 9,539 acres, much of it achieved through a $40 million bond referendum approved by voters in 2000. This has resulted, in part, in the elimination of a potential 1,000 residential units and 30 acres of commercial, all in the U.S. 278 corridor. This further reduced a potential of 10,000 additional cars a day on U.S. 278. In 2005, the program, administered by The Trust for Public Land, spent $4.6 million to acquire 200 acres through fee simple or conservation easements, all valued at a total of $7.9 million.
Topic #3 -- Bluffton Town Council action on Dec. 14:
- Awarded an architecture design services contract to a Savannah firm to design a 24,000-square foot facility in the May River Technology Park located on Buckwalter Parkway. The building will house CareCore National, a radiology/imaging management services company that will bring at least 150 new jobs to the area.
- Authorized Town Manager Josh Martin to pursue hiring a consultant to assist the town in civil engineering and design services for the May River Road/Bruin Road Streetscape Project. The town wants a consultant onboard during the Old Town Master Plan process that begins Jan. 19.
- Authorized Town Manager Josh Martin to pursue an investment firm to invest the town's Community Infrastructure Bank funds.
Topic #4 -- Legislators briefed about concerns of coastal chambers of commerce -- Representatives of coastal chambers of commerce, including the Hilton Head Island-Bluffton Chamber of Commerce, provided on Dec. 14 their thoughts and concerns to coastal legislators about property tax reform, education funding, transportation infrastructure, and disaster planning. Representing our chamber at the meeting on Kiawah Island were: HHI Mayor Pro Tem Ken Heitzke and Beaufort County Council finance committee chairman Mark Generales on the panel discussing property tax reform; county school board finance committee chairman Stu Rodman on the education funding panel; local businessman Barry Connor on the transportation panel; and county Emergency Management Director William Winn on the panel for disaster planning. The legislators were members of the Sen. Scott Richardson-led Coastal Caucus.
Topic #5 -- Chamber schedules 3rd annual Candidate Development School -- The Hilton Head Island-Bluffton Chamber of Commerce's third annual Candidate Development School is Jan. 20, 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., at chamber headquarters on Hilton Head Island. The school is for anyone who is running for political office, or who is considering a run for office. It is also for anyone who wants to know more about the political-campaign process. Cost is $50, which covers a continental breakfast, box lunch and a book about political campaigning. For more information and to register by Jan. 18, phone Tim Bennett at 341-8370 or email him at tbennett@hiltonheadisland.org.
