Legislative eNews

Government Affairs Update from the Hilton Head Island-
Bluffton Chamber of Commerce -- Oct. 10-14, 2005

www.hiltonheadisland.org
www.highway278.org

Topic #1 -- U.S. 278 paving may begin Oct. 23 -- Paving on U.S. 278 is likely to begin Oct. 23 at the Simmonsville Road intersection, SCDOT officials said today.  Also, 45 mph will be the standard speed limit beginning next week from Simmonsville Road to just beyond the Moss Creek intersection.  The Sheriff's Office reported motorists are slowing down in the construction zone as a result of deputies enforcing the 35 mph speed limit during night-time lane closures.  County Administrator Gary Kubic reported at Oct. 10's County Council meeting deputies had issued 60 tickets in four days at amounts up to $440 a ticket.

Topic #2 -- Plan to restore U.S. 278 landscaping under way -- The Town of Hilton Head Island will assist Beaufort County in pursuing grants to fund restoration of the landscaping in the medians impacted by the U.S. 278 widening project.  The bidding and planning process to restore the trees in some fashion will be coordinated through the state, County Administrator Gary Kubic told County Council on Oct. 10.

Topic #3 -- Property tax bills in mail later this month -- County property tax bills for 2005 have gone to the printer and will be mailed to taxpayers between Oct. 20-27, County Administrator Gary Kubic said Oct. 10.  To pay property taxes online, go to the county's website of www.bcgov.net and locate the payment link by scrolling toward the bottom of the county's home page.

Topic #4 -- Bluffton Parkway bids are $3.6 million over budget -- County Council Chairman Weston Newton reported at Oct. 10's County Council meeting the lowest of two bids for construction of the Bluffton Parkway were $3.6 million over the original estimate.    The county hopes to launch the project in November with a scheduled completion date of approximately February 2007.  The county's Public Services Committee on Oct. 11 voted to authorize county staff to pursue the lowest bid, verify the contractor's compliance with notifying minority sub-contractors, and negotiate additional dollars from the Town of Bluffton.

Topic #5 -- County committees to discuss penny sales tax referendum for November '06 -- Beaufort County's Public Services and Finance committees in the next few weeks will begin discussing a one-cent sales tax to fund the county's rural and critical lands program and roadway infrastructure.

Topic #6 -- Bluffton approves TIF to fund infrastructure -- Bluffton Town Council on Oct. 12 approved a tax increment financing district that, along with revenue streams from developer agreement amendments, will finance town infrastructure needs.  Town Council also approved the initial master plan for the Stony Creek at New Riverside development.

Topic #7 -- Pathways group gains attention of county administrator -- The Greater Bluffton Pathways group voiced its concerns about the need for safe pathways on Buckwalter Parkway and for pathway connectivity with the parkway's school campus in a meeting on Oct. 13 attended by County Administrator Gary Kubic.  County Engineer Bob Klink and Traffic Engineer Colin Kinton also attended, all of them providing feedback to the group of concerned citizens.  The county's parkway consultants, Thomas & Hutton Engineering, as well as Town of Bluffton and school district officials, also attended.

Topic #8 -- FEMA disaster assistance center to locate in Beaufort County -- William Winn, the county's emergency management director, said on Oct. 12 that Beaufort, Charleston, Greenville and Columbia will be sites for FEMA disaster assistance centers for Hurricane Katrina victims.  The Beaufort County assistance center most likely will be located in the northern part of the county where officials say most of the victims are.  Opening date is possibly in November.

Topic #9 -- County staffers moving forward with disaster recovery plan -- The county will soon issue a request for proposal to seek a consultant to assist the county in preparing a disaster recovery plan.  County staff has met for the past few weeks to discuss the disaster recovery process and has located funding to allow it to move forward to seek assistance in preparing a document whose goal is to address all aspects of recovery.