[00:00:02]
IF I COULD, I'D LIKE TO CALL THIS TOWN COUNCIL MEETING OF JUNE 3RD, 2025 TO ORDER.IF YOU'LL PLEASE JOIN AND SAY THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE TO THE UNITED STATES AMERICA, TO THE REPUBLIC WHICH STANDS, NATION UNDER GOD, UNDER GOD, INDIVISIBLE.
LIBERTY, LIBERTY, JUSTICE, ALL.
IF YOU'LL CONTINUE STANDING AS WE SAY, UM, HAVE THE INVOCATION.
AND TODAY WE HAVE REVEREND THERESA, DONT DON LEE FROM UNITY CHURCH.
I INVITE YOU TO CLOSE YOUR OUTER EYES AS YOU'RE COMFORTABLE MOVE FROM THE BUSYNESS OF YOUR HEAD AND INTO YOUR HEART SPACE AND BREATHE.
WE PAUSE IN THIS MOMENT OF STILLNESS TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE LIFE WISDOM AND UNITY THAT MOVES THROUGH ALL THINGS.
WE RECOGNIZE THAT WITHIN EACH PERSON HERE IS THE LIGHT OF UNDERSTANDING, THE STRENGTH OF GOOD JUDGMENT, AND THE POWER TO BRING FORTH IDEAS THAT SERVE THE COMMON GOOD CALLED UNITY OF US.
WITHIN THIS ISLAND, WE CALL THIS PARADISE OF HILTON HEAD.
AS WE GATHER IN THE SPIRIT OF COMMUNITY, WE AFFIRM THE CLARITY GUIDES OUR WORDS.
COMPASSION DIRECTS OUR ACTIONS, AND COOPERATION STRENGTHENS OUR OUTCOMES.
WE KNOW THAT THE RIGHT IDEAS ARE UNFOLDING IN EACH AND EVERY MOMENT THROUGH EVERY VOICE, AND THAT THE SPIRIT OF HARMONY PREVAILS.
WE BLESS THE LEADERS OF THIS TOWN AND THIS ISLAND, AND ALL Y'ALL AND ALL WHO LIVE, WORK, AND SERVE HERE.
MAY THIS MEETING BE CONDUCTED WITH INTEGRITY, INSIGHT, AND A SHARED VISION FOR THE HIGHEST GOOD OF ALL, CONCERNED WITH HEARTS OPEN AND MINDS FOCUSED, WE BEGIN GROUNDED IN PURPOSE AND UPLIFTED BY POSSIBILITY.
WE PRAY THIS IN THE NAME AND AFTER THE NATURE OF EACH OF US, WHICH IS THE DIVINITY OF GOD EXPRESSING UNIQUELY AS OURSELVES.
[4. Adoption of the Agenda]
THERE ANY, UH, CHANGES TO THE AGENDA FOR TODAY? NO, SIR.SECOND FIVE BY RAISING YOUR RIGHT HAND.
[5. Presentations and Recognitions]
HICKS HERE WITH US THIS AFTERNOON, UH, TO GIVE US AN OVERVIEW OF THE BEAUFORT JASPER HOUSING TRUST.THANK YOU, MR. MAYOR, MEMBERS OF COUNCIL.
IT'S A PLEASURE TO BE BEFORE YOU AGAIN.
I'VE BEEN HERE FOR A YEAR, UH, AND IT HAS BEEN A VERY EXCITING YEAR.
AND AS I HOPE YOU'LL SEE IN THIS SHORT PRESENTATION, UH, A YEAR THAT HAS BENEFITED, UH, EVERYONE IN BEAUFORT AND JASPER COUNTY.
UH, JUST A REMINDER OF WHO IS BEAUFORT JASPER HOUSING TRUST, AND IT IS ALL THE MUNICIPALITIES THAT YOU SEE UP ON THE BOARD, INCLUDING SO LOCO AS WELL.
THESE ARE OUR BOARD OF DIRECTORS.
UH, THEY COME FROM A WIDE VARIETY OF, UH, IN INDUSTRY AND ORGANIZATIONAL SKILLS.
WE WERE ASKED AS PART OF THE, UH, INITIAL STUDY THAT WAS DONE, WHAT WE NEEDED TO DO GOING FORWARD.
WE WERE ADVISED THAT WE NEEDED TO ADD REAL ESTATE LAW AND GOVERNING, UH, ENTITIES TO OUR BOARD, WHICH WE HAVE DONE.
WHY HOUSING MATTERS, UH, ECONOMIC GROWTH.
IF YOU'VE SEEN ANYTHING THAT HAS CLOSED BECAUSE OF LACK OF PEOPLE TO RUN IT.
IF YOU ASK THOSE PEOPLE, THEY'LL PROBABLY TELL YOU THAT THEY COULDN'T FIND ANY PLACE TO LIVE.
THEY HAD TO GO SOMEWHERE ELSE IN ORDER TO DO THAT QUALITY OF LIFE.
THERE ARE ALL KINDS OF STUDIES ALL OVER THE PLACE ABOUT THE LINK BETWEEN HOUSING AND THE QUALITY OF LIFE, ESPECIALLY THOSE OF CHILDREN AND OF SENIORS.
THIS IS A REGIONAL COLLABORATION.
IT WAS PRESENTED TO THE SOUTH CAROLINA LEGISLATURE AS A REGIONAL COLLABORATION, AND IT IS REALLY ONE OF THE ONLY ENTITIES THAT ACTUALLY PROVES THAT EIGHT REGIONS CAN COME TOGETHER WITH A COMMITTED PURPOSE AND GET THINGS DONE.
THE HOUSING AFFORDABILITY, IF YOU'LL LOOK AT A HUNDRED PERCENT OF MEDIAN FAMILY INCOME, THESE ARE HUD INCOME LIMITS THAT JUST CAME OUT A MONTH AGO.
UH, YOU'LL SEE BEAUFORT COUNTY IS 112,500 FOR A FAMILY OF FOUR.
THE MAXIMUM THAT THEY COULD PAY IN RENT OR MORTGAGE WITHOUT EXCEEDING 30% OF THEIR INCOME IS 28 13.
WHEN YOU HAVE THREE BEDROOM HOMES AND THREE BEDROOM APARTMENTS CRESTING WAY ABOVE THAT 28 13, IT MAKES IT EVEN MORE DIFFICULT FOR SOMEONE TO FIND A PLACE TO LIVE.
[00:05:01]
THIS IS AN INTERESTING SLIDE BECAUSE IF YOU TAKE A LOOK IN THE BEAUFORT JASPER AREA ON EITHER SIDE OF THIS EQUATION WHERE YOU SEE THE HIGHEST GRADE BLOCKS, WE HAVE A GROWING NUMBER OF PEOPLE, A GROWING NUMBER OF FAMILIES WHO EARN LESS THAN 60% OF AREA MEDIAN INCOME, SOME EARNING AS LITTLE AS 20% OF AREA MEDIAN INCOME.AND THE OTHER SIDE OF THE SCALE THAT'S GROWING JUST AS FAST ARE THOSE PEOPLE WHO ARE EARNING 150 TO 200% OF AREA MEDIAN INCOME.
WHAT YOU SEE IN THE MIDDLE ARE ALL OF THE WORKERS WHO ARE REALLY WHAT WE CALL THE MISSING MIDDLE.
THERE ARE NO HOUSING OPPORTUNITIES FOR THEM.
THEY ARE MOVING FURTHER AND FURTHER AWAY, UH, MANY OF THEM INTO JASPER COUNTY JUST TO FIND A PLACE THAT THEY CAN BUY OR THEY THAT THEY CAN RENT FOR THEIR FAMILY.
THIS IS SOMETHING THAT YOU MAY OR MAY NOT HAVE SEEN OVER THE LAST YEAR.
LAURA ULRICH CAME FROM THE FEDERAL RESERVE AND PRESENTED, UH, A PRESENTATION TO A LARGE FORUM.
THIS IS A SLIDE THAT SHE PRESENTED.
THE FEDERAL RESERVE LOOKS ON AN ANNUAL BASIS AT AFFORDABILITY.
THEY LOOK AT WHAT COULD SOMEONE SPEND FOR A MEDIAN PRICED HOUSE AND NOT EXCEED 30% OF THEIR INCOME IN THE LAST 21 YEARS.
UH, THIS IS, THIS EVEN ASTONISHED THE FEDERAL RESERVE.
BUT IF YOU TAKE A LOOK AT THE RAPID GROWTH IN HOUSING, THE RAPID COST IN HOUSING, THE RAPID COST IN APARTMENTS, IT'S STILL A SHOCKING SLIDE, BUT IT'S AN ACCURATE ONE, AND IT REMAINS SO TO THIS DAY.
WE HAVE DISCOVERED OVER THE LAST YEAR THAT I'VE BEEN HERE THAT WORKFORCE AND AFFORDABLE HOUSING MUST BE INTENTIONAL.
UH, IT CANNOT BE DONE BY A PRIVATE MARKETPLACE.
IT CAN, IT CANNOT BE DONE EXCLUSIVELY BY THE PUBLIC MARKETPLACE.
IT REQUIRES PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS IN ORDER FOR IT TO WORK.
AND THAT IS FEDERAL, STATE, LOCAL, REGIONAL, AND PRIVATE.
WE GAVE OUT, UH, GRANTS THIS PAST YEAR.
THESE ARE THE GRANTEES THAT WE GAVE, UH, FUNDING TO.
THEY ARE A VARIETY OF ENTITIES DOING A VARIETY OF THINGS.
THE ONES THAT YOU SEE WITH THE ASTERISKS ARE THOSE THAT WHOSE SERVICE AREA INCLUDES THE TOWN OF HILTON HEAD.
WE ARE, UH, IN THE BUSINESS OF CREATING WORKFORCE AND AFFORDABLE HOUSING, PRESERVING EXISTING HOUSING AND THE CREATION OF NEW HOMEOWNERS THROUGH OUR FIRST HOME BUYER ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS. WHAT HAVE WE DONE TO DATE? UH, IN THE YEAR THAT I'VE BEEN HERE, ALONG WITH OUR OPERATING OR DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS, JENNIFER TUCK WILLER, UH, WE HAVE LOOKED AT NUMBER ONE, THE CREATION OF NEW WORKFORCE AND AFFORDABLE HOUSING.
WE MADE A 500,000 LOAN TO A 64 UNIT NEW, UH, STRUCTURE IN BEAUFORT FOR SENIORS.
THAT WILL BE DONE SOMETIME AROUND THE END OF AUGUST TO THE MIDDLE OF SEPTEMBER.
THEY WILL BEGIN MOVING PEOPLE IN SHORTLY THEREAFTER.
UH, WE ALSO WERE ASKED BY THE COUNTY TO PROVIDE OVERSIGHT TO FUNDING THAT THEY GAVE CCDC FOR THE PURCHASE OF TOWN HOMES IN THE UNINCORPORATED AREAS OF THE COUNTY.
WE, UH, GAVE FUNDING FOR THE PRESERVATION OF EXISTING WORKFORCE AND AFFORDABLE HOUSING.
THIS IS THE SINGLE BIGGEST DEMAND THAT WE HAVE RECEIVED.
HOME REPAIRS IS THE NUMBER ONE ISSUE.
UH, AND ALL OF OUR GRANTEES THAT WE GAVE MONEY TO HAVE NOW SPENT VIRTUALLY ALL OF THEIR MONEY AND HAVE WAITING LISTS TO SEE IF WE'RE GONNA BE ABLE TO FUND THEM AGAIN, OR SOME OTHER ENTITY'S GONNA BE ABLE TO FUND THEM AGAIN.
AND WE DID FIRST TIME HOME BUYERS.
WE'RE HAPPY TO SAY THAT WE FUNDED 17 NEW HOMEOWNERS IN A VERY DIFFICULT ENVIRONMENT AND A HARD INTEREST RATE ENVIRONMENT, BUT WE MANAGED TO DO THAT.
WE HAVE LOOKED AT AND BEEN A PART OF CONVERSATIONS ABOUT HILTON HEAD PROJECTS, SUCH AS THE NORTH POINT DEVELOPMENT, NOVANT HOUSING PROJECT, BUFORT COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT TEACHER HOUSING PROJECT, HILTON HEAD PREP SCHOOL TEACHER HOUSING HABITAT, AND THE HOME REPAIR PROGRAM.
WHAT'S NEXT FOR US? AND I'VE BEEN TOLD I'VE GOT FIVE MINUTES, SO I THINK I'M DOING OKAY.
UM, WE WANT TO ACCESS SOUTH CAROLINA HOUSING TRUST FUND FOR HOME REPAIRS.
WE ARE THE ONLY ENTITY IN BEAUFORT, JASPER COUNTY THAT IS QUALIFIED TO ACCESS THOSE FUNDS.
WE WANT TO ADD PART-TIME EMPLOYEES FOR HOME REPAIR PROGRAMS. WE HIRED AN INSPECTOR TO HELP US GET THROUGH THOSE APPLICATIONS QUICKLY.
UH, WE ARE LAUNCHING CITY BEAUFORT HOME REPAIR PROGRAM.
UH, WE PUT MONEY IN, THEY PUT, THEY MATCH THAT MONEY, UH, AND IT WILL BE EXCLUSIVELY FOR RESIDENTS OF THE CITY OF BEAUFORT.
WE HOPE THAT IF THIS WORKS WELL, WE WILL THEN REPLICATE IT THROUGHOUT BOTH COUNTIES.
[00:10:01]
WE'RE DEVELOPING AN OUTREACH AND ADVOCACY COMMITTEE HIGHLIGHTING SPECIFICALLY FUNDRAISING, WHAT WE CAN DO BETTER IN THE COMMUNITY.WE WANT TO COMPLETE OUR FIRST FUNDING CYCLE FOR GRANTS AND EVALUATE THE NEXT STEPS.
WE DID NOT ANNOUNCE A SECOND ROUND UNTIL WE LOOKED AT WHAT OUR FIRST ROUND RECIPIENTS DID, WHAT THEY STRUGGLED WITH, AND HOW WELL THEY ARE DOING.
IN COMPLETING THE MISSION, WE WANNA DEVELOP A PROCESS FOR LAND DONATIONS.
WE HAVE SOME MUNICIPALITIES, UH, IN JASPER COUNTY AS WELL, UH, THAT HAVE LAND.
THEY WOULD LIKE TO CONTRIBUTE FOR THE BENEFIT OF WORKFORCE AND AFFORDABLE HOUSING.
WE WANNA WORK WITH JURISDICTIONS TO IDENTIFY TARGET AREAS FOR DEVELOPMENT, REHABILITATION, WORKFORCE, EXCUSE ME, AND AFFORDABLE HOUSING.
UH, THERE ARE, EACH MEMBER OF THE TRUST HAS A DISTINCTLY DIFFERENT IDEA ABOUT WHAT THEY WANT IN THEIR COMMUNITY, WHAT THEY WANNA FOCUS ON.
SO WE'RE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW DO WE PUT THAT ALL TOGETHER INTO SOMETHING THAT MAKES SENSE.
WE WANNA WORK WITH STATE POLICY INITIATIVES.
UH, AS MOST OF YOU KNOW, UH, THE STATE DECIDED, UH, TO WITHDRAW ALL EARMARK, UH, FOR THIS COMING OR THIS LEGISLATIVE SESSION.
UH, WE HAD $7 MILLION IN REQUESTS IN THOSE EARMARKS, UH, TO FUND A NUMBER OF PROJECTS, NOT THE LEAST OF WHICH ARE THOSE, UH, IN HILTON HEAD.
WE WANNA FIGURE OUT HOW WE WORK WITH THE STATE IN PROVIDING AND WORKING WITH THE PROGRAMS THAT THEY HAVE.
THEY HAVE A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF MONEY.
THEY HAVE A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF ACCESS, BUT THE DIFFICULTY IN GETTING THERE IS WHAT STOPS MOST PEOPLE.
WE WANNA TRY AND IMPROVE THAT.
WE WANNA WORK WITH LOCAL POLICY INITIATIVES.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE WANT TO DO IS KEEP TALKING TO EACH INITIATIVE TO EACH AREA AND ASKING WHAT IS IT THAT YOU THINK WE COULD CHANGE TO MAKE THINGS EASIER, TO MAKE THINGS BETTER.
UH, A WAY TO DO THAT IS TO BRING A BUNCH OF PEOPLE TO THE TABLE AND ASK FOR THEIR IDEAS AND THEIR CONVERSATION, WHICH IS WHY WE HAVE, UH, SET ASIDE SEPTEMBER 24TH AS OUR BLUEPRINT FOR CHANGE, A SOLUTIONS FORUM ON WORKFORCE AND AFFORDABLE HOUSING.
ORRICK WILL SPEAK, UH, AGAIN AT THAT MEETING, ALTHOUGH THIS TIME SHE WILL BE NOT IN HER, UH, JOB AS AN ECO ECONOMIST, ECONOMIST FOR THE FEDERAL RESERVE, BUT RATHER AS THE HEAD OF DEVELOPMENT FOR INDEED.
SO, SHE'S GOING TO COME INTO THIS AREA, TELL US WHERE JOBS ARE, HOW INDEED WORKS WITH THOSE JOBS, UH, AND TO TRY AND FIGURE OUT A BETTER WAY, ESPECIALLY FOR OUR YOUNGER FAMILIES, ESPECIALLY FOR OUR YOUNGER PEOPLE, TO FIND A JOB, BE ABLE TO AFFORD A PLACE TO LIVE, AND MAKE THIS THEIR HOME FOR A LONG TIME TO COME.
SO, ANY QUESTIONS FROM COUNCIL MEMBERS? GREAT.
FIRST OF ALL, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR BEING HERE AND PRESENTING US WITH THIS INFORMATION.
AND OTHER THAN APPOINTING OUR BOARD MEMBER
UH, I THINK THAT ANYTHING WE CAN DO TO HELP OPEN SOME OF THOSE DOORS, PERHAPS TO LOOK AT SOME NEW IDEAS, UH, WE WOULD BE, UH, OBVIOUSLY VERY OPEN TO AND VERY WILLING TO SAY, THIS IS WHAT'S WORKING IN OTHER AREAS.
BUT HILTON HEAD IS, IT'S ITS OWN KIND OF STATE, IF YOU WILL.
UH, SO WE UNDERSTAND THE PROBLEMS THAT ARE HERE ARE NOT NECESSARILY THE SAME PROBLEMS THAT ARE IN JASPER COUNTY, NOT NECESSARILY THE SAME PROBLEMS THAT ARE IN BEAUFORT OR BEAUFORT COUNTY.
SO COMMUNICATION, DIALOGUE WITH HOW WE CAN HELP.
WE KNOW, FOR EXAMPLE, THAT, UM, STAFF HAS CALLED US AND SAID THEY NEED MONEY FOR HOME REPAIRS.
AND HOW WE DO THAT AND HOW THAT FITS, UH, IS AN ONGOING DISCUSSION.
WE THINK THAT'S A, IT IS A HUGE ISSUE.
HEIRS PROPERTY IS A HUGE ISSUE.
UM, BUT IF WE DON'T ADDRESS IT, ALL OF THOSE HOUSES ARE GONNA GO INTO DISREPAIR.
PEOPLE THAT ARE INSIDE OF THEM ARE GONNA LEAVE AND THEY'RE GONNA GO SOMEWHERE ELSE.
NEXT UP WE HAVE, UH, THE TOWN OF HILTON HEAD ISLAND DESTINATION AND MARKETING ORGANIZATION, FISCAL YEAR 25 Q3 METRICS.
[00:15:06]
GOOD AFTERNOON.I'M THE VICE PRESIDENT OF THE VISITOR AND CONVENTION BUREAU FOR THE HILTON HEAD ISLAND BLUFFTON CHAMBER OF COMMERCE.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME THIS AFTERNOON.
UM, I WILL TRY TO BE BRIEF AS I KNOW YOU HAVE A BIG AGENDA IN FRONT OF YOU.
UM, THIS IS THE, UH, FISCAL YEAR 24 25 Q3 RECAP.
SO AGAIN, THAT WILL BE JANUARY, FEBRUARY, AND MARCH.
MYSELF, AS LONG, AS LONG, UH, AS WELL AS SOME OF OUR TEAMMATES AND TEAM MEMBERS ARE HERE IN CASE WE HAVE ANY ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS.
UM, WE ALWAYS LIKE TO START WITH OUR DESTINATION VALUES.
AGAIN, WE ARE ALWAYS CONSTANTLY FOCUSING ON ECOTOURISM HISTORY, ARTS AND CULTURE, RECREATIONAL WELLNESS AS A FOCUS FOR OUR OUT MARKETING.
THESE WERE, UM, PILLARS THAT WE HELD HANDS ON AND DECIDED TO GO FORWARD WITH SEVERAL YEARS AGO.
AND THEY'VE BEEN DOING A GREAT JOB, WORKING VERY HARD FOR US, AND, UM, GETTING OUT OUR COMMUNITY PRIORITIES IN TERMS OF THE TYPES OF TOURISM THAT WE WOULD LIKE TO BRING ON, UM, BACK TO THE ISLAND, EVERY QUARTER WE LIKE TO TALK ABOUT A HIGHLIGHT OR, UM, A MOMENT THAT WAS FAIRLY IMPRESSIVE FOR THE EFFORTS OF THOSE PAST THREE MONTHS.
HERE IS AN OPPORTUNITY WHERE WE TALK ABOUT AMERICA'S FAVORITE ESCAPE CAMPAIGN.
THIS CAMPAIGN WAS, UM, GENERATED AWARENESS, BUT ALSO BROUGHT, UM, VISITORS WHO HAD INTENT TO TRAVEL, UM, FURTHER DOWN THE FUNNEL INTO, UM, THE PURCHASE, IF YOU WILL, THE BOTTOM OF THE FUNNEL, THE PURCHASE, UM, TIMEFRAME.
AND WE ARE SHAKING HANDS WITH, UH, THE PARTNER OUT INTO, UM, THE, FOR THEM TO BOOK A HOTEL OR HOME UMBRELLA, EXCUSE ME.
AND, UM, WE SAW GREAT RESULTS FOR THIS.
THIS WAS A LATE, UM, FALL EARLY WINTER PUSH.
AND YOU CAN SEE HERE WE TRIED SOME NEW, UM, PLATFORMS SUCH AS SPOTIFY AND DISNEY PLUS, UM, WHICH REALLY HAD GREAT RESULTS FOR US AS WELL AS THE WEBSITE SESSIONS AND PARTNER REFERRALS.
SO WITH THE SUCCESS OF THIS, UM, CAMPAIGN, WE WILL LOOK TO TAKE THAT INTO DOING THOSE TWICE A YEAR.
ONE, TO REALLY PUSH THAT, UM, SPRING TRAVEL, AND THEN ONE AGAIN TO PUSH THAT FALL LATE WINTER AGAIN IN THOSE NEED TIMEFRAMES.
IN TERMS OF OUR MEDIA PARTNERSHIPS, WE ARE STILL FOCUSED ON THE INTERNATIONAL MARKET.
THIS IS ONE THAT WE HAD, UM, IN MARKET DURING THAT TIME.
AND THIS WAS A DIRECT OPPORTUNITY THAT CAME FROM ONE OF OUR EFFORTS, UM, UH, THAT WE HAD AT A, A TRADE SHOW, INTERNATIONAL TRADE SHOW.
WE WERE WORKING WITH OTHER, UM, SOUTH CAROLINA PARTNERS, AS YOU CAN SEE HERE, AS WELL AS THE STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA.
AND THIS WAS TO THE GERMAN MARKET.
THERE WAS A PRINTED PIECE THAT WENT OUT TO THEIR, UM, MAILING LIST AS WELL AS THE DIGITAL COMPONENT.
UM, AND IT'S JUST ANOTHER WAY THAT WE'RE SHOWCASING THAT WE'RE HERE, WE'RE RELEVANT, AND THAT, UM, WE'RE PARTNERED WITH OUR STATE TOURISM AS WELL AS OUR OTHER MAIN PARTNERS IN THE, IN THE STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA.
CHARLIE AND HER TEAM DO A GREAT JOB, AS ALWAYS WITH PR.
THESE ARE JUST A, UM, HANDFUL OF HIGHLIGHTS.
AS YOU CAN SEE, SHE'S BEEN WORKING REALLY HARD ENSURING THAT, UM, HILTON HEAD ISLAND STAYS TOP OF MIND WHILE, UM, WE'RE OUT WORKING ON THE OTHER SIDE OF PAID MEDIA.
SHE IS MAKING THOSE DEEP AND, UM, LASTING RELATIONSHIPS WITH ALL OF OUR MEDIA PARTNERS ON THE EDITORIAL SIDE.
AND AGAIN, GREAT, UM, HIGHLIGHTS IN SOUTHERN LIVING, UM, TRAVEL AND LEISURE AS WELL AS GOOD MORNING AMERICA.
WE TALK OFTEN ABOUT THAT ONE PRINTED PIECE, UM, WITH THE DESTINATION GUIDE.
I LIKE TO REALLY EMPHASIZE HERE THAT IT IS A, UM, POINT OF REFERENCE FOR THOSE THAT ARE IN THE PLANNING AND, UM, PHASE.
AND WHEN YOU SEE HERE THAT NOT ONLY DO WE OFFER IT THROUGH FULFILLMENT ON OUR WEBSITE, CALLING AND HAVING IT FULFILLED OR WALKING IN TO PICK IT UP, IT IS DISTRIBUTED AMONGST, UM, MANY DIFFERENT TOUCH POINTS IN, IN FACT, IT'S AT EVERY SOUTH CAROLINA WELCOME CENTER AT ALL OF OUR AAA OFFICES NATIONWIDE, AT BOTH OF OUR AIRPORTS.
UM, IT GOES TO EVERY, UM, TRAVEL AND TRADE SHOW THAT WE HAVE, AS WELL AS OUR, ALL OF OUR MEDIA EVENTS.
WHEN YOU LOOK AT BOTH OUR SOCIAL MEDIA AND OUR WEBSITE PERFORMANCE, YOU'RE GOING TO SEE THAT THERE ARE SOME SMALL DIPS THAT YOU'RE SEEING YEAR OVER YEAR DURING THIS TIMEFRAME.
BUT AGAIN, I WANNA BRING A FORWARD THAT THERE WERE A COUPLE THINGS THAT HAPPENED DURING THAT TIMEFRAME, RIGHT? SO IT'S A LITTLE DIFFERENT WHEN WE'RE LOOKING THREE MONTHS BACK.
SO WE HAD A NEW ADMINISTRATION, WE HAD, UM, WEATHER EVENTS, AND WE ALSO HAD A LATE EASTER.
SO THOSE THREE THINGS REALLY IMPACTED, UM, MOST, UH, MOST OF THESE NUMBERS THAT YOU'RE SEEING IN FRONT OF YOU.
SO AS WE RIGHT SIDE, WE'RE SEEING REALLY SOME POSITIVE TURNS WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE APRIL, UM, MAY AND JUNE NUMBERS THAT YOU'RE GONNA SEE WHETHER WHAT'S ACTUALIZED OR WHAT'S ON THE BOOKS.
SO AGAIN, IT WAS JUST, UM, A BIT OF A, A DIP IN WHEN WE SAID THAT FIRST THREE MONTHS.
BUT WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO RIGHT SIDE AND THINGS ARE LOOKING STRONG FROM OUR WEBSITE.
WHO'S COMING TO THE WEBSITE TO VISIT? UM, WE'RE SEEING A BIT MORE OF THE FEMALE VISITOR COMING TO THE WEBSITE TO EXPLORE AND TO LOOK AROUND.
YOU CAN SEE THE AGE DEMOGRAPHICS
[00:20:01]
HERE STILL SKEW IN THAT 55 TO 64-YEAR-OLD AGE RANGE, BUT WE ARE SEEING AN UPTICK IN THAT FIF 45 TO 54, WHICH IS GREAT.WHAT ARE THEY LIKING TO DO WHEN THEY'RE ON THIS, ON THE WEBSITE? SO THEY'RE SEEING, AGAIN, WE HAD THE AMERICA'S FAVORITE ESCAPES CAMPAIGN, WHICH WAS A BIG DRAW FOR INDIVIDUALS VISITING THAT VIRTUAL FRONT DOOR FOR US.
UM, ALSO THE SEE AND DO AS WELL AS OUR COOPERATIVE EFFORTS.
SO COOPERATIVE EFFORTS ARE REALLY SOME OF THOSE, UM, OFFERS THAT WE HAVE OUT THERE.
SO A HOTEL OFFER A HOME AND VILLA OFFERS, THEY WERE LOOKING AND HAD SOME INTENT, UM, THAT TELLS US THERE'S SOME INTENT TO REALLY MAKE A DECISION TO TRAVEL TO THE DESTINATION.
AGAIN, HERE YOU'RE SEEING THE SOCIAL MEDIA PIECES AGAIN, EVEN THOUGH WE WERE DOWN IN THE SESSIONS AND REFERRALS, OUR TOTAL AUDIENCE IS UP 1.8.
AND ALSO JUST THE NUANCES THAT ARE HAPPENING IN THAT FIRST THREE MONTHS.
AGAIN, I WILL REITERATE THOSE ARE RIGHT SIDING AS WE LOOK INTO THIS QUARTER.
UM, AND WE'RE EXCITED TO EXPLORE SOME OF THOSE THINGS THAT ARE HAPPENING, UM, WHEN WE TALK ABOUT THAT NEXT TIME WE'RE TOGETHER.
BUT, UM, AGAIN, APRIL LODGING AS WELL AS OUR SOCIAL, UH, INTERACTIONS ARE LOOKING UP FOR APRIL.
AND WHAT WE HAVE SEEN FOR ME THUS FAR HERE ARE SOME OF OUR HIGHLIGHTS FROM THIS PAST SOCIAL, UM, QUARTER.
WE HAD HILTON HEAD WING FEST ST.
AND THEN, UH, THEY LOVE SEEING MORE STUFF ABOUT OUR PARKS.
SO AGAIN, TALKING QUICKLY ABOUT THE OCCUPANCY, A DR AND REVPAR, AGAIN, I CAN'T EMPHASIZE ENOUGH.
JUST THE FACT THAT WE HAD KIND OF A, A STRANGE Q UH, THREE FOR US IN JANUARY, FEBRUARY, AND MARCH.
AND AGAIN, SOME OF THOSE NUANCES ARE RELATED TO THE THREE, UM, PIECES THAT WE SPOKE ABOUT.
UH, COUNSEL, ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? YES, MS. TELLER? YEP.
UM, UH, YOU CATEGORIZE THE DECLINE AS MINOR.
I, I WOULDN'T PERSONALLY DESCRIBE IT THAT WAY.
AND IT'S BEEN THE SECOND QUARTER OF DECLINES.
SO IF WE GO BACK AND LOOK AT NUMBER OF USERS, FOR EXAMPLE, YOU WERE DOWN 18% IN THE PRIOR QUARTER AND DOWN 19.2% IN THIS QUARTER.
AND YET YOU SEE THE SAME THING WITH, UH, VISITS AND SESSIONS AND PARTNER REFERRALS.
UM, SO IT'S, IT'S, IT'S TWO QUARTERS NOW AND IT'S NOT GETTING BETTER.
SO SOME OF THE DETAIL THAT YOU HAVE IN THE PRESENTATION IS THAT, UM, THERE'S BEEN A CHANGE IN THE GOOGLE ALGORITHM THERE HAS.
AND, UH, IF YOU COULD EXPLAIN THAT MM-HMM
AND WHAT IMPACT YOU THINK THAT'S HAVING.
AND THEN MORE IMPORTANTLY, HOW ARE YOU CHANGING YOUR TACTICS TO ADDRESS THIS? UM, BECAUSE, UH, I AM CONCERNED NOW THAT IT'S TWO QUARTERS, RIGHT? I WILL, UM, REITERATE THAT THE, AND AGREE WITH YOU THAT THE LANDSCAPE OF TRAVEL AND TOURISM IS CHANGING HOW THE CONSUMER IS DIGESTING TRAVEL IS CHANGING.
UM, WHERE WE COULD PLAY WITHIN THE S-E-O-S-E-M SPACE WHEN IT COMES TO GOOGLE OR OTHER, UM, SEARCH ENGINES, UM, IS A LITTLE DIFFERENT.
TODAY GOOGLE HAS TAKEN A VERY STRONG POSITION ON HOW THEY WANT TO OWN A MAJORITY OF, UH, THE WEBPAGE.
AND SO WHERE WE WERE RANKING WITHIN THE TOP ONE TO TWO PLACEMENTS WITHIN GOOGLE, WHEN YOU SEARCHED FOR ANY, UM, ASPECT OF HILTON HEAD AS A DESTINATION OR JUST A BEACH DESTINATION, UM, WE'RE FINDING THAT DESTINATIONS AS A WHOLE, UM, IT HAS, IT IS CHANGING THE WAY PEOPLE ARE FINDING OUR DESTINATION.
SO, UM, WE ARE WORKING REAL TIME AND QUICKLY TO PLAY, UM, BEST WITH HOW GOOGLE IS ALLOWING US TO PLAY.
UM, BUT THEN ALSO WE ARE WORKING BEHIND THE SCENES TO FIND WAYS IN WHICH WE CAN KIND OF WORK BEHIND THE SCENES TO MAKE OUR BRAND COME TO THE TOP IN DIFFERENT QUERIES.
AND I WANTED TO CALL UP CHASE 'CAUSE I KNOW HE AND I ARE WORKING ON A WEEKLY BASIS TO, UM, AND TO UNDERSTAND HOW WE CAN BEST ADJUST AND, UM, ADDRESS THE ISSUES OF SEO AND SEM.
UM, SO, UH, TO REITERATE ARI'S POINT, UH, THE BIG CHANGE WE'RE SEEING IN GOOGLE SEARCH, UM, IS, UH, AI, UH, TO SAY IT'S BEEN DISRUPTIVE AS AN UNDERSTATEMENT.
UM, YOU KNOW, UH, ATARI'S POINT, WE USED TO BE ONE OR TWO SEARCH RESULT, THE FIRST OR SECOND SEARCH RESULT, WE'RE STILL THERE.
THE PROBLEM IS, THE FIRST THIRD OF THE PAGE, WHENEVER YOU GOOGLE ANYTHING NOW, IS GOOGLE'S AI SUMMARY OF EVERYTHING.
SO THAT EATS UP A LOT OF TRAFFIC BECAUSE AS SHE WAS SAYING, GOOGLE WANTS TO, GOOGLE WANTS TO HAVE THAT, UM, MONOPOLY ON SEARCH.
SO WE'RE LOOKING AT DIFFERENT WAYS TO KIND OF, UM, UH, WORK WITHIN THAT.
UH, 'CAUSE WE CAN EITHER WORK AGAINST AI OR WE CAN EMBRACE IT AND KNOW THAT THAT'S THE FUTURE.
THAT'S THE WAY THINGS ARE MOVING.
SO WE'RE LOOKING AT WAYS WE CAN MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE THE SOURCE OF RECORD FOR GOOGLE'S AI AND FOR OTHER AI SERVICES.
UM, WE'RE LOOKING FOR WAYS TO MAKE SURE THAT, YOU KNOW, EVEN IF THEY'RE NOT COMING DIRECTLY TO OUR WEBSITE, THAT THEY ARE GOING TO OUR PARTNERS, OUR PARTNERS ARE GETTING THOSE
[00:25:01]
REFERRALS BECAUSE WE ARE THE SOURCE OF RECORD THAT AI IS PULLING FROM.SO THAT WHEN YOU GO INTO GOOGLE, YOU TYPE IN THINK IS DUE IN HILTON HEAD, THEY GIVE YOU THE AI SUMMARY AND THEY WANT YOU TO GO BOOK SOMEWHERE.
THAT'S BECAUSE WE MADE SURE WE WERE THE AUTHORITATIVE SOURCE THAT AI IS GOING TO BE PULLING FROM.
AND SO I THINK IN ADDITION TO THAT, COUNCILWOMAN TANNER, I THINK YOU HAVE TO LOOK AT THE METRICS THAT ARE BEING ASKED AS KEY RESULTS KPIS.
WHAT IS IT THAT TOMORROW'S, UM, INDUSTRY METRIC IS GONNA LOOK LIKE VERSUS WHAT WE'RE REPORTING ON TODAY? THE WORLD IN WHICH TRAVEL AND TOURISM IS WORKING AGAINST IS CHANGING MINUTE BY MINUTE.
AND SO WHAT WE'RE DOING IS WORKING REAL TIME, BUT BEING, UM, ACCOUNTABLE FOR METRICS THAT TRULY NO LONGER APPLY.
UM, AND WHAT, WHAT WE'RE DOING IS A IS REPORTING ON THEM, AND YOU'RE GONNA CONTINUE TO SEE SOME DOWN AND YOU'RE GONNA SEE SOME UP.
BUT WHAT WE'RE DOING BEHIND THE SCENES IS AGAIN, BEING THAT AUTHORITY AND MAKING SURE THAT WE ARE THE ONES TO CHASE THIS POINT THAT ARE, UM, BEING ACCREDITED OR ACCREDITED WITH THE, UM, OPPORTUNITY FOR BEING THE, UM, THE SOURCE.
SO IF THESE METRICS ARE BECOMING OBSOLETE, WHAT ARE THE METRICS THAT WE SHOULD BE MEASURING? YEAH, SO THAT'S SOMETHING WE'RE INVESTIGATING.
UH, THE TWO THAT I THINK ARE MOST RELEVANT, UH, ON THE BACK END, WE CAN START TO SEE HOW OFTEN AI IS CRAWLING OUR WEBSITE, UH, TO MAKE SURE THAT WE KNOW THAT WE ARE THAT SOURCE OF RECORD.
AND THEN THE OTHER WAY IS TO LOOK AT HOW MANY REFERRALS WE'RE GETTING FROM THOSE AIS.
SO, UH, IF YOU GO INTO CHAT GPT AND YOU ASK IT, WHAT SHOULD I DO IN HILTON HEAD THIS WEEKEND? UH, IT GIVES YOU A SUMMARY OF THINGS YOU CAN DO AND YOU CLICK OUT TO COME TO OUR WEBSITE, WHICH ONE OF OUR PARTNERS YOU CAN ACTUALLY TRACK THAT THAT TRAFFIC CAME FROM CHAT, GPT OR GEMINI OR PERPLEXITY OR WHATEVER.
SO BEING ABLE TO SEE ONE ON THE BACKEND, UM, THAT AI IS USING OUR WEBSITE TO PULL THAT INFORMATION, UH, THROUGH CRAWLING.
AND THEN ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THINGS, SEEING HOW MANY REFERRALS WE'RE ACTUALLY GETTING FROM THE AI ITSELF.
AND I THINK THOSE TWO METRICS ARE GOING TO BE, UH, PROBABLY, UH, THE MOST IMPORTANT GOING FORWARD AS AI CONTINUES TO DEVELOP.
SO IT'S ALMOST LIKE IT'S COMPETING WITH YOU.
UH, LIKE I SAID, GOOGLE REALLY WON'T SET SEARCH MONOPOLY.
AND THEN, UH, ONE LAST QUESTION.
SO OCCUPANCY RATE WAS DOWN, ET CETERA.
UM, IS THIS BEING FELT JUST IN HILTON HEAD OR HOW DO WE TRACK COMPARED TO, UM, OUR COMPETITION, THOSE AREAS THAT WE TEND TO COMPETE AGAINST? SO Q3, UM, WAS KIND OF DOWN ACROSS THE BOARD FOR A LOT OF DESTINATIONS.
UM, THE BIG, UH, I THINK THE BIG THING THAT PUSHED IT BACK WAS THE LATE EASTER.
I MEAN, LAST YEAR AND THE YEAR BEFORE EASTER WAS EITHER THE LAST WEEK OF MARCH OR THE FIRST WEEK OF APRIL.
SO A LOT OF PEOPLE WERE PUSHING BACK THEIR TRAVEL UNTIL THE EASTER, UH, HOLIDAY THIS YEAR, WHICH WAS OF COURSE AT THE VERY END.
UM, AND I THINK THAT WAS THE BIGGEST FACTOR, UH, ACROSS THE ENTIRE COUNTRY.
AND SPECIFICALLY IN THE SOUTHEAST WE SAW, UH, OTHER, UM, OTHER DESTINATIONS, UH, HAVING SIMILAR DROPS.
SO, UM, I DO THINK THAT WE HAVE REBOUNDED WELL, UH, COMING OUTTA THE QUARTER.
OUR APRIL NUMBERS, UH, LOOKED A LOT BETTER.
HOTELS ARE, UH, ON PAR WITH 2024 HOMES AND VILLAS WERE SIGNIFICANTLY BETTER THAN 2024.
UH, ARE YOU SEEING A DECLINE IN VISITORS FROM CANADA AND EUROPE? AND IF SO, IS IT DIFFERENT THAN THE DECLINE IN VISITORS FROM THE STATES? NO, I THINK I'LL LET YOU CHIME IN, BUT I THINK OVERALL WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT IS, UM, KIND OF A GLOBAL CHATTER ABOUT WHAT INTERNATIONAL IS OR ISN'T FOR US, UM, AS A, AS A COUNTRY.
AND SO WE'RE LOOKING AT THAT AS BEST WE CAN DUE TO ALL THE PRIVACY LAWS THAT ARE IN PLACE TO UNDERSTAND HOW IT IS DIRECTLY IMPACTING US LOCALLY HERE ON HILTON HEAD.
AND SO CHASE AND HIS TEAM HAVE BEEN WORKING IN LOCKSTEP WITH OUR RESEARCHERS TO UNDERSTAND THE BEST WAY TO TRACK IT.
WE ARE KEEPING A CLOSE EYE ON IT AND ASKING ON A REGULAR BASIS, UM, YOU KNOW, IF ANY OF OUR INDUSTRY PARTNERS LOCALLY ARE SEEING ANY OF THAT IMPACT FROM REAL ESTATE ALL THE WAY FROM TO DOWN TO BOOKINGS AND ALSO SECONDARY AND TERTIARY TOUCH POINTS SUCH AS EXCURSIONS OR RESTAURANTS.
AND, UH, TO BUILD ON ARI'S POINT, YES WE ARE, THAT IS SOMETHING WE ARE, UH, LOOKING INTO.
UM, WE, THERE'S A COUPLE DIFFERENT WAYS WE CAN WRAP OUR ARMS AROUND THAT.
UH, SHE MENTIONED PRIVACY LAWS MAKE SOME OF THE GEO LOCATING STUFF A LITTLE BIT HAIRY BECAUSE CANADA AND THE EU HAVE COMPLETELY DIFFERENT PRIVACY LAWS.
THEY'RE A BIT MORE RESTRICTIVE.
UH, SO, UM, WE MET WITH SOME OF OUR RESEARCH PARTNERS AT COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON, UH, AND NOW WE'RE LOOKING INTO DIFFERENT WAYS TO KIND OF COUNT THOSE VISITORS USING THINGS LIKE AIRPORT DATA, UM, AND OTHER METHODS TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE ABLE TO QUANTIFY THAT.
UH, ON, ON PAGE NINE OF YOUR PRESENTATION, I NOTICED, UH, THAT ARTS AND CULTURE, UH, HAS A RELATIVELY LARGE NUMBER OF POSTS.
IS IS THAT SOMETHING NEW OR DIFFERENT OR HAS IT BEEN AT THAT LEVEL FOR WHILE ON THE SOCIAL POSTS ON PAGE NINE? YEAH, YEAH.
SO WE ARE WORKING CLOSELY TO UNDERSTAND, UM, SORRY IF I'M DOING THAT WORKING CLOSELY.
I WAS LIKE, I DON'T KNOW IF I'M TOUCHING.
SO YES, WE ARE WORKING CLOSELY WITH, UM, OUR TEAM AS WELL AS THE MARKETING COUNCIL AND THE TOWN TO UNDERSTAND
[00:30:01]
HOW WE CAN BEST BRING FORWARD, UM, EXPERIENCES AND OPPORTUNITIES STORYTELLING THROUGH THOSE FIVE PILLARS.AND SO ARTS AND CULTURE, NOT ONLY ARE WE FINDING THE STORIES AND POSTING 'EM, BUT IT'S THE AUDIENCE THAT'S ALSO DOING THE OTHER HALF, WHICH IS RESPONDING AND LIKING AND ENGAGING.
AND SO THEY'RE REALLY TELLING US WHAT THEY'RE INTERESTED IN.
AND SO I THINK THAT'S WHERE YOU MIGHT SEE SOME HIGHER NUMBERS ON POSTS OR ENGAGEMENTS ON ONE CATEGORY VERSUS ANOTHER, OR ONE PILLAR VERSUS ANOTHER.
IT'S BECAUSE IT'S A TWO-WAY, UM, DANCE IF YOU WILL, OR A DANCE IF YOU KNOW THEY NEED TO ALSO, WE CAN PUT IT OUT THERE, BUT IT'S HOW THEY ENGAGE WITH IT, RIGHT? THEY'RE TELLING US JUST AS MUCH AS WE'RE PUTTING IT OUT THERE, THEY LIKE IT, THEY WANNA SEE MORE OF IT.
UM, I GUESS THIS QUESTION'S FOR CHASE.
I HATE TO PUT YOU ON THE SPOT,
AND I APPRECIATE THE, UH, THE METRICS IN FRONT OF US AS WE LOOK BACK, OKAY? MM-HMM
UM, BUT I'M WONDERING CHASE, UH, ARE YOU AT LIBERTY TO SORT OF GIVE US A PEAK UNDER THE 10TH TO UNDERSTAND WHAT JUNE AND JULY MAY LOOK LIKE AS FAR AS OCCUPANCY IS CONCERNED? YEAH, SO RIGHT NOW I PULLED THE NUMBERS LAST WEEK.
SO THESE ARE THE NUMBERS AS OF LAST WEEK.
UM, IT LOOKS LIKE HOTELS ARE TRACKING LIKE ONE OR 2% BEHIND OCCUPANCY WISE, UM, IN TERMS OF BOOKING.
I DO WANNA EMPHASIZE THOUGH THAT THAT BOOKING WINDOW HAS SIGNIFICANTLY SHORTENED.
WE DO EXPECT THAT TO FLATTEN AS WE GET FURTHER AND FURTHER INTO THE SUMMER.
UM, I THINK RIGHT NOW IT'S, UM, A LITTLE OVER THREE WEEKS-ISH IS THE BOOKING WINDOW.
UH, SO IT'S A PRETTY NARROW ONE.
UH, SO I DO EXPECT THOSE NUMBERS TO FLATTEN HOME BILL ARE LOOKING A LITTLE BIT BETTER.
THEY'RE, UH, KIND OF TRACKING ON PAR FOR THE MOST PART.
UH, BUT I DO WANNA GIVE A SHOUT OUT TO JULY WHERE IT LOOKS LIKE A DR AND REVPAR, ESPECIALLY IN THE HOLMAN VILLA SECTOR, IS TRACKING ABOVE 2024.
UH, AND THAT'S AS OF RIGHT NOW, EVEN AS THE BOOKING WINDOW CONTINUES TO SHORTEN OTHER COMMENTS.
BLESS YOU MS. THANK YOU FOR SHARING INFORMATION WITH US.
SO YOU WERE, ONE OF MY QUESTIONS WAS ALREADY ANSWERED.
SO, UM, BUT THE OTHER ONE THAT I WAS WONDERING IS AS WE WERE FOCUSING ON GOOGLE AND THE SEARCHES AND THE, THE DIFFICULTIES THERE, UM, WHAT DOES THAT TELL US ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF THE PRINT MEDIA AND THE OTHER SOURCES THAT PEOPLE USE TO DISCOVER, UM, HILTON HEAD? ANY INSIGHTS INTO THAT? YES, I THINK WE'VE PUT OURSELF IN A REALLY GOOD POSITION THAT WE HAVEN'T BEEN A ONE-STOP SHOP FOR THE WAY THAT WE MARKET OUR DESTINATION.
I THINK WE'VE WORKED REALLY WELL TOGETHER TO FIND A NICE, I ALWAYS REFERENCE THAT FRAME THAT IS THE WHEEL AND IT'S OUR TOOLKIT.
AND OUR TOOLKIT HAS PROVIDED US THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE RELEVANT ACROSS MANY DIFFERENT MEDIUMS. SO WHETHER THAT BE PRINT OR SOCIAL, DIGITAL BLOGS, UM, VIDEOS, I THINK WE HAVE DONE A GREAT JOB OF REMAINING RELEVANT ACROSS ALL OF THOSE PLATFORMS. AND THAT'S REALLY WHAT IT'S GONNA TAKE AS WE TRACK REAL TIME WITH SOMETHING LIKE THE GOOGLE PIECE THAT'S HAPPENING.
AND YOU HAVE TO BE A LITTLE MORE CAUTIOUS AND GENTLE WITH THAT YOU CAN PICK UP AND TURN ON SOME OTHER PIECES.
SOCIAL'S WORKING REALLY HARD FOR US RIGHT NOW.
WE CONTINUE TO DIVE INTO WHAT THOSE OPPORTUNITIES OFFER US THAT CAN BRING PEOPLE TO THE WEBSITE.
SO WE JUST ARE FINDING, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE PULLING ONE LEVER WHEN YOU HAVE TO PULL BACK ON ANOTHER, YOU PULL ANOTHER ONE TO HELP US.
SO, UM, I THINK WITH OUR REAL TIME ACTION ON UM, THINGS LIKE GOOGLE AND OTHER, UM, YOU KNOW, OPPORTUNITIES THAT COME OUR WAY, WE'RE WE'RE BEING PROACTIVE BY HAVING THOSE OTHER MEDIUMS AVAILABLE THAT WE CAN TURN ON OR TURN UP.
UM, THIS SLIDE THAT YOU'RE FOCUSED ON RIGHT NOW, UH, WELLNESS, RECREATION, ARTS AND CULTURE.
ECOTOURISM HISTORY HAS THREE, UM, METRICS, POST ENGAGEMENTS AND IMPRESSIONS.
AND I WAS THINKING, HOW CAN I REMEMBER THAT? PEI, OH, PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND,
SO, BUT WHAT MY QUESTION IS, IS THAT I SEE THE IMPRESSIONS, ENGAGEMENTS IN POSTS, BUT HOW DO WE TRACK WHETHER SOMEONE ACTUALLY CAME, UM, ESPECIALLY SINCE WE'RE TRYING TO FOCUS ON THESE PILLARS, UH, BASED ON OUR COMMUNITY VALUES.
SO HOW DO WE, HOW DO WE DETERMINE IF AFTER THEY LOOKED AT THIS, THEY ACTUALLY CAME HERE? RIGHT.
UM, JUST REITERATING AGAIN, WE'RE NOT A POINT OF SALE.
I THINK THAT'S AN IMPORTANT PIECE TO KEEP IN MIND AS WE WORK THROUGH THAT FUNNEL THAT WE OFTEN TALK ABOUT.
WE HAVE, UM, UPPER FUNNEL, MID FUNNEL AND BOTTOM FUNNEL.
AND REALLY THE OPPORTUNITY AND PARTNERSHIP WITH OUR BUSINESS COMMUNITY AND OUR PARTNERS AND WITHIN THE TOWN ARE TO, TO ALLOW THAT PARTNERSHIP TO HAPPEN.
WE'RE PULLING THEM THROUGH AND QUALIFYING THEM.
SO WHEN THEY ARE ON THE WEBSITE OR ON A SOCIAL POST WHERE THEY'RE ABLE TO CLICK THROUGH TO THE BUSINESS, THEY'RE CONNECTING THAT DOT, THEY'RE QUALIFIED, RIGHT? WE'VE QUALIFIED OR VETTED THEM TO SAY YOU REALLY HAVE AN INTENT TO TRAVEL.
THAT BEING SAID, I DIDN'T KNOW IF YOU HAVE ANYTHING ELSE FROM A POINT OF SALE 'CAUSE WE'RE NOT A POINT OF SALE, BUT JUST TRACKING DIFFERENT WAYS THAT WE'RE SHOWING
[00:35:01]
CONVERSION.AND, UH, THERE'S A COUPLE DIFFERENT WAYS WE CAN DO THAT.
UM, UH, THE DIFFERENT PLATFORMS DO TRACK LINK CLICKS.
SO, UH, IF WE PUT UP A FACEBOOK POST ADVERTISING, UM, OR YOU KNOW, SHOUTING OUT ONE OF THE HOTELS AND WE LINK TO THEIR PAGE, THAT HOTEL CAN SEE THAT THAT REFERRAL CAME FROM ONE OF OUR SOCIAL POSTS.
UM, AND IF WE LINK TO OUR OWN WEBSITE ON OUR END, UM, WE CAN ACTUALLY GO AND SEE, OKAY, WE GOT A REFERRAL FROM THAT FACEBOOK POST OR THAT INSTAGRAM STORY OR, YOU KNOW, WHATEVER ELSE.
SO THAT IS SOMETHING WE, WE, UH, WE HAVE ACCESS TO.
AND UH, IT'S SOMETHING WE'VE LOOKED AT IN THE PAST.
UM, AND THEN LIKE I SAID, IF IT GOES EXTERNAL TO ONE OF OUR PARTNERS, THEY'RE ABLE TO SEE, SEE, UH, ON THEIR, SORRY, THEY'RE ABLE TO SEE ON THEIR END THAT THAT REFERRAL CAME FROM, UH, ONE OF OUR PAGES.
SO SIMILAR TO MEASURING OCCUPANCY AND THE REV PAR, REV PAR, I GUESS IT IS, UH, YOU CAN ALSO TRACK IT THAT WAY.
SO IT MIGHT BE GOOD TO SEE THAT MEASUREMENT STAT IN THE FUTURE.
YEAH, THEY WOULDN'T BE APPLES TO APPLES IN COMPARISON, BUT I THINK YOU CAN SEE THAT THE FUNNEL'S WORKING AND YOU'RE QUALIFYING YOUR AUDIENCE AND THEN HOPEFULLY, YOU KNOW, THE, THE GOAL IS REALLY TO CONVERT THEM, UM, FROM A POINT OF SALE PERSPECTIVE ON THE PARTNER SIDE.
JUST A QUICK COUPLE OF QUICK QUESTIONS, COMMENTS.
UM, ARE, ARE WE SEEING SEVEN DAYS, FIVE DAYS, FOUR DAYS, THREE DAYS? DO WE HAVE ANY, ANY DATA ON THAT AS TO WHAT THE BOOKING TIMES ARE ON THE BOOKING TIMES? UH, IF THEY'RE BOOKING FOR THREE DAYS TO WEEK OR OH, TIME OF YEAR? YEAH.
I THINK RIGHT NOW WE'RE AVERAGING A LITTLE BIT OVER FIVE DAYS.
AND IS THAT A COMBO BETWEEN HOME AND VILLA AND HOTEL, OR IS IT SEPARATE? THAT'S COMBO.
I CAN BREAK IT OUT AND GIVE YOU THAT INFORMATION SEPARATED AND, AND CURIOUS WHAT'S THE MOST COMMON DAY THAT THEY'RE CHECKING IN.
IF IT'S A SHORTER STAY BECAUSE ARE THEY COMING IN ON A TUESDAY, STAYING TILL A SUNDAY? YOU KNOW, HOW DOES THAT AFFECT OUR, OUR TRAFFIC IMPACTS ON SATURDAY? RIGHT.
AND THAT, THAT WOULD BE SOMETHING INTERESTING TO, TO HAVE IN OUR, IN OUR WHEEL.
AND I'D BE HAPPY TO, UH, GET THAT INFORMATION TOGETHER.
UM, I, I SEE ON FACEBOOK THERE'S A LAST MINUTE BOOKING SITE WHERE PEOPLE ARE POSTING A LOT OF DIFFERENT THINGS WHEN THEY HAVE A CANCELLATION OR YOU KNOW, THE PLACE IS ON REDDIT.
ARE Y'ALL TRACKING THAT AT ALL JUST TO SEE WHAT'S GOING ON ON THAT SIDE? YEAH, SO, UM, ACTUALLY EARLIER THIS WEEK I READ A REPORT FROM DELOITTE TALKING ABOUT HOW UM, UH, YOU KNOW, THERE'S GONNA BE AN OVERALL RISE IN SHORTER TRIPS THIS TRAVEL SEASON, ESPECIALLY OVER THE SUMMER.
UM, SO THAT'S SOMETHING WE'RE KEEPING OUR, UH, FINGER ON THE PULSE OF.
UM, WE DO EXPECT TO HAVE A COUPLE MORE, UH, WEEKENDERS HERE ON THE ISLAND THIS YEAR.
UM, AND SO THAT, THAT'S SOMETHING WE'LL TRACK, BUT WE DO EXPECT THAT TO KIND OF GO UP A LITTLE BIT.
AND THEN MY, MY COMMENT IS, IS SOMEBODY THAT THAT JUST BOOKED A PLACE A COUPLE WEEKS OUT, I'M ONE OF THOSE THAT WAITS TO THE LAST MINUTE AND AM ONLY GOING FOR FOUR DAYS.
SO, SO THAT IS WHAT WE'RE SEEING IN THE PUBLIC AND, AND THAT'S WHAT'S GOING ON AND THERE'S BEEN A NUMEROUS, UH, DIFFERENT REPORTS OUT THERE ADDRESSING JUST THAT AS WELL.
REPORT OF THE TOWN MANAGER, MR. ORLANDO.
GOOD AFTERNOON, MAYOR AND COUNCIL MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC IN MY REPORT TONIGHT.
THE ONLY ITEM I HAVE IS I LIKE TO PROVIDE TO ALL OF YOU.
I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S TOO LOUD HERE, I DON'T KNOW.
I WANT TO PROVIDE ALL OF YOU A BRIEF UPDATE ON THE WILLIAM HILTON PARKWAY GATEWAY CORRIDOR PROJECT.
UM, AS YOU KNOW, AND I THINK THIS IS AS MUCH FOR THE FOLKS THAT ARE HERE AS MUCH AS, AS, AS WE'RE THOSE LISTENING, BUT AS WE ALL KNOW, BEAUFORT COUNTY ACTED AND VOTED LAST WEEK TO SUPPORT IMPROVEMENTS TO THE MACKEY CREEK BRIDGE, INCLUDING A SINGLE SPAN, THREE LANE EASTBOUND BRIDGE FROM THE MAINLAND TO HILTON HEAD ISLAND.
UPON CONSTRUCTION COMPLETION, THE BRIDGE WILL FUNCTION AS A TWO LANE BRIDGE WHERE THE THIRD LANE WILL BE RESERVED FOR THE FUTURE.
SO I JUST THINK IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT THAT, THAT FROM, FROM THIS DIOCESE WITH, WITH ALL OF YOU INVOLVED, THAT WE REALLY GET THE, THE MESSAGE OUT OF WHAT WAS APPROVED AT BUFORT COUNTY AND REALLY WHAT WHAT POTENTIALLY SHOULD BE NEXT.
SO AS PART OF THIS ACTION, IF SUPPORTED BY THE SOUTH CAROLINA TRANSPORTATION INFRASTRUCTURE BANK, THE TIB, I'VE BEEN SAYING IT WRONG FOR YEARS, UM, BUFORT COUNTY INTENDS TO USE THE FULL $80 MILLION FROM THE 2018 TRANSPORTATION SALES TAX REFERENDUM TO SUPPORT THE BRIDGE PROJECT AS A CONTRIBUTION TOWARD THE APPROXIMATELY $300 MILLION COST WHEN WE LAST WERE HERE.
WE KNEW THAT THERE WAS A POTENTIAL OF THAT, BUT I DO BELIEVE THAT THE $80 MILLION AS PART OF THIS IS FIRST SPENT, NOT LAST.
AND SO THAT CHANGES, THAT CHANGES SOME RESIDUAL OPPORTUNITY.
BEAUFORT COUNTY WILL REMAIN THE PROJECT SPONSOR AND WILL AND WILL WORK WITH DOT ON THIS CAPACITY, THIS DECISION.
AND I THINK THAT'S WHAT WE REALLY NEED TO COMPREHEND AND DIGEST.
THIS DECISION EFFECTIVELY LEAVES NO FUNDING AVAILABLE FOR CORRIDOR IMPROVEMENTS AT THIS TIME.
I JUST WANNA SAY AT THIS TIME, CAPITAL LETTERS, SPECIFICALLY THE STRETCH FROM MOSS CREEK SIGNALIZE INTERSECTION THROUGH SQUIRE POPE ROAD AND BEYOND THE SPANISH WELLS ROAD.
AND AS A REMINDER, THE BEAUFORT COUNTY REFERENDUM BALLOT LANGUAGE, WHICH I THINK A LOT
[00:40:01]
OF FOLKS, A LOT OF FOLKS THAT HAVE CALLED ME OVER THE LAST FEW DAYS ASKED THIS QUESTION, YOU KNOW, WHAT, WHAT, WHAT WERE WE TRYING TO ACCOMPLISH? AND WHAT DID THAT REFERENDUM LANGUAGE READ THAT MANY YEARS AGO? UH, SEVEN PLUS YEARS AGO, THE QUESTION WAS, MUST A SPECIAL TRANSPORTATION SALES AND USE TAX IN THE AMOUNT OF 1% BE IMPOSED AND BE FOR COUNTY FOR NOT MORE THAN FOUR YEARS OR UNTIL A TOTAL OF $120 MILLION IN RESOLVING REVENUE HAS BEEN COLLECTED? WHICHEVER COMES FIRST TO FUND THE FOLLOWING PROJECTS.AND THERE'S THREE, THERE'S THREE TRANCHES OF MONEY.
FIRST AND FOREMOST, $80 MILLION FOR TRAFFIC IMPROVEMENTS TO THE US 2 78 CORRIDOR, INCLUDING REPAIRING OR REPLACING EX EXISTING SPANS OF THE BRIDGES TO HILTON HEAD ISLAND AND IMPROVEMENTS BETWEEN MOSS CREEK DRIVE AND SQUIRE POPE ROAD.
30 MILLION FOR LADIES ISLAND, 10 MILLION FOR PATHWAYS, 24 DIFFERENT LOCATIONS.
120 VOTERS WERE INSTRUCTED, SAY YES.
IF YOU OPPOSE IT, REFEREND OF PASSED 58% OF THE VOTE.
SO OVER THE PAST SEVERAL YEARS, THE TOWN OF HILTON HEAD ISLAND HAS TAKEN A DELIBERATE AND RESPONSIBLE APPROACH TO THIS PROJECT.
UM, AND I KNOW Y'ALL KNOW THAT, AND I JUST LIKE TO SIT UP HERE TONIGHT AND MAYBE REMIND US OF THAT.
UM, WE'VE ESTABLISHED THROUGH TOWN COUNCIL'S VOTE AND ACCEPTANCE GUIDING PRINCIPLES, UH, IN ADDITION TO THAT, SUBMITTED 26 FORMAL RECOMMENDATIONS IN THE ORIGINAL MUNICIPAL CONSENT FRAMEWORK.
THESE WERE AFFIRMED IN YOUR MOST RECENT JOINT RESOLUTION, THE ONE I JUST MENTIONED, UM, WITH BUFORT COUNTY AND HELPED PROTECT OUR COMMUNITY FROM OVERBUILT AND INCOMPATIBLE DESIGN ELEMENTS.
AND I THINK THAT ANOTHER VERY IMPORTANT POINT TO MAKE, HILTON HEAD, ISLAND TOWN COUNCIL AND HILTON HEAD ISLAND COMMUNITY REALLY PUSHED AWAY THAT SUPER STREET INTERSECTION, I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO CALL IT, BUT IT WAS A ALMOST A FULL CIRCLE INTERSECTION, UH, A A A LOOP AROUND AND LEFT TURN AT OLD WILDHORSE ROAD FRONT YARD ENCROACHMENTS OF OVER 25 FEET INTO THE STONY HISTORIC NEIGHBORHOOD.
SO THERE WAS SOME REASON WHY MUNICIPAL CONSENT WASN'T PROVIDED RIGHT OUTTA THE GATE, RIGHT CLOSER TO 2018 THAN THAN TODAY.
AND THEN A BILL PROJECT, REALLY, AS YOU ALL ASKED IN THOSE GUIDING PRINCIPLES AND, AND RECOMMENDATIONS, I WOULD SAY THAT THOSE WERE ABOUT ISLAND ACCESS CORRIDOR ENHANCEMENTS, NEIGHBORHOOD HISTORIC NEIGHBORHOOD ENHANCEMENTS, UM, AND THEN YOUR EFFORTS TO DATE IN OUR MINDS PRIORITIZED COMMUNITY INVESTMENT, PUBLIC SAFETY, TRANSPORTATION, COMMUNITY CHARACTER AND CULTURAL PRESERVATION.
SO WE KNOW THAT THE BRIDGE IS NECESSARY.
SEAN AND I HAVE BEEN REALLY WORKING ON THIS PROJECT ALONG WITH THIS GREAT TEAM, BUT WE KNOW THAT IT DOESN'T ADDRESS THE PRESSING NEED TO IMPROVE THE CORRIDOR.
SO I, I THINK THAT WE HAVE TO TALK ABOUT THIS AND REALLY TRY TO GET OUT IN FRONT OF IT.
WE'VE HAD A LOT OF CONVERSATIONS.
YOU'VE ALL HAD CONVERSATIONS WITH BEFOR COUNTY, BEFOR COUNTY, BACK TO US COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR, SECRETARY OF TRANSPORTATION, AND A WHOLE BUNCH OF OTHERS, INCLUDING SENATOR DAVIS AND THE ENTIRE LOW COUNTRY DELEGATION.
I KNOW THEY'RE TALKING ABOUT IT, BUT SINCE THERE'S NO FUNDING IN PLACE, I THINK IT'S MY JOB TO COME TO YOU AND, AND ASK YOU FOR SOME GUIDANCE MOVING FORWARD.
SO, UM, WE KNOW IT'S ESSENTIAL THAT ONE, WE HAVE A CLEAR PATHWAY, RIGHT.
CRITICAL PATH, BUT REALLY WHAT'S NEXT? AND SO ONE THING I I, I'D LIKE TO DO IS LEAN ON SEAN FOR A, A COUPLE OF OF MINUTES HERE TO HELP US WITH SOME PROPOSED NEXT STEPS.
WE HAVE A GREAT OPPORTUNITY IN FRONT OF US TO DRIVE THE CAR AND, AND CONTROL THE DESTINY FOR THIS CORRIDOR GOING FORWARD, BUT IT'S GONNA REQUIRE SOME CLEAR DIRECTION AND I NEED YOUR HELP ALONG WITH THE TOWN MANAGER AND OUR TEAM TO BE ABLE TO EXECUTE GOING FORWARD.
SO WITH YOU, WE'RE GONNA REFINE A CORRIDOR MASTER PLAN, UH, TO REFRESH IT BASED ON COUNT TOWN COUNCIL SUPPORTED CON, UM, POSITION AND CURRENT CONDITIONS.
WANT YOUR POLICY GOALS TO INCLUDE REACTION TO ENGINEERING, ASSU AND ENGINEERING ASSUMPTIONS.
THIS ALL NEEDS TO BE, UH, INCORPORATED TOGETHER.
WE'LL PREPARE AN ENGINEERING OPINION AND PROBABLE COST FOR THE CONCEPTS SO THAT WE ARE PUTTING REAL MONEY ESTIMATES TO WHAT YOU BELIEVE IS IMPORTANT FOR EXECUTION AND ADD.
IN ADDITION TO THAT, IT'LL SUPPORT FUNDING STRATEGIES, UH, FOR US TO BE ABLE TO IMPLEMENT.
SO DETERMINE INITIAL SCOPE AND PHASING WITH COST FUNDING AND MOST IMPORTANT, UH, TRANSPORTATION AND SAFETY ENHANCEMENTS IN MIND.
WE'RE GONNA IDENTIFY LOGICAL FIRST PHASE IMPROVEMENTS, ESPECIALLY THE SQUIRE POPE ROAD INTERSECTION TO BEGIN ADDRESSING SAFETY, THROUGHPUT AND QUALITY OF LIFE NEEDS.
I WANNA ENSURE THAT TOWN COUNCIL IS ALIGNED WITH A VISION PHASING AND FUNDING APPROACH SO WE CAN MOVE FORWARD WITH CLARITY
[00:45:01]
AND PURPOSE.THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT BECAUSE WE'LL NEED TO COORDINATE WITH S-C-D-O-T, WITH BEAUFORT COUNTY LEADERSHIP AND STAFF WITH A LOW COUNTRY AREA TRANSPORTATION STUDY OR LATS AS IT'S KNOWN.
ALSO, OUR LEGISLATIVE DELEGATION, ESPECIALLY TOM DAVIS AND REPRESENTATIVE BRADLEY AND OTHER LOCAL COUNTRY, UH, REPRESENTATIVES.
IT'S TIME FOR US TO DRIVE THE BUS AND SHAPE THIS CORRIDOR.
WE'VE GOT GREAT WORK, INCLUDING THE STONY INITIATIVE INITIATIVE AREA PLAN AS A FOUNDATION, AND ALL OF THE GREAT INPUT THAT WE RECEIVED FROM COUNCIL, UH, OVER THE COURSE OF THESE MANY, MANY MONTHS, UM, THAT WE'VE BEEN PROVIDING INPUT AND DIRECTION ON THIS.
SO WHAT I ASK, WHAT WE ASK FROM TOWN COUNCIL, UH, IS SUPPORT THE CONTINUED ADVANCEMENT OF THIS WORK.
I KNOW HOW IMPORTANT IT IS TO EACH OF YOU.
AND, UM, WE ARE READY TO TO MOVE FORWARD WITH YOUR CLEAR SUPPORT AND DIRECTION.
UM, I THINK WHAT'S NEEDED IS TO, IS FOR, FOR COUNCIL TO FORMALLY ACKNOWLEDGE A POSITION, UH, REAFFIRM PRIORITIES, WHICH WILL SIGNAL SUPPORT, UH, TO OUR STATE AND OUR REGIONAL PARTNERS, AND PROVIDE CLARITY TO OUR CITIZENS ON WHAT TO EXPECT MOVING FORWARD.
I BELIEVE A RESOLUTION OF SUPPORT IN THIS REGARD WOULD BE BENEFICIAL.
UM, AND I'LL WORK WITH THE TOWN MANAGER AND OUR TEAM TO PREPARE A RESOLUTION IN THE COMING WEEKS FOR YOU, FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION.
I, ALONG WITH TOWN MANAGER AND OUR TEAM ARE COMMITTED TO YOU TO LEAD THIS EFFORT WITH URGENCY AND PROFESSIONALISM IT DESERVES.
I AM EXCITED TO BE IN THIS POSITION AND I LOOK FORWARD TO, TO FINALLY MAKING SOME IMPROVEMENTS WITHIN THIS CORRIDOR.
THAT ONE WE NEEDED TO DELAY BECAUSE OF THE IMPACT TO THE NEPA DOCUMENTS AND THEIR LONG, THEIR LONG OVERDUE.
AND IT'S, THERE'S NO TIME TO, TO WAIT TO AT LEAST IDENTIFY THIS PLAN AND GIVE US AN OPPORTUNITY TO IMPLEMENT.
SO I WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT MESSAGE IS DELIVERED TONIGHT TO YOU AND THE COMMUNITY.
AND, AND, AND I'LL SAY WE'VE, I'VE LEANED ON SEAN FOR FOUR YEARS.
SEAN'S BEEN WORKING ON THIS PROJECT AS POINT HERE FOR, FOR, FOR LONGER THAN THAT.
HE REMINDS ME, UM, JUST TO PARAPHRASE OR REITERATE, RIGHT, WE HAVE TO JUST DUST OFF AND REFINE THIS CORRIDOR MASTER PLAN, SQUIRE POPE INTERSECTION LANES ON LANES OFF PATHWAY SIDEWALK WITH, WITH A GOAL OF ZERO IMPACTS TO THE ADJACENT PROPERTIES.
WE HEARD YOU LOUD AND CLEAR ON, ON THAT, ON THAT EXPECTATION, UM, ESPECIALLY THROUGH THAT SQUIRE POPE TO WINDMILL HARBOR SECTION.
UM, SO DUST OFF, REFINE THE MASTER PLAN, PREPARE A RELIABLE PLANNING LEVEL, RIGHT? AN OPINION OF PROBABLE COST IS A PLANNING ENGINEERING LEVEL COST ESTIMATE BACK IN THE INITIAL SCOPE.
I THINK WE KNOW WHAT THE INITIAL SCOPE SHOULD BE, BUT, BUT I DON'T HAVE THAT FORMALLY SQUIRE POPE INTERSECTION NEEDS IMPROVEMENT.
UM, AND THEN ONCE WE START WRAPPING OUR HEAD AROUND THAT, GETTING YOUR RESOLUTION OF SUPPORT SO THAT WHEN WE DO MAKE IT TO COLUMBIA OR, OR ANYWHERE ELSE, THERE'S THAT CONFIDENCE THAT WE HAVE AS WHERE WE'RE STACKING THOSE DOLLARS, WE CAN FIND THEM.
WE JUST HAVE BEEN REALLY IN THE, IN THE BACKSEAT ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE, UM, WITH THE COUNTY AND IF THE COUNTY IS PUTTING THE $80 MILLION IN THE BRIDGE.
SOME OF YOU ASKED AND SOME OF THE, SOME OF SOME OF MY, UH, NETWORK HAVE ASKED NOW WHAT, WHAT, WHAT ARE WE DOING? AND SO I JUST THOUGHT TONIGHT IS THE RIGHT WAY AND THE RIGHT PLACE TO LET YOU KNOW, ONE, WE WANT TO MOVE FORWARD, BUT AGAIN, THIS, I I NEED THAT, UH, CONFIDENCE FROM ALL OF YOU THAT I SHOULD MOVE FORWARD IN THIS REGARD AND WE'RE GONNA WORK VERY CLOSELY WITH YOU ON THIS AS WE DO EVERYTHING ELSE.
UM, SENATOR DAVIS, YOU KNOW, A COUPLE WEEKS AGO SAID TIME WAS OF THE ESSENCE AND THAT HE WANTED TO SEE SOME KIND OF A PLAN IN PLAY BY THE END OF SUMMER.
UM, WHERE DOES THAT STAND? WHAT'S THAT POSITION LOOK LIKE NOW? YES SIR.
I SPOKE WITH SENATOR DAVIS AND IT WAS JUST HIS BIRTHDAY BY THE WAY.
UM, WE, WE HAD A GOOD, WE HAD A GOOD, UH, TALK ABOUT THIS AND I, AND I LET HIM KNOW, UH, I'M DON'T, I DON'T, I DON'T TRY TO GET IN YOUR WAY ON THIS PROJECT, BUT I SAID THAT TIMING IS OF THE ESSENCE FOR US TO FIND THE DOLLARS.
HE, HE REITERATED TO ME THAT YOU DON'T NEED THE MASTER PLAN, THE RESOLUTION AND ALL THESE THINGS IN THE NEXT 30 DAYS.
IN FACT, HE DOESN'T GO BACK WITH THE DELEGATION INTO ANY SORT OF SESSION TO TALK MONEY UNTIL JANUARY.
HOWEVER, LET'S TRY TO PUT SOMETHING IN PLACE IN, IN THE SUMMER MONTHS, IN THE EARLY FALL MONTHS SO THAT WE CAN, IF, IF NOT SOONER, SO THAT WE HAVE SOME CONFIDENCE TO GET UP THERE.
THERE'S GONNA BE A LOT OF TIME SPENT BEFORE THOSE JANUARY BUDGET MEETING WHERE THOSE KICKOFF, BUT THERE'S DOLLARS WE BELIEVE AT DIFFERENT AND VARIOUS LEVELS.
[00:50:01]
BE MINDFUL OF WHERE WE LOOK BECAUSE WE, WE NEED READY MONEY, NOT MONEY THAT MIGHT BE READY IN THREE YEARS.UM, AND SO WE HAVE TO BE REALISTIC WITH WHAT OUR PHASE ONE LOOKS LIKE COMPARED TO THE LONGER TERM PLAN.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS, COMMENTS? I GOT ONE.
MR. DE, UM, YOU MENTIONED MOSS CREEK DE SQUIRE POPE.
WE CAN'T EXCLUDE SPANISH WELLS ROAD.
SO WHEN YOU, WHEN YOU SAY THAT WE NEED TO MAKE SURE WE ARE PLANNING.
YOU KNOW, THE COUNTY'S HAD THEIR SHOT SEVEN YEARS LATER.
HERE WE ARE, WE'VE GOT ONE SHOT AND WE HAVE TO DO IT RIGHT.
OF COURSE, COST IS IMPORTANT, BUT COST SHOULD NOT LIMIT TO US TO FIX IT PROPERLY AND WE SHOULD GIVE SENATOR DAVIS HIS OPPORTUNITY TO GO FIND THAT MONEY AND US FIND THE REST.
CERTAINLY I AGREE THAT, UM, WE NEED TO SET FORTH A PRIORITY OF CREATING A ROAD SYSTEM AND INTERSECTIONS THAT ARE SAFE, THAT HELP TO PROCESS TRAFFIC THROUGH.
UM, I THINK THAT ONCE WE DO THAT ALONG WITH THE LIGHT SYSTEM, WE WILL FIND THAT MOST OF OUR PROBLEMS HAVE BEEN SOLVED.
HOWEVER, I'VE BEEN ALSO SAYING THAT FOR SEVEN AND A HALF YEARS.
UM, AND, AND SOME OF THE THINGS THAT I FIND FRUSTRATING AT THIS POINT IS THAT THERE SEEMS TO BE A FULL ACCEPTANCE THAT THE COUNTY, UM, OF THE COUNTY'S DECISION TO TAKE THAT $80 MILLION AND PUT IT TOWARDS THE BRIDGE, UM, AND TO WINDMILL HARBOR AND NOT EXTEND IT TO, UM, SQUARE POPE AS THE REFERENDUM, UM, REQUIRED AND WHY 58% OF THE PEOPLE DECIDED TO VOTE FOR IT.
TO ME, THAT DOESN'T SEEM RIGHT.
IT SEEMS AS THOUGH THAT SHOULD STILL BE AN ONGOING DISCUSSION THAT SOME OF THOSE DOLLARS OUGHT TO BE SPENT ON THE BALANCE BETWEEN WINMORE HARBOR AND SQUARE POP IS WE WERE PROMISED WHEN THE REFERENDUM WAS PUT OUT IN 2018.
SO, UM, I'M NOT HEARING THAT THAT'S GOING TO BE PART OF A, A FORMAL DISCUSSION, BUT I CERTAINLY THINK IT SHOULD BE, AND I WANNA CONTINUE TO, TO PRESS ON THAT A LITTLE BIT.
UM, I'M ALSO DISAPPOINTED THAT, UM, THERE SEEMS TO BE AFTER SEVEN AND A HALF YEARS A CONVERSATION, WILL HILTON HEAD, DOES IT HAVE A MASTER PLAN OR DOESN'T HAVE THIS OR DOESN'T HAVE THAT.
AND AS I REMEMBER SITTING THROUGH ALL OF THOSE YEARS OF MEETINGS, MAYBE MISSING THREE OR FOUR OVER THAT TIME, AND PARTICIPATING IN AS MANY OF THEM AS I WAS ABLE TO, UM, BY HAVING AN OPINION, UM, THAT WAS NEVER REALLY PART OF THE CONVERSATION.
AND SO HERE WE ARE AND NOW WE'VE GOT FINGERS BEING POINTED AS AT, AT US AS THOUGH WE DIDN'T DO PART OF WHAT WE WERE SUPPOSED TO HAVE DONE DURING THAT TIME.
AND THAT'S SIMPLY NOT THE CASE.
AND SO I FIND A LOT OF FRUSTRATION, I'M NOT PLEASED NOR HAPPY OR FEEL AS THOUGH WE WERE WELL REPRESENTED, UM, BECAUSE WE FIND IN OURSELVES IN THIS SITUATION.
NOW, DO I AGREE THAT WE, UM, NEED TO TAKE THESE STEPS AND TO, AND TO WORK TO GET THIS DONE AND TO FIND MONEY? UM, ABSOLUTELY BECAUSE AS I SAID WHEN I STARTED THIS, THE BIGGEST PIECE AS I'VE SEEN IT OVER THE YEARS THAT NEEDED TO BE ADDRESSED WERE THE ROAD SYSTEM ON HILTON HOOD AND THE INTERSECTIONS AND THE LIGHTING.
AND I'M NOT GOING TO STAND IN THE WAY OF GETTING THAT DONE NOW, EVEN THOUGH I AM NOT, UM, HAPPY WITH THE WAY THIS IS UNFOLDED.
AND I THINK HISTORY IN THE LONG RUN WILL, UM, WILL PROVE THAT TO BE CORRECT.
SO THOSE ARE MY COMMENTS MARK, FULL SUPPORT MOVING AHEAD.
BUT UM, I STILL THINK WE NEED TO HAVE THAT CONVERSATION.
SOME OF THOSE DOLLARS ARE OWED TO US.
UM, I'M NOT WILLING TO LEAVE THEM ON THE TABLE.
UM, SO YOU'LL PROBABLY HEAR ME THROWN ON ABOUT IT.
UM, AND THAT'S ALL I NEED TO SAY RIGHT NOW.
OTHER COMMENTS, MS. BRYON? YES.
UH, FIRST OF ALL, THANKS FOR THE REPORT AND THE UPDATE FOR, AND, AND I DO SUPPORT MOVING FORWARD, UM, BOTTOM LINE.
BUT, UH, A QUESTION, UM, UH, A COMMENT, UM, AND A SUGGESTION,
SO THE QUESTION IS WHERE DO WE STAND WITH, UH, THE SIB, AS I'LL STILL CALL IT WITH SCHEDULING A MEETING TO CONSIDER THE REVISIONS, UH, SENT BY THE COUNTY, UM, IS HAS A DATE BEEN SET? BECAUSE IF WE DON'T HEAR BACK, UM, THEIR
[00:55:01]
APPROVAL, THEN WE, WE HAVE TO STEP BACK TO A DIFFERENT PLACE.AND I THINK JUST FOR CLARITY, WE, WE DID SAY, YOU KNOW, AS LONG AS SIB OR STIB
SEAN, DO YOU KNOW WHEN THAT MEETING IS? UH, UH, THEY HAVE NOT SET A DATE, UM, THAT WE'RE AWARE OF AS OF TODAY I'M AWARE OF.
YEAH, IF IF THE TIB SIB TIB DOES NOT SUPPORT THE REVISED PROPOSAL, THEN IT'S A DIFFERENT CONVERSATION.
AND THAT'S, THAT'S THE CAVEAT, RIGHT? THAT'S THE, AND AND THE 30 DAY WINDOW, I THINK WAS UP JUNE 16TH.
SO WE'RE CLOSING IN ON IT 13, TWO WEEKS AWAY FROM WHAT? YEAH.
AND WE'LL MAKE SURE, I'LL, I'LL MAKE SURE, UH, THAT I STAY IN REGULAR TOUCH WITH MR. MOORE COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HEAR BACK AS THEY HEAR BACK.
THAT'D BE GOOD BECAUSE THE BALL WAS CLEARLY DROPPED.
UH, EVEN SENATOR DAVIS DID NOT KNOW ABOUT THAT SIB MEETING.
I FEEL LIKE I HAVE A SIBLING NOW.
BUT ANYHOW, UH, AND THEN, UM, UH, ONE COMMENT IS I UNDERSTOOD FROM SENATOR DAVIS, THERE'S ALSO A FALL TIME PERIOD WHEN S-E-D-O-T MAKES A REQUEST FOR HOW THE FUNDING IS TO BE SPENT.
SO EVEN THOUGH THERE'S OTHER BUDGET DISCUSSIONS IN JANUARY, WHAT I UNDERSTOOD FROM HIM IS THE REASON FOR THE END OF THE SUMMER IS BECAUSE OF A FALL REQUEST FROM S-E-D-O-T.
SO I THINK WE DO NEED TO CLARIFY THAT.
AND THEN THE LAST IS A SUGGESTION, AND THAT IS IN IN LOOKING AT OUR PATH FORWARD, I THINK IT WOULD BE GOOD TO HAVE, UM, SOME, SOME TIMELINES OR STANDARDS OR SOMETHING, UH, MAYBE NOT SPECIFIC DATES, BUT HERE'S WHAT WE'RE GONNA DO FIRST, SECOND, THIRD, FOURTH, TO MOVE TO THE PLACE WHERE YOU'VE DESCRIBED THAT WE, UM, ARE, ARE TRYING TO END UP.
'CAUSE IT'S LIKE, WHAT DO WE DO FIRST? WHAT DO WE DO SECOND? WHAT DO WE DO THIRD? WHAT DO WE FOURTH TO GET TO THAT PLACE? SO I THINK WE NEED TO SEE THOSE SPECIFIC MARKERS AS WE MOVE FORWARD SO WE CAN KEEP IN TOUCH AND KNOW HOW WE'RE MOVING FORWARD.
AND PART OF THAT SUGGESTION IS DON'T FORGET, WE NEED TO GET PUBLIC COMMENT ALONG THE WAY.
UH, THANK YOU, UH, MR. ORLANDO AND MR. COLEN FOR BRINGING THIS FORWARD.
I THINK IT'S VERY IMPORTANT THAT, THAT WE MOVE FORWARD ON THAT.
THE BREACH COURT SITUATION INVOLVES TWO DIFFERENT THINGS.
ONE IS THE SAFETY OF GETTING OVER MACKEY CREEK.
ALL EVERYTHING THAT'S BEEN DISCUSSED SO FAR HAS A SOLUTION TO THAT.
THAT IS, I THINK WE CAN FEEL CONFIDENT GOING TO BE TAKEN CARE OF.
THE OTHER PROBLEM IS TRAFFIC FLOW AND SAFETY.
THE ORIGINAL, UH, I IIC TRAFFIC FLOW AND SAFETY FLOW AND SAFETY HAVING THREE DIFFERENT BOTTLENECK AREAS.
ONE'S IN BLUFFTON, WHICH WHICH WE CAN'T DEAL WITH.
ONE'S THE BRIDGE AND ONE'S OUR INTERSECTIONS ON OUR SIDE OF THE BRIDGE.
THE ORIGINAL PROPOSAL WOULD'VE HAD A POSITIVE IMPACT WITH THREE LANES IN EACH DIRECTION ON TRAFFIC FLOW AND PERHAPS SAFETY AS WELL.
UM, IF SIB DOESN'T APPROVE WHAT'S COMING ALONG, UH, WHAT'S BEEN PROPOSED THAT CONNIE'S GONNA PROPOSE TO THEM, UM, THEN WE WILL SIMPLY BE BACK TO REPAIRING THE, UH, MACKEY CREEK BRIDGE BY ITSELF.
AND, AND THAT WILL DO ABSOLUTELY NOTHING FOR TRAFFIC FLOW AND SAFETY.
SO WHAT WE'RE LEFT WITH AND WHAT WE NEED TO, TO MAKE SURE THAT WE PAY VERY CAREFUL AND IN INTENSIVE CONSIDERATION TO IS THE TRAFFIC FLOW ON OUR SIDE OF THE BRIDGE.
AND THE COUNTY HAS TAKEN AWAY SOME OF THE MONEY THAT WOULD BE AVAILABLE FOR THAT.
UM, SENATOR DAVIS HAS INDICATED THAT HE WILL TRY TO FIND FUNDS.
HE HAS ALSO CONDITIONED THAT ON THE TOWN CONTRIBUTING TO THAT AS WELL.
WE DON'T KNOW WHAT HE HAS IN MIND IN THAT REGARD.
UH, BUT IT COULD BE, UH, SUBSTANTIAL.
BUT IF WE DON'T COME UP WITH A GOOD PLAN AND EXECUTE IT FOR DEALING WITH THE INTERSECTIONS ON OUR SIDE, WE WILL HAVE DONE NOTHING OVER SEVEN OR EIGHT YEARS TO IMPROVE TRAFFIC FLOW AND SAFETY.
SO IT, IT'S VERY IMPORTANT WE MOVE FORWARD WITH THIS MS. DUNNER.
SO IT IS DISAPPOINTING TO BE WHERE WE ARE TODAY.
AND, UM, AS THIS PROCESS UNFOLDED OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF MONTHS, IT BECAME CLEARER AND CLEARER THAT, UH, THE MONEY ASSOCIATED WITH HILTON HEAD WAS AT RISK AND THAT'S WHAT HAPPENED.
UM, AND THE SCOPE BEING, UH, ONLY THE BRIDGE.
UM, SO THAT IS A DISAPPOINTMENT, BUT IT IS ALSO AN OPPORTUNITY.
AND SO AFTER I HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO GET OVER THE EMOTIONS OF WHAT HAPPENED, UM, I'M
[01:00:01]
THINKING ABOUT THE FUTURE.AND WHAT THIS DOES IS REALLY PROVIDES US AN OPPORTUNITY, AS YOU SAID, TO DEFINE OUR APPROACH HERE ON THE ISLAND BECAUSE WE ALL FEEL SO STRONGLY THAT WE NEED TO SOLVE THE TRAFFIC AND SAFETY ISSUES ON THE ISLAND.
UH, IN REGARDS TO A MASTER PLAN, UM, I FIND IT INTERESTING THE COMMENTS ABOUT, YOU KNOW, WHERE'S YOUR PLAN? NOW, I WAS NOT PART OF TOWN COUNCIL WHEN THAT WAS HAPPENING, BUT I WAS IN THE AUDIENCE.
AND WHAT I SAW WAS THAT OUR MASTER PLAN WAS REALLY PUT INTO A BOX, A VERY DEFINED BOX, AND THAT WAS ALL YOU COULD DO WITH THAT MASTER PLAN.
AND SO NOW THAT WE HAVE SEPARATED, IT PROVIDES US AN OPPORTUNITY TO BE MORE CREATIVE AND HAVE MORE OPTIONS TO CONSIDER TO ADDRESS OUR PROBLEMS. AND WHAT IS ALSO GOOD IS THE DELEGATIONS SPOKE VERY STRONGLY ABOUT THEIR COMMITMENT TO FIND MONEY TO SUPPORT OUR MASTER PLAN.
AND SO I HAVE EVERY CONFIDENCE THAT THEY WILL WORK VERY HARD TO DO THAT.
AND SO IT'S VERY IMPORTANT THAT WE DELIVER THAT, UM, SO THAT WE CAN SEE THOSE BENEFITS ON OUR ISLAND.
UM, I, I SHARE THE, THE, THE THOUGHT OF THIS BEING AN OPPORTUNITY.
OKAY? AND, UM, MR. COLIN, IF YOU HAD, UH, SUCH RESOLUTION IN FRONT OF US RIGHT NOW, I'D BE READY TO MOVE IT AND, AND VOTE ON IT.
UM, WE HAVE TO CONTINUE TO MAINTAIN CONFIDENCE IN OUR COMMUNITY THAT WE ARE MOVING FORWARD.
UM, THE GUIDING PRINCIPLES COME TO MY MIND AS WE ARE HAVING THIS CONVERSATION.
SO IT'S NOT LIKE WE'RE STARTING FROM SCRATCH.
WE PUT A LOT OF TIME AND EFFORT INTO THIS, AND TO MS. TURNER'S POINT, UH, WE WERE IN A BOX BECAUSE OUR GUIDING PRINCIPLES AND WHAT THE TOWN OF HILTON HEAD DESIRED WAS IN TOTAL CONFLICT WITH WHAT THE COUNTY AND THE STATE WERE TRYING TO ACHIEVE BECAUSE THEY HAD APPROACHED THIS PROJECT AS ONE BEING SHOVEL READY, AND IT WAS NEVER A SHOVEL READY ON OUR SIDE.
SO THE INFORMATION THAT WE HAVE HAVE ACQUIRED OVER THE PAST SEVEN OR SO YEARS, I THINK IS VERY VALUABLE TO US AT THIS POINT.
AND TO ME, IT'S MORE OF A FUNDING PACKAGE THAT WE'RE PUTTING TOGETHER THAN ANYTHING ELSE.
OKAY? AND, UM, YES, WE NEED TO, UH, RELY ON THE STATE VERY HEAVILY, BUT AS THE TOWN MANAGER READ THE REFERENDUM LANGUAGE, THINK IT SAYS, AND IN THERE
OKAY? AND I DON'T THINK THAT WE ARE IN A POSITION TO ARGUE WITH THE COUNTY AS FAR AS SPLITTING UP WHAT THEY HAVE PROPOSED BECAUSE THEY'VE ALREADY VOTED ON IT.
BUT I THINK THERE'S LEVERAGE THERE FOR THEM TO BECOME A PARTNER IN THIS LONG TERM.
AND WE'VE THROWN OUT TIFF DISTRICTS AND SO ON, BUT I THINK THERE'S OTHER OPPORTUNITIES FOR THEM TO BE A PART OF THE FUNDING PACKAGE ALONG THE WAY.
UH, SO THOSE ARE MY COMMENTS, MR. MAYOR AND I TOO.
I'M VERY ANXIOUS AND EXCITED ABOUT MOVING THIS FORWARD EXPEDITIOUSLY.
AND AGAIN, I, UM, JUST THROW ONE MORE PIECE INTO WHAT MR. ALFRED SAID.
YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY THE TRAFFIC AND THE CONGESTION, UH, MAJOR CONCERNS, BUT IF YOU GO BACK TO OUR GUIDING PRINCIPLES, THE QUALITY OF LIFE IS SOMETHING THAT WE ALSO HAVE TO, IN MY, IN MY MIND, PUT AT THE TOP OF THE LIST.
SO IN, IN CLOSING, UM, WE CAN'T HAVE ONE IDENTIFIED FUNDING SOURCE.
WE HAVE TO BE PREPARED FOR ALL OPPORTUNITIES ON FUNDING.
UM, WE SAW WHAT HAD HAPPENED WHEN ALL EGGS WERE IN ONE BASKET.
SO WE'VE GOTTA BE CERTAIN THEY'RE EXPLORING ALL OPTIONS.
AND I KNOW YOU SAID THAT IN YOUR COMMENTS AS WELL.
UM, AND I THINK THAT WE'RE ALL IN AGREEANCE THAT WE'VE GOTTA HAVE THOSE, THOSE SOURCES LINED UP, IDENTIFIED WELL EARLY, UM, MAYBE NOT THE ACTUAL DOLLAR AMOUNT, BUT WHAT IS AVAILABLE TO US.
AND THAT'S GONNA BE A BIG PART OF THIS CONVERSATION.
IT DOESN'T INCLUDE MY CHECKBOOK, BY THE WAY.
NO, IT DOES NOT INCLUDE YOUR CHECKBOOK, SO, ALRIGHT.
IT'S GREAT FEEDBACK AND I'M RELIEVED BECAUSE THIS GUY'S STILL ON THE PROJECT RIGHT HERE.
[6. Reports from Members of Town Council]
TOWN COUNCIL.ANYBODY GOT ANY GENERAL REPORTS? MS. BRYSON? YES, I WOULD LIKE TO ACKNOWLEDGE A VERY IMPORTANT BIRTHDAY TODAY, THOMAS C BARNWELL JR.
WHERE ARE YOU MS. IRWIN? UH, SHE MUST BE STILL WORKING HARD.
IT'S HER GRANDFATHER, BUT A LEADER IN OUR COMMUNITY FOR MANY, MANY YEARS.
TODAY IS HIS 90TH BIRTHDAY, SO HAPPY BIRTHDAY, TOM, WHEREVER YOU ARE, MR. BROWN.
[01:05:01]
TODAY IS ALSO A SPECIAL DAY FOR OUR VERY OWN MAYOR AND FIRST LADY TODAY IS THEIR ANNIVERSARYAND NORMALLY I WOULD BE BETTING ON THE OVER WITH US STAYING HERE LATE, BUT TODAY I'M BETTING ON THE UNDER, SO JUST ASKING THAT WE ALL TRY TO MOVE EXPEDITIOUSLY TO GET THIS MAN OUTTA HERE TO GET TO HIS LOVELY BRIDE.
BUT WE'LL, WE'LL HANDLE THE BUSINESS AT HAND APPROPRIATELY.
UM, YOU KNOW, I DO WANT TO ADD, UM, A COUPLE OF THINGS, UH, GENERAL, ANY OTHER GENERAL COMMENTS, SO THANK YOU FOR THAT.
BUT, UM, WE HAD GRADUATION OVER THE PAST COUPLE OF WEEKS AND, UH, REALLY SOME GREAT KIDS HAVE GRADUATED, UM, GOING TO A PLETHORA OF DIFFERENT SCHOOLS, GOING OVERSEAS FOR INTERNSHIP OR, YOU KNOW, UH, OVERSEAS LEARNING GOING TO THE MILITARY.
AND, UM, IT'S JUST A GOOD TIME TO REMEMBER, YOU KNOW, THE, THE 500 OR SO KIDS THAT HAVE GRADUATED OVER THE PAST COUPLE WEEKS FROM HILTON HEAD THAT ARE GOING OFF AND HOPEFULLY WE'LL COME BACK ONE DAY.
AND THEN ALSO THE, UM, THE, THE BEACH HOUSE TIKI HUT WAS NAMED BY USA TODAY AS THE NUMBER THREE BEACH BAR IN THE COUNTRY.
UM, AND, UH, IT, IT, IT MEANS A LOT BECAUSE JAY WENDELL, WHO WAS A GOOD FRIEND OF MINE, UM, WAS, WAS A BIG PART OF THAT.
UM, BUT THE OTHER TWO, NUMBER ONE AND TWO, I THINK WERE IN HAWAII.
SO IT'S JUST A TRUE TESTAMENT TO, TO REDEVELOPMENT IN OUR COMMUNITY.
SO JUST WANNA KIND OF BRING THAT FORWARD AS WELL AND CONGRATULATE THEM.
[7.a. Consideration of an Ordinance Adopting the Consolidated Municipal Budget for the Town of Hilton Head Island for Fiscal Year 2026 Ending June 30, 2026 - Public Hearing and Final Reading - Marc Orlando, Town Manager]
NOW HAVE THE PUBLIC HEARING AND SECOND AND FINAL READING OF THE CONSOLIDATED MUNICIPAL BUDGET FOR THE TOWN OF HILTON HEAD ISLAND FOR PHYSICAL YEAR 2026, ENDING JUNE 30TH, 2026.TOWN COUNCIL UNANIMOUSLY APPROVED THE BUDGET ON ITS FIRST READING ON MAY 6TH.
WE ALSO CONDUCTED TWO WORKSHOPS ON MAY 12TH AND MAY 13TH.
DOESN'T SOUND LIKE IT FROM HERE.
UM, SO MAYOR, COUNSEL, I'M, I'M PLEASED, UH, TO BE BACK HERE TO PRESENT TO YOU THE 26TH CONSOLIDATED BUDGET AT SECOND AND FINAL READING.
AND, AND YOU DID MENTION THIS IS OUR SECOND PUBLIC HEARING ADVERTISED.
UM, ACCORDINGLY, I APPRECIATE YOU'RE GRATEFUL AND I'M GRATEFUL AND APPRECIATE YOUR LEADERSHIP AND DIRECTION THROUGHOUT THIS BUDGET, UH, PROCESS.
UM, AS WE PREPARED IT THIS YEAR, AS WE DISCUSSED AT FIRST READING AND AT THE TOWN COUNCIL BUDGET WORKSHOPS, THE BUDGET WAS BUILT THROUGH AN ANALYSIS OF REVENUE.
UM, WE HEARD A LITTLE BIT TONIGHT, UH, ABOUT REVENUE TRENDS, ECONOMIC CONDITIONS, AND WE HAVE HELD AS WE ALWAYS HAVE CONSERVATIVE FORECASTING AND IS, AND WE ARE BEEN MINDFUL OF THE NATIONAL AND LOCAL ECONOMIC VARIABILITY, RIGHT? SO WE'VE BEEN PRETTY MINDFUL OF THAT.
AND AS YOU LOOK AT THE REVENUE PROJECTIONS, WE'RE EITHER FLAT OR BARELY AHEAD WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THOSE ITEMS THAT WE ABSOLUTELY HAVE FULL CONFIDENCE IN.
UM, BUSINESS LICENSE BEING ONE.
UM, AS YOU REVIEWED THE BUDGET, WE HIGHLIGHTED THAT PROPERTY TAX REVENUES REMAIN STABLE.
UM, WE'VE ACCOUNTED FOR MARKET VOLATILITY AND TOURISM AND RETAIL, AND WE'RE ALSO WORKING TO ENSURE THE TOWN REMAINS RESILIENT REGARDLESS, REGARDLESS OF ANY EXTERNAL ECONOMIC SHIFTS.
SO WITH THAT BEING SAID, I'M PRESENTING A BUDGET TO YOU AND I'M PLEASED TO DO SO.
A BUDGET THAT PROVIDES PROPERTY TAX RELIEF TO RESIDENTS AND PROPERTY OWNERS.
IT STRENGTHENS OUR FUND BALANCE RESERVES.
WE TALKED A LOT ABOUT THAT AT THE WORKSHOPS.
SUPPORTS ACCOUNTABLE DEBT MANAGEMENT INVESTS IN OUR SERVICES AND EMPLOYEES.
NO SERVICE LEVELS HAVE BEEN DECREASED.
OUR OPERATING ACCOUNTS HAVE BEEN DECREASED BY 7%.
UM, WE SUSTAIN AND IMPROVED CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE AND ADVANCED TOWN COUNCIL'S STRATEGIC PRIORITIES.
UM, THERE, THERE'VE BEEN SEVERAL TOWN COUNCIL AND PUBLIC COMMENTS MADE DURING THE PRIOR READING MORE AT THE WORKSHOP.
THIS INFORMATION HAS BEEN HIGHLIGHTED AND ADDED IN YOUR STAFF REPORT.
I WILL PULL A FEW ITEMS TO NOTE OUT.
IT WAS ASKED IF WE'VE DECREASED SERVICE LEVELS BECAUSE OF THE DECREASE IN OPERATING.
UM, WE'VE ADDED TWO NEW FULL-TIME EMPLOYEES AND ADVANCED A PART-TIME EMPLOYEE TO A FULL-TIME.
THAT'S THE INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT PROGRAM YOU ALL ADOPTED.
AND ONE ADDITIONAL PERSON IN COMMUNITY CODE ENFORCEMENT THAT'S SOLE PURPOSE AND FOCUS IS ON BEACH PARKING PROGRAM.
THE PART-TIME TO FULL-TIME WAS AN IT HELP DESK PERSON.
UH, WE CLARIFIED THAT THE RESIDENT BEACH PARKING PASS IS A ZERO COST IN THE ORDINANCE.
UM, AT FIRST READING IT SHOWED THE, THE, THE PRICE.
HOWEVER, THE, THE ORDINANCE YOU ADOPTED IN THE RESOLUTION OF THE FEE CHANGE SUPERSEDED THAT.
I WANNA MAKE SURE WE'RE CLEAR ON THAT.
HOME REPAIR AND LATERAL SEWER CONNECTION PROGRAMS WERE DISCUSSED.
WE HEARD A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT TONIGHT WITH BEAUFORT JASPER HOUSING TRUST, WE'VE INVESTED $1.6 MILLION IN HOME REPAIR OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS, $15,000
[01:10:01]
AT A TIME.THAT STILL REMAINS A PRIORITY PROGRAM.
AND WE ARE SEEKING GRANT FUNDING.
UM, WE'RE SEEKING GRANT FUNDING TO CONTINUE THAT.
A QUESTION AROSE AT THE RECENT FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE COMMITTEE MEETING REGARDING REMAINING TIF FUNDS.
UM, WE KIND OF, WE WENT THROUGH THAT SOMEWHAT, SOMEWHAT FAST.
PERHAPS AT WORKSHOP WE HAVE THIS FISCAL YEAR 26 PLANNED USE OF TIF DOLLARS TAX INCREMENT FINANCE DOLLARS 3.6 OR THREE $3 MILLION.
WE HAVE UNENCUMBERED 1.3 MILLION A-K-A-T-B-D FOR LATER.
UM, THERE'S AN OPPORTUNITY TO ALLOCATE FUNDS THROUGH THE STONY CORRIDOR, STONY AIR, WHERE SOME OF THE QUESTIONS THAT WERE TALKED ABOUT AT FINANCE COMMITTEE AND THEN DIRECTLY TO ME OVER THE LAST FEW DAYS.
UM, UH, MY RECOMMENDATION IS TO CONTINUE TO PUSH FORWARD THOSE TIFF DOLLARS ARE NEEDED WHERE THEY'RE PROGRAMMED AND PRIORITIZED.
UM, I THINK IT'S GREAT TO HAVE THIS CONVERSATION.
WHEN YOU REALLY LOOK AT OUR TIFF SPENDING THROUGH THE YEARS, A LOT OF THE TIFF DOLLARS COLLECTED IN THE VARIOUS SUB-DISTRICTS OF THE TIFF DISTRICTS PER SE, USCB CELEBRATION PARK.
AND I THINK THAT WE'RE STARTING TO REALIZE THAT IT'S TIME TO, TO START INVESTING IN OUR CORRIDORS THROUGHOUT OUR ISLAND.
THE TIF DOLLARS, THE $3 MILLION ARE GEARED TOWARDS THIS YEAR, SEA PINE CIRCLE, POPE AVENUE, UM, OLD SCHOOLHOUSE PARK, $750,000.
AND I THINK THAT THE CONVERSATION, MY READ ON IT IS, YOU KNOW, WHAT, WHAT CAN WE DO TO HELP WITH THE STONY CORRIDOR? NOW THAT THAT DECISION WAS MADE, WE JUST ALL TALKED ABOUT LONG VERSION, SHORTER.
I DO SUGGEST THAT WE STAY ON COURSE, WE, WE ADOPT SECOND READING AS WE DID FIRST.
UM, OR, OR YOU DO AS YOU DID FIRST.
AND PLEASE STOP ME, I'M JUST GONNA KEEP MOVING.
WE DISCUSSED THE HOUSING FUND SUSTAINABILITY.
UM, THERE, THERE WAS SOME OBVIOUS ISSUES WHEN IT, WHEN IT WAS DISCUSSED THAT THERE WAS NO NEW MONEY IN THE HOUSING FUND THIS YEAR, HOWEVER, I THINK WE HAVE ENOUGH, I BELIEVE WE HAVE ENOUGH AND THAT'S HOW I PROPOSED IT FOR THE DOLLARS WE HAVE, THE PROJECTS MATCH, RIGHT? UM, WHAT'S NOT IN THERE.
IF THERE'S SOME, IF THERE'S SOME GRANT DOLLARS RECEIVED FOR HOME REPAIR, WE WILL BRING THAT BACK TO YOU.
UM, AS FAR AS A SUSTAINABILITY PLAN FOR HOUSING, I KNOW THAT OUR FINANCE DIRECTOR WILL SOON MEET WITH A FINANCE ADMINISTRATIVE COMMITTEE TO TALK ABOUT A DISTRIBUTION PLAN FOR SOUTH CAROLINA AT TAX.
AND I THINK THAT THAT IS A PERFECT OPPORTUNITY TO TALK THROUGH THAT, THROUGH THAT STRATEGY.
WE DISCUSSED THE GULLAH GEECHEE HISTORIC NEIGHBORHOOD CDC FUNDING.
UM, AND THERE WAS SOME PUBLIC COMMENT, NOT, AND, AND THAT THE TOWN ALSO FUND THAT.
AND NOT JUST NOT THE, THE RECEIVED FUNDS BY THE CDC, THERE HAVE BEEN MORE THAN $5.3 MILLION IN GRANTS RECEIVED TO DATE.
THE CDC, AS WE CALL IT, DOES MAINTAIN A FUND BALANCE.
MR. BOXLEY AND I HAVE HAD MANY A CONVERSATIONS AND I KNOW THAT HE'S MOVING FORWARD TO ESTABLISH ADDITIONAL FUNDS AND REALLY TO ESTABLISH A SUSTAINABLE FUNDED ORGANIZATION.
SO THEY CURRENTLY MAINTAIN A FUND BALANCE AND AT, AT THIS POINT, I THINK, AND I'M CONFIDENT IN, IN WHAT'S PROPOSED FOR THAT REASON.
UH, SEVERAL INITIATIVES FUNDED IN THE STRATEGIC PLAN WILL BE BROUGHT FORWARD TO TOWN COUNCIL WORKSHOP.
YOU CAN MAKE A MOTION, UM, ALIGNED WITH CAP PROJECTS.
READING A BUDGET PROPOSED OF $174,711,000.
I'D LIKE TO MAKE A MOTION THAT WE ACCEPT ON SECOND READING THE, UM, 2026 PROPOSED, UM, CONSOLIDATED BUDGETS PRESENTED.
ALRIGHT, WE HAVE A FIRST AND A SECOND.
WE'LL NOW OPEN UP THE PUBLIC HEARING, UH, FOR THE PROPOSED ORDINANCE ADOPTING THE CONSOLIDATED MUNICIPAL BUDGET FOR THE TOWN OF HILTON HEAD ISLAND FOR FISCAL YEAR 2026, ENDING JUNE 30TH, 2026.
KIM, DO WE HAVE ANYBODY SIGNED UP TO SPEAK ON THIS HEARING? WE DO.
MARK ORLANDO TOWN LAWYERS AND EVEN MAYOR PERRY HAVE BEEN ACCUSED OF COMMITTING FRAUD BY ILLEGALLY ISSUING AND USING MILLIONS OF OUR TAX FUNDS AND CREATING MULTIMILLION DOLLAR FRAUDULENT CHAMBER CONTRACTS.
THERE'S ONLY ONE WAY FORWARD TO STOP THIS ABUSE OF OUR TAX MONEY.
MANY LOCAL TAXPAYERS NOW AGREE WITH ME.
THE ONLY WAY TO PREVENT THE TOWN AND COUNCIL FROM CONTINUING TO VOTE IN FAVOR OF TENS OF MILLIONS OF ILLEGAL, UH, UH, USE AND WASTE IS TO REPLACE OUR CURRENT FINANCE COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN ALEX BROWN, ALONG WITH THE OTHER COMMITTEE MEMBERS WHO ARE NOT CPAS OR HAVE FORENSIC AUDIT KNOWLEDGE FOR SMALL TOWN GOVERNMENTS.
WE SIMPLY REPLACE THEM WITH FIVE LOCAL VOLUNTEER CPAS TO SERVE ON A NEW HILTON HEAD DOGE FINANCE COMMITTEE.
AND I SUGGEST TWO COUNCIL MEMBERS SERVE ON THIS COMMITTEE, MELINDA TURNER AND TAMARA BECKER,
[01:15:02]
TO OVER TO OVER.UH, THAT THEY, UH, THIS COMMITTEE WILL CONTROL ALL THE TOWN FINANCES, OVERSEE ALL THE BANK ACCOUNTS, BUDGETS, YEAR-END AUDITS, AND REPORT DIRECTLY TO THE COUNCIL WHO ARE THE TAXPAYER'S PROXY, NOT THE EMPLOYEES.
THIS WILL ALSO STOP THE LAWYERS OVERCHARGED LEGAL FEES, FRAUDULENT CONTRACTS, AND GIVING COUNSEL ILLEGAL LEGAL ADVICE, BASICALLY COMMITTING MALPRACTICE.
THE TOWN EMPLOYEES JUST DO THEIR JOBS THAT THEY ARE HIRED AND PAID TO DO.
NOT ONLY THESE EMPLOYEES HAVE BEEN CAUGHT AT WRONGDOING, THEY HAVE BEEN ALLOWED TO RUN RAPID OVER THE BUDGETS VIOLATED.
FOIA CREATED A BLOATED BUREAUCRACY VERSUS A DEMOCRACY FOR THE PEOPLE BY THE PEOPLE.
WE HAVE A TOWN WITH 150 MILLION BUDGET THAT PERTAINS TO JUST 20% OF THE LAND MASS OF HILTON HEAD WITH THE REST CONTROLLED BY GATED NON GATED COMMUNITIES RUN BY HOAS.
THERE ARE ONLY 38,000 RESIDENTS WITH OVER 3 MILLION TOURISTS.
AND ONE EXAMPLE OF ILLEGAL WASTE IS A CONTINUED FUNDING OF MILLIONS TO AN ILLEGALLY AND CRIMINALLY OPERATED NONPROFIT CHAMBER TO PROMOTE TOURISM WHEN WE NO LONGER, NO LONGER NEED TOURISM PROMOTION, SINCE IT'S ALL DONE FOR FREE BY TECHNOLOGY, AI, WORD OF MOUTH, SOCIAL MEDIA, INDEPENDENT MARKETING EFFORTS BY LOCAL BUSINESSES.
THIS IS BEYOND FOOLISH AND IT'S A TOTALLY IRRESPONSIBLE GOVERNMENT.
OUR TOWN NEEDS TO SERVE THE 38,000 RESIDENTS FOREMOST, NOT CHAMBER SPECIAL INTEREST, BALANCE, A SAME AND REASONABLE TOURISM NUMBER.
TOURISM IS GREAT AND GENERATES REVENUE, BUT WE CAN'T ADD MORE T OR REVENUE RESIDENTS IF WE DON'T HAVE THE ROADS AND THE INFRASTRUCTURE TO SUPPORT THEM.
10 POUNDS IN A FIVE POUND BAG IS RIDICULOUS.
A CIVIL ACTION WILL BE FILED AGAINST A TOWN OF HILTON HEAD FOR A POA VIOLATION.
SPONSORSHIP FOR THE HERITAGE DREDGING OF HARVARD TOWN IS A POA EXPENSE.
A LAWSUIT HAS BEEN FILED, CHAMBER HAS NO BUSINESS LICENSE, AND THE LEGAL FEES ARE BURIED IN THE BUDGET.
YOU FOLKS HAVE TO OPEN YOUR EYES.
YOU'RE JUST NOT PAYING ATTENTION.
YOU'VE GOTTA GET SOME CPAS AND YOU'VE GOTTA HAVE INDEPENDENT GUIDANCE.
YOU'RE NOT GONNA BE ABLE TO DO IT ON YOUR OWN.
ALRIGHT, THANK YOU MR. ARLAND.
KIM, ANYBODY ELSE SIGNED UP TO SPEAK? CHESTER WILLIAMS, RICHARD B. GOOD AFTERNOON, UH, RICHARD.
BUSY INDIGO RUN THE $175 MILLION BUDGET BEFORE YOU TODAY SUGGESTS THAT TAXES WILL BE LOWER STARTING JULY 1ST.
THE TAX BURDEN IS USED FREQUENTLY.
AND WHILE THE 2 MILLION PROPERTY TAX REDUCTION IS ADMIRABLE, LET US BE CLEAR.
TAXES ARE CALCULATED BY THE MILL RATE TIMES THE VALUE OF YOUR HOME.
AND SINCE MOST HOMES CONTINUE TO INCREASE IN VALUE, TAXES FOR MOST HILTON HEAD HOMEOWNERS WILL GO UP, NOT DOWN.
WHERE'S ELON MUSK WHEN YOU NEED THEM? WHAT ABOUT THE $600,000 IN PUBLIC FUNDS TO DREDGE HARBORTOWN A PRIVATE COMMERCIAL YACHT BASIN? WHY ARE PUBLIC MONIES BEING USED FOR A PRIVATE VENTURE? TAX MONEY IS SUPPOSED TO BE USED FOR THE ENTIRE BENEFIT OF ALL TAXPAYERS, NOT JUST A FEW ULTRA WEALTHY YACHT OWNERS.
I HAVE THE CHANCE TO WATCH THE VIDEO OF THE MEETING BACK IN MAY, 2022 WHEN A RESOLUTION PROVIDING THE RATIONALE TO PROVIDE THE DREDGING WAS APPROVED.
AS USUAL, THERE WAS VERY LIMITED DISCUSSION ABOUT THE RESOLUTION, BUT FORMER COUNCILMAN DAVID AMES DID MAKE SOME INTERESTING COMMENTS.
AND HERE'S PART OF WHAT HE SAID.
AND I QUOTE, FUNDING A FACILITY BEHIND PRIVATE GATES, THE $600,000 COULD BE INVESTED IN HIGHER PRIORITY AREAS.
OUR STRATEGIC PLAN REFERENCES PROGRAMMING AND ENHANCEMENTS IN THE PUBLIC REALM.
SO YOU HAVE THIS CONFLICT BETWEEN INVESTING BEHIND THE GATES AND INVESTING IN THE PUBLIC REALM.
YOU WENT ON TO SAY, I DO NOT THINK WE HAVE CLEARLY EXPRESSED AS TO HOW WE QUALIFY INVESTMENTS BEHIND THE GATES.
AT WHAT PUB, AT WHAT POINT DOES SOMETHING BEHIND THE GATES RISE TO THE LEVEL OF A CLEAR PUBLIC BENEFIT? IS ACCESSIBILITY PUBLIC IF A $9 GATE PASS IS REQUIRED TO ENTER SEA PINES? THOSE WERE THE WORDS OF, OF FORMER COUNCILMAN DAVID AMES.
AND FINALLY, WORDS DO MATTER IN YOUR BUDGET DOCUMENT.
THERE'S A SECTION ENTITLED OUR COMMITMENT.
AND THIRD ON THE LIST OF COMMITMENTS.
IS THIS PROVIDING AN OPEN TOWN GOVERNMENT TO MAKE PARTICIPATION IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT ACTIVITIES POSSIBLE FOR ALL, ALL RESIDENTS? WELL, THAT'S NOT POSSIBLE IF YOUR MEETINGS TAKE PLACE AT 3:00 PM IS IT? YOU KNOW IT AND I KNOW IT.
I'VE SUGGESTED IN THE PAST, AND I'LL CONTINUE TO DO SO.
[01:20:01]
SIMPLY ALTERNATE YOUR MEETING TIMES 3:00 PM AND 6:00 PM TO ALLOW RESIDENTS WHO WORK FULL-TIME THE OPPORTUNITY, THEY MAY NOT SHOW UP, BUT THE OPPORTUNITY TO ATTEND COUNCIL MEETINGS.UH, I'D JUST LIKE TO SAY THAT THIS IS, I THINK THE, THE FOURTH, UH, BUDGET PRESENTATION THAT THE TOWN MANAGER HAS MADE.
UH, THE PREVIOUS, UH, ADMINISTRATION, THE RESPONSIBILITY WAS DELEGATED TO THE FINANCE DIRECTOR.
I THINK IT'S VERY, VERY IMPORTANT THAT THE TOWN MANAGER TAKE RESPONSIBILITY AND HE'S DONE THAT.
UH, SECONDLY, I'D LIKE TO SAY THAT IN THE FOUR YEARS, THE INCREASING TRANSPARENCY AND DETAIL THAT'S BEEN PROVIDED IS MARVELOUS.
AND I THINK THE PLANNING DOCUMENT THAT WAS PUBLISHED LAST YEAR WAS A, WAS A GREAT STEP FORWARD.
SO I'VE GOT NOTHING BUT ADMIRATION FOR, UH, MARK ORLANDO, WHAT HE'S TRYING TO DO, WHAT HE'S ACHIEVED TO DATE AND WHAT HE'S, I'M SURE HE'S GOING TO PUSH ON WITH.
AND IF IT WASN'T FOR HIS WILLINGNESS TO DISCLOSE INFORMATION, SOME OF THE CRITICISMS THAT WE MAKE WOULD NOT BE POSSIBLE BECAUSE WE WOULDN'T KNOW ABOUT THE INFORMATION.
UM, SO I JUST WANTED TO SAY THAT I THINK MARK ORLANDO HAS DONE A GREAT JOB.
IT'S TERRIFIC THAT THE TOWN MANAGER TAKES RESPONSIBILITY.
UM, AND WE DIDN'T HAVE IT PRIOR TO HIS ARRIVAL AND I THINK HE SHOULD BE GIVEN AND HIS TEAM EVERY ENCOURAGEMENT.
ALRIGHT, SO THAT WILL CLOSE THE PUBLIC HEARING.
SO WE'VE GOT A MOTION BY MS. BECKER, A SECOND BY MR. ALFRED.
IS THERE ANY DISCUSSION FROM COUNSEL? SEEING NONE.
ALL THOSE IN FAVOR PLEASE SIGNIFY BY RAISING YOUR RIGHT HAND BUDGETS APPROVED.
AND I AGREE WITH MR. CLIFF THAT YOU HAVE DONE AN ABSOLUTELY PHENOMENAL JOB AND YOUR STAFF HAS AS WELL.
[8.a. Consideration of a Resolution Authorizing Naming the Multipurpose Pathway and Boardwalk Extending from the Northeast Corner of Shelter Cove Community Park Running Along the Marshes of Broad Creek and Ending at the Trailhead located at 69 Shelter Cove Lane in Honor of Frank Babel - Shawn Colin, Assistant Town Manager]
NEW MOVE ON TO NEW BUSINESS.WE HAVE A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING NAMING THE MULTIPURPOSE PATHWAY IN BOARDWALK, EXTENDING FROM NORTHEAST CORNER OF SHELTER COVE COMMUNITY PARK, RUNNING ALONG THE MARSHES OF BROAD CREEK AND ENDING AT THE TRAILHEAD.
LOCATED AT 69 SHELTER COVE LANE IN HONOR OF MR. FRANK BABEL.
MR. COLE, MR. COLIN FORGOT HE HAD TO COME UP AND SPEAK.
UM, IT IS, UH, NOT ONLY MY HONOR BUT MY PRIVILEGE, UM, TO HAVE BEEN INVOLVED IN, UM, THE DRAFTING OF A RESOLUTION, UH, RECOGNIZING FRANK FOR HIS MANY, MANY YEARS OF SERVICE, UH, TO HILTON HEAD AND THE LOW COUNTRY.
UM, FRANK AND I HAVE A SORT OF A KINDRED RELATIONSHIP.
UM, I WAS ON THE JOB ABOUT, GOSH, I WANT TO SAY THREE WEEKS.
AND, UM, TODD OF HILTON HAD ASKED, UH, MY, MY SUPERVISOR AT THE TIME ASKED ME TO GO TO SPARTANBURG AND ATTEND A TRANSPORTATION RELATED, UH, EVENT.
UH, I DIDN'T WANNA SAY NO THREE WEEKS IN.
AND FRANK LOOKED THROUGH THE ROSTER OF ALL THE ATTENDEES THAT WERE AT THE EVENT TO SEE WHO WAS THERE FROM HILTON ISLAND.
AND HE FOUND MY NAME AND THEN SHORTLY THEREAFTER FOUND ME.
AND HE ASKED, UM, AND HE'S TOLD THE STORY A FEW TIMES.
HE ASKED ME, WHY CAN'T WE BE A BICYCLE FRIENDLY COMMUNITY? AND I SAID, WELL, ONE, I THINK WE ARE, BUT HAVE WE EVER ASKED OR SUBMITTED A APPLICATION? AND, UM, AND SO THAT WAS BACK IN 2006 AND HERE WE ARE IN 2025, UH, TWO TIME, GOLD LEVEL, BICYCLE FRIENDLY COMMUNITY.
UM, AND A LOT OF THAT IS DUE TO FRANK, UH, HIS POSSE, SO TO SPEAK, OF OTHER BICYCLE AMBASSADORS THAT HAVE HELPED SHAPE, UM, HILTON HEAD WITH THESE WONDERFUL RECREATION AMENITIES, TRANSPORTATION AMENITIES, SUPPORT OF TOWN COUNCILS OVER THE MANY, MANY YEARS, INCLUDING THIS COUNCIL AND THE TOWN MANAGER TO COMMIT TO, UM, EXECUTION AND THE IN THE CAPITAL PROGRAM.
SO, UM, I COULD READ THE RESOLUTION MAYOR, IF THAT WOULD BE APPROPRIATE.
NO, I THINK WE NEED NEED TO HAVE A A, A MOTION FIRST.
WE'VE GOT A FIRST AND A SECOND, SO THEN WE'LL OPEN UP FOR DISCUSSION FROM THE PUBLIC.
KIM, HAS ANYBODY SIGNED UP TO SPEAK ON THIS?
[01:25:01]
CHESTER WILLIAMS. HE PASSES.DISCUSSION FROM COUNCIL MAYOR.
UM, I APPEARED ONE DAY AT A TOWN COUNCIL MEETING BEFORE I WAS ON TOWN COUNCIL, AND I SPOKE ABOUT PEDESTRIAN AND BICYCLIST SAFETY.
THE NEXT THING I KNOW IS SOME GUY CAME UP TO ME AND SAID, HI, I'M FRANK BABEL
AND FROM THEN ON I KNEW I HAD BEEN REELED IN TO FRANK'S WEB, A BICYCLE AND PEDESTRIAN ADVOCATES.
UM, SO IT'S BEEN MY GREAT PLEASURE TO WORK WITH HIM OVER THE YEARS TO BE HIS STUDENT.
UM, TO LEARN ABOUT ALL YOU CAN ABOUT PEDESTRIAN AND BICYCLIST SAFETY.
UM, I COULDN'T IMAGINE FOLLOWING ANYBODY ON THIS ISSUE ANY BETTER THAN FRANK.
IT'S A WONDERFUL HONOR FOR HIM.
I'M SO GLAD THE TOWN IS HONORING HIM AND I LOOK FORWARD IN THE FUTURE TO STILL TRYING TO KEEP UP WITH FRANK.
MR. ALFRED, JUST A BRIEF COMMENT.
I'VE, I'VE WORKED WITH MR. BE FOR WAY BACK TO ABOUT 2008 AND OH NINE VERY CLOSELY OVER THE YEARS IN A VARIETY OF BICYCLE RELATED ACTIVITIES.
HE'S BEEN AN INSPIRATION, UH, TO THE BIKE ADVOCACY GROUPS OVER THE YEARS, TO THE BIKE RIDING CLUBS AND TO THE PUBLIC BY VIRTUE OF, OF HIS CREATIVITY AND PERSEVERANCE.
A LOT HAS BEEN ACCOMPLISHED THAT WOULD NOT HAVE HAPPENED WITHOUT HIM.
AND I'M GLAD WE HAD THIS OPPORTUNITY TODAY TO RECOGNIZE THAT.
SO, SEAN, WHAT, UH, IF, IF THIS RESOLUTION WERE TO PASS TODAY, THAT'S A BIG, IF
UM, BUT WHAT WOULD BE THE NEXT STEP? WELL, FIRST MAYOR, I HAVE CONFIDENCE THAT THIS DOESN'T HAVE TO GO THROUGH THE SIVER TIB
SO IF SUPPORTED FROM COUNCIL TONIGHT, UH, WE'D LIKE TO HAVE A, UH, DEDICATION CEREMONY HELD OUT ON SITE, UH, WHERE THE PATHWAY, UH, IS LOCATED.
UM, WHAT, WHAT A SPECTACULAR SETTING IT WOULD BE, UM, TO HONOR HIM OUT THERE ON THE PATHWAY.
UM, I'M AFRAID OF ALL THE SPANDEX THAT WE'LL SEE,
AND HE WAS IN ATTENDANCE, UH, FOR THAT.
AND GOSH, AS HE'S A LONG PUSH FOR, UH, PATHWAYS OFF THE ROADWAY ALONG THOSE, YOU KNOW, SUCH MEANINGFUL, UM, VENUES AS BROAD CREEK.
AND SO, UM, WE'LL MAKE SURE THAT WE, IT'S AN APPROPRIATE DEDICATION AND PROCLAMATION TO FRANK, UM, ON THAT DATE TO, TO BE DETERMINED.
SO WE'VE GOT A MOTION FROM MR. ALFORD, SECOND BY MRS. BRYSON.
ALL THOSE IN FAVOR PLEASE SIGNIFY BY RAISING YOUR RIGHT HAND.
WE JUST WANNA MAKE SURE IT'S AN AHA INSTEAD OF THE MEMORY OFF
YEAH, JUST MEET ME OUT THERE TOMORROW, FRANK.
WE'LL NOW MOVE ON TO UNFINISHED
[9.a. Consideration of an Ordinance of the Town Council of the Town of Hilton Head Island to amend Municipal Code Section 8-11-211(8) to Restrict Dogs from an Area of the Town's Defined Beach near Fish Haul Creek - Second Reading Shawn Colin, Assistant Town Manager]
BUSINESS PORTION OF OUR AGENDA.OUR FIRST ITEM IS A SECOND READING OF THE CONSIDERATION OF AN ORDINANCE OF THE TOWN COUNCIL OF, OF THE TOWN OF HILTON HEAD ISLAND TO AMEND MUNICIPAL CODE SECTION EIGHT DASH 11 DASH TWO 18 TO RESTRICT DOGS FROM THE, AN AREA OF THE TOWNS DEFINED A BEACH NEAR FISH HALL CREEK.
THE ITEM WAS APPROVED UNANIMOUSLY BY COUNCIL AT OUR MAY 20TH MEETING.
MR. MR. MAYOR, I'LL MOVE ADOPTION ON THE SECOND READING.
WE'VE GOT A, WE'VE GOT A FIRST OVER HERE BY MR. BROWN.
IS MS. BRYSON, YOU GONNA DO THE SECOND ON THAT? SURE.
KIM, DO WE HAVE ANYBODY SIGN UP TO SPEAK ON THIS AGENDA ITEM? CHESTER WILLIAMS
ANYBODY ELSE? ALL RIGHT, WE'LL BRING IT BACK.
WE'VE GOT A FIRST BY MR. BROWN, SECOND BY MS. BRYSON.
ANY DISCUSSION FROM COUNSEL? UH, I JUST HAVE A QUICK QUESTION.
WHEN WILL THE SIGNS BE POSTED? I WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT THE SPA WAS AWARE OF THAT.
YES, WE'VE ORDERED SIGNS WILL BE TEMPORARY SIGNS, UM, PUT IN UPON ADOPTION OF THIS IF COUNCIL ADOPTS IT TONIGHT.
UM, AND THEN WHEN THE PERMANENT SIGNS COME IN, THEY'LL BE, UH, REPLACED THE TEMPORARY SIGNS THAT'LL BE INSTALLED TODAY.
SO WILL THE PERMANENT SIGN, UH, SORRY, TEMPORARY SIGNS GO UP TOMORROW OR? YES.
YEAH, TOMORROW MORNING THEY'LL BE IN PLACE? YES, MA'AM.
AND THEN JUST WANNA REITERATE, UM, FOR THE RECORD THAT, UM, THIS
[01:30:01]
RESTRICTION IS RELATED TO A REQUIREMENT FOR THE BEACH RENOURISHMENT PERMIT.UM, AND WITHOUT IT WE WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO GET THAT PERMIT.
BUT ALSO RECOGNIZING, UM, THE GOOD WORK OF THE STAFF WHO WAS ABLE TO LIMIT THE AREA THAT WE'RE REQUIRED TO RESTRICT.
UM, ALSO IN THE, UM, IT, THE MUNICIPAL CODE, IT'S A RESTRICTION OF ANIMALS, NOT JUST DOGS, BUT WE KEEP SAYING DOGS.
AND I WONDER WITH REGARD TO THE SIGNS, IS IT GOING TO SAY DOGS OR ANIMALS? IT WILL SAY ANIMALS.
ANY OTHER COMMENTS? ALRIGHT, SEEING NONE.
ALL THOSE IN FAVOR OF THE MOTION, PLEASE SIGNIFY BY RAISING YOUR RIGHT HAND.
[9.b. Consideration of an Ordinance of the Town of Hilton Head Island, Amending the Municipal Code by Adding New Sections 1-5-11 and 1-5-12, Authorizing the Issuance of Administrative Citations and Fines; Amending Section 10-2-60 to Authorize Administrative Citations and Fines for Violations of Article 10, Chapter 2 of the Municipal Code; Amending Section 10-2-70 of the Municipal Code to Add Issuance of More Than 5 Administrative Citations in Twelve Months as Grounds for Suspension or Revocation of Short Term Rental Permit; to Add Section 12-3-101 to Authorize Administrative Citations and Fines for Violations of Article 12, Chapters 3 and 6; to Amend Section 12-3- 117; to Amend Section 2-3-213; to Add Sections 12-6-100 and 12-6-101 to Authorize Administrative Citations and Fines for Violations of Article 12, Chapter 6; to Amend Section 12-6-111 to Add a Definition for Resident Beach Pass; to Amend Sections 12-6-113, 12-6,114, 12-6-115,12-6-117 to Make Grammatical Changes; to Repeal Sections 12-6-119 and 12-6-120; and to Provide for Severability and Effective Date - Second Reading - Shawn Colin, Assistant Town Manager]
READING OF CONSIDERATION OF AN ORDINANCE AMENDING, AMENDING THE MUNICIPAL CODE BY ADDING NEW SECTIONS.ONE DASH FIVE DASH 11 AND ONE DASH FIVE DASH 12 AUTHORIZING THE ISSUANCE OF ADMINISTRATIVE CITATIONS AND VINES AMENDING SEC SECTION TWO 10.
MAY I MOVE ADOPTION? AND SECOND RATING? SECOND.
WE'VE GOT A FIRST AND SECOND KIM, ANYBODY SIGNED UP TO SPEAK ON THIS? CHESTER WILLIAMS
ANYBODY ELSE? WE'VE GOT A FIRST AND SECOND.
ANY DISCUSSION FROM COUNCIL? SEEING NONE.
ALL THOSE IN FAVOR PLEASE SIGNIFY BY RAISING YOUR RIGHT HAND.
NEXT WE HAVE A SECOND READING OF AN ORDINANCE
[9.c. Consideration of an Ordinance of the Town of Hilton Head Island to Amend Title 16 of the Municipal Code, the Land Management Ordinance, to Amend Sections 16-3-104.G and 16-4-102.A.6 to Add Workforce Housing as a Permitted Conditional Use in the Moderate to High Density Residential (RM12) District, to Amend Section 16-4-102.B.1 to Include Property Size and Location Requirements for Workforce Housing in RM-12, to Amend Section 16-4-105.A to Provide for a Workforce Housing Density Bonus and Impervious Surface Increase in RM-12, to Amend Section 16-4-105.B to Clarify Workforce Housing Agreement Requirements, and to Provide for Severability and an Effective Date - Second Reading - Missy Luick, Director of Planning]
OF THE TOWN OF HILTON HU ISLAND MAYOR.I MOVE ADOPTION ON SECOND READING SECOND.
YES, I I WOULD JUST RESPECTFULLY ASK THAT WE HAVE THE TITLE OF WHAT WE ARE.
UM, YEAH, I'LL ASKING APPROVAL FOR BEFORE JUST SO THE PUBLIC AND SURE IT'S ON THE RECORD.
AND THIS IS THE SECOND READING OF AN ORDINANCE OF THE TOWN OF HILTON HEAD ISLAND TO AMEND TITLE 16 OF THE MUNICIPAL CODE, THE LAND MANAGEMENT ORDINANCE TO AMEND SECTION 16 DASH THREE DASH 1 0 4 G AND 16 DASH 16 DASH FOUR DASH 1 0 2 8 6.
TO ADD WORKFORCE HOUSING AS PERMITTED CONDITIONAL USE IN THE MODERATE TO HIGH DENSITY RESIDENTIAL RM 12 DISTRICT TO AMEND SECTION 16 DASH FOUR DASH 1 0 2 B ONE TO INCLUDE PROPERTY SIZE AND LOCATION REQUIREMENTS FOR WORKFORCE HOUSING IN RM 12 TO AMEND SECTION 16 DASH FOUR DASH 1 0 5 0.8 TO PROVIDE FOR WORKFORCE HOUSING DENSITY, BONUS AND IMPERVIOUS SURFACE INCREASE IN RM 12 TO AMEND SECTION 16 DASH FOUR DASH 1 0 5 POINT B.
TO CLARIFY WORKFORCE HOUSING AGREEMENT REQUIREMENTS, FIRST READING OF THIS ORDINANCE WAS UNANIMOUSLY APPROVED BY COUNSEL ON MAY 20TH.
UM, SO WE'VE GOT THE MOTION AND A SECOND.
KIM, HAS ANYBODY SIGNED UP TO SPEAK ON THIS? I'M SORRY.
UM, JUST CHESTER WILLIAMS. OKAY.
UH, ANY DISCUSSION FROM COUNSEL? SEEING NONE.
ALL THOSE IN FAVOR PLEASE SIGNIFY BY RAISING YOUR RIGHT HAND.
LASTLY, WE HAVE A SECOND READING OF AN
[9.d. Consideration of an Ordinance of the Town of Hilton Head Island to Amend the Official Zoning Map with Respect to the Real Property Located on Northpoint Circle to Rezone the Parcels from Parks and Recreation (PR) to Moderate to High Density Residential (RM-12) District; and to provide for Severability and an Effective Date - Second Reading - Missy Luick, Director of Planning]
ORDINANCE OF THE TOWN OF HILTON HEAD ISLAND TO AMEND THE OFFICIAL ZONING MAP WITH RESPECT TO THE REAL PROPERTY LOCATED ON NORTH POINT CIRCLE TO REZONE THE PARCELS FROM PARKS AND RECREATION TO MODERATE THE HIGH DENSITY RM 12.DISTRICT FIRST READING OF THIS ORDINANCE WAS UNANIMOUSLY APPROVED BY COUNCIL ON MAY 20TH.
MAY I MOVE ADOPTION AND SECOND READING? SECOND.
KIM, HAS ANYBODY SIGNED UP TO SPEAK ON THIS BESIDES MR. WILLIAMS? THAT'S ALL.
ANY DISCUSSION FROM COUNCIL? OH,
I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE RECOGNIZING THAT THE REASON FOR, UM, NINE C AND NINE THAT WE JUST AGREED TO IN PAST AS WELL AS THIS, UM, NINE D IS TO FACILITATE THE NORTH POINT, UM, WORKFORCE HOUSING, UM, PRIVATE PUBLIC PARTNERSHIP THAT THE TOWN HAS BEEN WORKING ON AND THAT IT WILL, UM, WITHIN VERY SHORT PERIOD OF TIME BE PROVIDING ROUGHLY 160, UM, AFFORDABLE HOMES FOR WORKERS HERE ON HILTON HEAD ISLAND AND THAT WE'RE DOING THIS TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE MOVING FORWARD WITH THOSE OBJECTIVES.
ALRIGHT, SO WE HAVE A, A MOTION BY MS. BRYSON SECOND AND BY MR. BROWN.
ALL THOSE IN FAVOR PLEASE SIGNIFY BY RAISING YOUR RIGHT HAND.
[10. Public Comment - Non Agenda Items]
NON AGENDA ITEMS OF PUBLIC SECTION COMMENT SECTION TWO DASH FIVE DASH 70 OF THE TOWN CODE LIMITS EACH PERSON TO ONE THREE MINUTE COMMENT.WHEN ADDRESSING COUNSEL, AT THE END OF YOUR THREE MINUTES, YOU'RE ASKED TO CONCLUDE YOUR COMMENTS.
PLEASE MAINTAIN A DECORUM SUITABLE FOR THE MEETING AND REFRAIN FROM USING ANY PROFANE, ABUSIVE, OR OBSCENE LANGUAGE.
IF YOU HAVE ANY MATERIALS YOU'D LIKE TO GIVE TO TOWN COUNSEL, PLEASE GIVE TO THEM THE TOWN CLERK AFTER YOU ARE FINISHED SPEAKING, KIM, DO WE HAVE ANYBODY SIGNED UP TO SPEAK TODAY? YES.
MR. HOAGLAND, HOW DO YOU KNOW THE BUDGET'S? HONEST.
[01:35:01]
I HAVE BEEN ASKED TO SPEAK A PUBLIC COMMENT TO ALL LOCAL MUNICIPALITIES TO SHARE AND EDUCATE HOW ALL ELECTED OFFICIALS CAN REGAIN TOTAL TRUST.FAITH ON HOW TENS OF MILLIONS OF OUR TAX FUNDS ARE APPROVED, SPENT AND GUARDED BY OUR ELECTED OFFICIALS AS TAXPAYERS PROXY ELECTED OFFICIALS ARE SUPPOSED TO PROTECT OUR FUNDS LIKE THEIR OWN FAMILY'S MONEY, BUT IN MANY WAYS THEY HAVE FAILED US.
IN ORDER TO RESTORE TRUST, TRANSPARENCY, STOP THE FINGER POINTING, THE BLAMING, ACCUSING OTHERS.
THERE'S ONLY ONE WAY FORWARD AND IT MAKES NO DIFFERENCE HOW OUR LOCAL GOVERNMENT IS STRUCTURED.
WHETHER IT'S A FULL-TIME MAYOR OR A PART-TIME MAYOR, THEY BOTH TURN FINANCIAL CONTROL OVER TO TOWN MANAGERS, LAWYERS, AND EMPLOYEES WITH NO OVERSIGHT.
THE FIRST COURSE OF ACTION IS A TOWN HIRE, AN INDEPENDENT AUDIT FIRM THAT SPECIALIZES IN DETAILED INDEPENDENT AUDITS ON SMALL TOWN GOVERNMENT TO INCLUDE BUDGETS, YEAR END AUDITS, BANK ACCOUNTS, AND THE SCHOOL DISTRICTS.
SINCE THIS IS THE MOST FUNDS, UH, AND COST, UH, IN OUR BUDGETS, I SUGGEST A QUICK GROUP IN CHARLESTON COM, IT COM, UH, COMPOSED OF FORMER FBI FORENSIC AUDIT EXPERTS.
SINCE WE DO NOT HAVE THAT TALENT LOCALLY, THIS AUDIT WOULD, WOULD HELP CLEAN THE SLATE, STOP THE WASTE WRONGDOING AND ILLEGAL TAX ISSUE AND USE NEXT.
OUR CURRENT FINANCE FINANCE COMMITTEE MADE UP OF COUNCIL MEMBERS WHO ARE NOT CPAS AND LACK FINANCIAL EXPERTISE ARE REPLACED.
OUR FINANCE IS CURRENTLY CONTROLLED BY LOCAL, LOCAL EMPLOYEES WITH BASICALLY NO OVERSIGHT OR UNDERSTANDING MUST END AFTER AN OUTSIDE INDEPENDENT AUDIT.
I, I ASK COUNCIL TO VOTE IN FAVOR OF CREATING A NEW DOGE FINANCE COMMITTEE BASED ON THE SIZE OF THE MUNICIPALITY STAFF WITH THREE TO FIVE LOCAL VOLUNTEER CPAS WITH ONE OR TWO COUNCIL MEMBERS ASSISTING.
THIS TOTAL INDEPENDENT COMMITTEE WILL REPORT TO COUNCIL ONLY AND COMPLETELY CONTROL AND OVERSEE ALL THE FINANCES AND THE BUDGETS, THE AUDITS, LEGAL CONTRACTS, LEGAL FEES, ET CETERA.
COUNSEL MAKES THE FINAL DECISION AND VOTES WHEN NEEDED.
THE TOWN EMPLOYEES SIMPLY PERFORM THEIR JOB AS THEY'RE HIRED TO DO.
UNFORTUNATELY, MANY COUNCILS, EMPLOYEES AND LAWYERS HAVE BEEN CAUGHT VIOLATING LAWS AND TAX ISSUE DUE.
A DOGE FINANCE COMMITTEE WILL END, WILL END THIS AND THE DOGE COMMITTEE WILL SEEK OUTSIDE LEGAL ADVICE WHEN IN-HOUSE LEGAL ADVICE IS QUESTIONED.
ALSO, I STRONGLY ADVISE THIS COUNSEL AND, AND THE DOGE COMMITTEE AND EVERYONE START USING AI FOR MANY OF YOUR LEGAL AND NON-LEGAL QUESTIONS.
THIS SIMPLY, THIS SIMPLE IDEA WILL RESTORE TRUST.
IT'LL END MILLIONS IN WASTE AND IMPROPER USE AND ISSUE OF OUR HURT, OUR HARD EARNED TAX MONEY.
AND THIS WILL END THE FOX WATCHING, WATCHING THE HEN HOUSE.
ANY QUESTIONS? THANK YOU MR. HOAGLAND.
WHY IS IT THAT BEACH PARKING AND THE RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE COMMUNITY SERVICES AND PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE WERE NOT ON YOUR AGENDA TODAY? SUMMER'S HERE, AND I CAN'T NOT UNDERSTAND WHAT THE TOWN COUNCIL WOULD NOT WANT TO FINALIZE THE BEACH PARKING SITUATION.
NOW, AS YOU ALL KNOW, THAT COMMITTEE VOTED TO INCREASE THE HOURLY FEE WITH NO MAX AND TO START CHARGING AT COLIGNY, AS WELL AS A RECOMMENDATION TO DENY A BEACH PARKING PASS FOR ALL BEAUFORT COUNTY RESIDENTS.
THEY TOOK THIS ACTION ON MAY 19TH, WELL ENOUGH IN ADVANCE TO HAVE INCLUDED IT ON TODAY'S AGENDA.
IT SEEMS TO ME THAT THERE'S NO EXCUSE WHY IT WAS NOT ON THE AGENDA.
THE NEW BEACH PARKING POLICY TOOK EFFECT ON MARCH 1ST, BUT LESS THAN 30 DAYS LATER, THE MAYOR INSTRUCTED THE TOWN MANAGER TO REWRITE IT, COME BACK WITH A NEW POLICY TO ALLOW BEACH PARKING PASS FOR ALL BEAUFORT COUNTY RESIDENTS.
I CAN ONLY GUESS WHO PUT THE PRESSURE ON MAYOR.
SO THE ISSUE THEN HAD TO GO BACK TO COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE REJECTED THAT IDEA, TWO NOTHING AND SENT IT BACK TO THE FULL COUNCIL.
BUT APPARENTLY THE MAYOR WANTED TO SAVE FACE AND DECIDED NOT TO PLACE IT ON THE COUNCIL AGENDA.
HE WAS THE ONE WHO RESURRECTED THE ISSUE.
THE ISSUE, THE POLICY TOOK EFFECT MARCH 1ST, AND YET HE INSTRUCTED THE TOWN MANAGER TO GO BACK TO THE DRAWING BOARD BECAUSE HE WANTED A PASS FOR ALL BEAUFORT COUNTY RESIDENTS.
WELL, THE MAYOR, I GUESS, TOOK HIS BALL AND WENT HOME.
HOW WAS THAT DEMOCRATIC, MR. MAYOR? SMALL D OF COURSE.
[01:40:01]
MAYOR, COPIED THE TOWN MANAGER, COPIED MY REPRESENTATIVE, TAMMY BECKER, BECAUSE SHE CHAIRS THAT COMMITTEE, THREE EMAILS, BUT HE CHOSE TO IGNORE THEM SO MUCH FOR TRANSPARENCY.MR. LAND, DO WE HAVE A NEED TO GO
[11. Executive Session]
IN EXECUTIVE SESSION? YES, MAYOR PERRY.ITEMS AS SHOWN ON THE TOWN COUNCIL MEETING.
AGENDA ITEMS 11, A SUBSECTION ONE THROUGH FIVE, AS WELL AS ITEM B, SUBSECTION ONE AND TWO AS SHOWN ON THE AGENDA.
ALL THOSE IN FAVOR SIGNIFY BY RAISING YOUR RIGHT HAND.