News Release

Town Council Actions - January 14, 2025

Town receives notice of clean financial audit, Mayor makes committee assignments, and members approve accommodations tax grant recipients

January 16, 2025

Hilton Head Island Town Council held their regularly scheduled meeting on January 14, 2025. The following offers a summary of discussion and actions taken by the Council.

Hilton Head Island dubbed "top tier" with clean financial audit

Trey Scott, representing independent auditors Mauldin & Jenkins, CPAs, presented the FY2024 Annual Comprehensive Financial Audit Report.

The Town received a clean, unmodified opinion with the following notes:

• The Town goes "above and beyond required reporting" and several awards the Town has received annually for excellence in financial reporting from the Government Finance Officers Association demonstrate this strength.
• The Town has a strong cash position, with revenues exceeding operating expenses and a healthy general fund with a net increase in fund balance since the previous audit and a solid liquid ratio of 3.2:1.
• The Town is doing an excellent job in paying down its debt.
• The audit found only one finding, which was related to a clerical/reporting issue, and had no bottom-line impact.

When asked about the overall financial health of the Town when compared to other municipalities, Scott indicated that the Town’s reinvestment of revenues, strong cash position, mature assets, and mix of new and older assets were strong indications of excellent financial health, placing the Town in the "top tier" of the more than 700 municipalities that his firm serves.

Committee Appointments

Mayor Alan Perry appointed Town Council members to the following committees:

Community Services and Public Safety Committee

Tamara Becker - Chairwoman (Ward 4)

Steve Alfred (Ward 5)

Steve DeSimone (Ward 3)

Finance and Administrative Committee

Alex Brown - Chairman (Ward 1)

Patsy Brison (Ward 2)

Melinda Tunner (Ward 6)

Town Council Actions

Members reviewed the Accommodations Tax Advisory Committee's recommendations for grant funding of more than 40 applicant organizations. Multiple council members expressed a desire for updated application criteria in the next cycle of grant funding. The discussion resulted in council members approving multiple motions resulting in all applicants receiving some level of funding.

Town Council also voted to approve:

• A sponsorship agreement with the Heritage Classic Foundation to support the 2025 RBC Heritage Golf Tournament. A recent study determined the event generates approximately $135 million in economic impact annually.
• Chair and umbrella beach rental locations proposed by Shore Beach Services for 2025 Beach Season.
• The Town Council 2025 Workshop Schedule with slight modifications:

• William Hilton Parkway Bridge Corridor Workshop - rescheduled from January 28 to January 27
• Strategic Action Plan Workshop dates - February 26 and 27

Regarding consideration of an ordinance granting easements to the South Island Public Service District for infrastructure upgrade of a water pipeline on Dunnegan's Alley Road, Council directed Town staff to bring forth more detail related to the tree mitigation plan for a second reading.

Town Council Member General Reports

Councilwoman Patsy Brison commended Hilton Head Island Fire Rescue team member and emergency manager Tom Dunn and Christ Lutheran Church for their implementation of a warming shelter during the recent freezing temperatures. Brison also recognized the Sea Turtle Patrol for their work to help cold-stunned sea turtles as temperatures plummeted in the past couple of weeks.

Mayor Alan Perry noted his upcoming appointment to the Beach Advocates board of directors. He also asked that Council and the public to keep the millions of individuals suffering from recent storm and fire activity throughout the U.S. in their thoughts and prayers. He noted that these catastrophic events serve as a reminder of the importance of the island’s resiliency, and that Council and Town staff continue to bolster planning and preventative efforts to mitigate the impact of natural disasters on Hilton Head Island.

Town Manager Report

Town Manager Marc Orlando highlighted the upcoming district planning meeting schedule beginning January 16 and concluding at the end of February. He outlined efforts made to date to alert the public of these opportunities and underscored the desire to have as much input from the public as possible at these meetings, including input from members of the Town’s planning commission.

In sharing some recent wins, Orlando noted the Jonesville neighborhood area clean-up and litter sweep planned for January 18, the new art on display in Town Hall thanks to the Office of Cultural Affairs, and commended the Town’s information technology team for the recent improvements to the Town’s network, which included converting the network from ethernet to fiber to improve connectivity, redundancy, and saving about $85,000 in the process.

Finally, he addressed the status of the Town's land management ordinance (LMO) in light of the Town Council workshop held late in 2024, noting items that would be addressed in the first two quarters of 2025 such as short-term rentals, construction noise, and specific code amendments related to development on the island. LMO revision recommendations will be presented to various stakeholder groups for feedback in the immediate future, with first and second readings of the proposed changes slated for Council’s review in the spring.