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Town unveils five-year CIP view and project dashboard to clarify project timing and funding
Summary
Hilton Head Island staff presented a revised capital improvement program with a new five-year prioritization and a web-based dashboard to show project locations, phases, budgets and contacts; staff said the changes better align year-by-year funding with project life cycles and permit schedules.
Town staff on March 13 presented a restructured capital improvement program (CIP) for fiscal 2026 that pairs a one-year funding plan with a five-year prioritization, and previewed a new web-based dashboard intended to give the public real-time project status, contact information and phase details.
Town Manager Mark Orlando and Assistant Town Manager Sean Leininger told council the year’s CIP totals about $77.6 million, with the beach renourishment program accounting for roughly $48.8 million and the remainder split among pathways, roadways, parks, facilities, stormwater and other funds.
Why it matters: staff said the change to show lifecycle phases and a five-year view (rather than loading large multi-year projects into a single fiscal year) makes the annual budget more realistic and clarifies which work is design, permitting or construction in each year.
Dashboard and transparency: Leininger demonstrated a map-based dashboard that lists projects, phases, budget, funding source, schedule and the project manager’s contact information. "Once you get down to a project, there is information here," he said, describing searchable filters by category, phase and fiscal year.
Maintenance vs. discretionary: Orlando said the CIP will now distinguish maintenance projects (repair, replacement, routine capital items) from discretionary projects (new parks, new facilities). Finance and council members said that split helps the public and council understand recurring maintenance costs versus new investments.
Planning commission and statutory role: staff noted the planning commission is required by South Carolina code to prioritize capital projects; Leininger said the planning commission provided priorities but the five-year sequencing remains a staff and council decision tied to funding and permitting.
Ending: Council members praised the transparency and the five-year approach and asked staff to include clear definitions of "priority," "maintenance," and "discretionary" on the dashboard before it goes live with the adopted budget.
