Beaufort County ATAX committee hears pitches for airport, arts, trails and cultural events; decisions deferred

The Beaufort County 2% accommodations-tax committee heard presentations from more than a dozen tourism and cultural organizations on Tuesday, but committee members did not take funding votes and instead directed staff to schedule a follow-up meeting for deliberations.

Committee members and staff heard requests from applicants including Hilton Head Island Airport, the Arts Center of Coastal Carolina, Friends of the Spanish Moss Trail, the Port Royal Sound Foundation, the Beaufort History Museum, Historic Mitchelville Freedom Park and the Gullah Traveling Theater. Presenters sought money for marketing, dock repairs, festivals and public programming; several specified dollar amounts while others requested funding without an exact figure.

Committee staff told applicants at the start of the meeting that, because of a technicality in organizing the session, members would only listen to applications and take questions at this meeting. "We're gonna ask that you only listen to the applications today," a county staff member said. The committee postponed debate and any recommendations "to a subsequent meeting," staff added.

Most high-profile requests included Hilton Head Island…