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Hilton Head council approves ordinance to let mayor set committee structure, reduces committee size
Summary
The Town Council voted to amend council committee rules to allow two or more standing committees (unnamed), reduce committee membership from four to three with an alternate, and require items vetted in committee to still advance to full council; the measure passed 6–1 on first reading.
The Hilton Head Island Town Council on Tuesday approved on first reading an ordinance change letting the mayor set the number and chairs of standing committees and reducing committee sizes.
Council members voted 6–1 to adopt the amendment on first reading after hours of debate about council workload, staff time and how committee recommendations move to full council.
Council members said the change is intended to give the town flexibility to align committees with the work program that will be adopted as part of the upcoming strategic plan. The ordinance changes remove three named standing committees from code, allow “two or more” standing committees without naming them, and let the mayor appoint committee members, alternates and chairs. It also reduces the standard committee composition from four council members to three council members plus one alternate.
Proponents, including Assistant Town Manager Sean Cohen and several council members, said the change will allow the council to assign work to committees after the strategic plan is finalized rather than repeatedly amending municipal code as priorities change. Critics urged caution, saying the public and council should retain clear committee identities and that committee work should not become a way to bypass full-council scrutiny.
The measure also clarifies how committee actions are handled: items that require full council action will advance to the council agenda regardless of whether the committee approves, disapproves or takes no action. Council members additionally agreed to add an explicit committee option to forward a recommendation to council for approval with conditions. Council members emphasized that committees should be able to request additional information from staff and have that work returned to the committee before a final recommendation, with staff aiming to return the information at the committee’s next meeting when feasible.
The council will return the ordinance for final action after the standard public-notice and drafting steps; staff said the resolution to name committees and assign work will follow adoption of the strategic plan. The vote on first reading was 6 in favor, 1 opposed.
