Beaufort County advisory committee elects leadership, adopts county rules and schedules hearings ahead of possible sales-tax referendum
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Summary
A 15-member advisory committee convened Feb. 4, elected Lisa Solca as chair, Glenn Stanford as vice chair and Joy Coe as secretary, adopted the county''s parliamentary rules, and set a work schedule aimed at producing a project list and referendum recommendation by May for council review.
Beaufort County's new 15-member advisory committee on a local-option transportation sales tax elected leadership, adopted county parliamentary rules and set a meeting timetable as it began work on drafting a prioritized list of projects and funding duration to present to County Council.
The committee elected Lisa Solca as chair after nominations and a raise-of-hands vote; one opposed vote was recorded. Glenn Stanford was elected vice chair unanimously, and Joy Coe was chosen as secretary. "I run tight meetings, but timely meetings, and I make sure everyone's heard," Solca said after the vote.
County staff outlined the committee's charge under a county resolution and said staff will provide background studies, cost estimates and help post meeting materials. The committee adopted the county's parliamentary approach — the South Carolina Association of Counties rules, with Robert's Rules as a fallback — by unanimous vote.
Members agreed to a meeting cadence intended to finish committee deliberations within roughly 90 days. The group set its next working meeting for Feb. 18, 1–3 p.m., and staff said meetings will be recorded and Zoom accommodations can be arranged for members who cannot attend in person. Committee members were asked to RSVP so staff can confirm quorums ahead of meetings.
The chair and staff emphasized transparency and FOIA compliance, warning members not to use serial email exchanges that would constitute an unposted meeting. Committee business requiring public notice and any executive session would follow the statutory requirements spelled out in the staff materials.
The committee's immediate tasks include reviewing project lists and studies compiled by county staff and on-call engineers, narrowing priorities into the categories directed by council (widening, safety/intersection improvements, resurfacing, and dirt-road paving), and returning a recommendation to County Council in May so ordinances and public hearings can be scheduled for a potential November referendum filing deadline.
The meeting adjourned after scheduling and brief additional comments from the administrator.
