Beaufort County establishes transportation advisory committee to study possible 2026 sales-tax referendum

Beaufort County officials voted unanimously to establish an 11-member transportation advisory committee charged with developing recommendations for a possible 2026 transportation sales tax referendum.

The county announced in a BCTV news bulletin that Resolution 2025/70 was adopted unanimously to form the community-led committee, which will identify potential projects, produce a prioritized project list and determine both the amount and the duration of any proposed sales tax collection period. The bulletin said the measure responds to "unprecedented population growth and increased pressure" affecting residents across the county.

The committee will include representatives from each of the county's 11 council districts and one representative from each of the county's four municipalities: the City of Beaufort; the Town of Port Royal; the Town of Bluffton; and the Town of Hilton Head Island. The announcement did not specify a timetable for the committee's recommendations or any vote counts from the board meeting that approved the resolution.

The county said the transportation sales tax, if advanced by the committee and approved by voters, would fund transportation and infrastructure improvements across Beaufort County. A full press release is available at beaufortcountysc.gov/news.

The creation of the committee is the immediate next step; the bulletin said the group will develop recommendations that could inform whether the county proceeds with a 2026 referendum.