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Palmetto Breeze urges Hilton Head to consider dedicated transit funding as local ask grows
Summary
Palmetto Breeze updated the committee on fleet and service improvements, asked the town for increased FY2027 support (updated ask stated as $433,201), and pressed for long‑term, dedicated funding sources as federal/state grants and local matches prove insufficient.
Mary Lou, representing Palmetto Breeze, told the Town of Hilton Head Island Finance & Administrative Committee on March 9 that the regional transit authority recently acquired four slightly used MCI coaches from the Federal Transit Administration and the South Carolina Department of Transportation and plans to put them into commuter service.
"They went out of business and they had buses that were funded the same way we're funded," Mary Lou said, explaining the donation and the value of replacing very old vehicles. She said the buses should last another 10 to 15 years and will allow Palmetto Breeze to sell older, high‑mileage units.
Palmetto Breeze provided route and ridership context for Hilton Head Island: commuter routes bring workers from Bluffton and other counties, the Breeze Trolley runs fare‑free to reduce congestion seasonally, and the system plays an emergency evacuation role by staging buses for shelters and lending vehicles to the fire department.
On funding, Mary Lou said local matching support remains critical but unsustainable at current levels as operating costs rise. She asked the town to consider a revised local contribution and to work with regional partners on longer‑term solutions such as sales‑tax initiatives or a dedicated millage, noting that South Carolina's state transit allocation has not grown to match the number of systems drawing from it.
Committee members responded with interest in regional advocacy. Council members suggested staff prepare talking points for outreach to state legislators and to the local delegation; one councilmember said she had already discussed the issue with Senator Tom Davis and encouraged Palmetto Breeze to follow up.
Next steps
Palmetto Breeze asked for an updated local contribution (the presenter stated a revised Hilton Head request of $433,201 during the meeting and staff agreed to capture and confirm the figure). The committee asked staff to record the revised amount and to include the transit request when forwarding FY2027 affiliated‑agency funding recommendations to council.
