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Beaufort County ATAX committee holds applicant workshop on 2% state accommodation tax
Summary
Beaufort County's ATAX committee ran an applicant workshop explaining eligibility, documentation and scoring for 2% state accommodation-tax grants, stressing visitor-count methods, a required marketing plan, prior-award disclosures and an application window open through Sept. 23 (date noted in transcript).
**** Stewart, a member of the Beaufort County ATAX committee, led an applicant workshop explaining how organizations should apply for the 2% state accommodation tax and what the committee will consider when awarding funds.
The workshop reviewed eligibility, required documentation, how the committee measures tourism impact and the review timeline. Stewart emphasized the program is competitive and that the committee evaluates applications for their likely economic benefit to Beaufort County rather than simply local interest.
Stewart told attendees the state created legislation authorizing local governments to collect a 2% accommodation tax on short-term accommodations and that "we've exceeded that in Beaufort County. We're subject to those regulations," meaning the county must spend the funds according to state law and county ordinance. He noted the committee's role is to allocate the portion of collections governed by that state statute and county policy.
A key requirement applicants must document is how they will measure tourism impact. "A tourist is defined by the state as someone who lives more than 50 miles away from where you're doing this," Stewart said, and he urged applicants to describe the method used to determine the number of tourists (for example, surveys, DMO data or geofencing). The committee warned against double-counting multi-day attendees and said applications that do not explain their measurement method risk being disqualified.
Applicants must also supply a complete budget showing both revenues and expenses, the organization's 12-month accounting period, and any prior ATAX awards. Stewart said prior performance matters: funds returned or unspent from earlier awards affect how the committee evaluates new applications. He told attendees the committee will ask whether applicants applied for other funding (local 3% ATAX, hospitality tax funds, municipal grants or private funds) and what amounts, because that context affects the county's assessment of need.
The committee is seeking a detailed marketing plan showing how the event or facility will attract overnight stays or otherwise increase economic benefit. Stewart named the two designated marketing organizations that can help applicants: the Beaufort Regional Chamber of Commerce (for the unincorporated area north of the Broad River) and the Hilton Head Bluffton Chamber (for the unincorporated area south of the Broad River). He said some DMOs can help with ad buys, measurement and visitor-count methods.
Stewart described a draft scoring rubric the committee is considering (0'to'5 points for thoroughness of proposal and management capability) and said each application will get a lead reviewer from the committee who will summarize and present it at an interview (typically five to seven minutes). The committee may perform online checks and occasional site visits to verify claims about facility hours, amenities and operations.
On process and timing, staff said the presentation date is posted on the county website (noted in the meeting as Sept. 25), Stewart said the application period "opens today" and "closes on September 23," and he outlined that the ATAX committee will make recommendations to the County Council's finance committee; if approved, the full council then authorizes allocations. Stewart described standard payment terms: awardees typically receive 50% up front and the remainder after providing receipts and documentation.
Stewart also read allowed categories of tourism-related expenditures (advertising and promotion, arts and cultural promotion, construction and maintenance of visitor facilities, visitor centers, shuttles/transportation, erosion control and certain public facilities) and warned that the state's Tourism Expenditure Review Committee (TURC) reviews such spending and can require returns if funds are used improperly.
The workshop included applicant questions about whether small facilities or items that "enhance" tourism (for example, a mobile potable-water "quench buggy") qualify; Stewart said the committee will consider such projects but will favor proposals that demonstrate measurable economic benefit, especially attracting overnight stays. He encouraged applicants to be candid about what they will do, to provide realistic visitor and financial data, and to consult the appropriate DMOs for technical assistance.
Next steps recorded in the workshop: the grant application period (noted in the transcript) is open through Sept. 23, presentations are scheduled (staff noted Sept. 25 in the meeting), and awards are likely to be processed after the committee's recommendation, finance committee review and full council approval (noted as likely in early January).
