Keep Beaufort County Beautiful approves outreach purchases and sends two members to Palmetto Pride conference

Keep Beaufort County Beautiful authorized several immediate procurements for outreach and approved attendance by two members at an upcoming conference.

The board voted to buy 1,000 hand fans ($330), 500 children’s reusable straw kits ($650) and 1,000 reusable straws ($1,850) to restock materials used at recent events such as the Water Festival. Pam Floyd moved the procurement motions; a member seconded each motion and the board approved them by voice vote.

On conferences, the board debated how many members to send and the broader conference budget line. The board then moved and approved a motion to allow two members to attend the Palmetto Pride conference in Myrtle Beach in September; the motion passed by voice vote. Pam Floyd made the motion to approve attendance and Jean Frew seconded it.

Finance context: presenters said FY25 spending totaled $12,910 with $37,090 left unspent; the board previewed a draft FY26 allocation tied to an anticipated $50,000 allotment but did not finalize the full budget. Board members discussed prioritizing ground expenditures over conference travel but also noted networking and past conference contacts led to useful partnerships and resources.

The board asked committees to complete procurement request forms and to coordinate purchases with county procurement staff so items comply with procurement rules (three quotes required for purchases above $5,000).

The meeting closed with staff reminders about procurement oversight and next steps to finalize outreach purchases and conference logistics.