Beaufort County ATAX committee recommends about $1.14 million in tourism and cultural grants; legal questions raised over water-rescue funding

The Beaufort County ATAX committee met to review dozens of grant requests from local festivals, museums and cultural groups and recommended approximately $1,141,550 in allocations to send to county council for final approval.

The committee approved awards for a wide range of events and organizations, including a $60,000 recommendation for the Beaufort International Film Society, $50,000 for the Beaufort Oyster Festival, $96,000 (later discussed for reduction) for the Port Royal Sound Foundation’s exhibit work, and several smaller awards for theater, music and cultural programs. Staff compiled a recommended list near the meeting’s end that totaled about $1,141,550 and the committee spent the final portion of the meeting trimming and conditioning several large awards to fit budget and policy concerns.

Chair (Chair) opened the funding portion of the meeting by moving “that we award the same amount as last year, which would be $20,000,” a motion the committee approved by voice vote. Committee members repeatedly returned to the core ATAX rule: dollars should primarily support marketing and visitor-generation activities rather than routine operating costs or capital construction.

Several agenda items prompted detailed eligibility questions. Members examined an application for renovations to Campbell Chapel and asked whether ATAX funds could be used for construction in a building used, at least in part, for religious services. Staff (Staff member) told the committee it could consider the request but that council review would follow if the committee approved: “I don’t have a basis to preclude you as a committee from considering it,” the staff member said, noting legal review could occur after a committee recommendation.

A more contentious exchange involved a $20,000 request from Buford (Beaufort) Water Search and Rescue to purchase a boat. Staff and at least one member said the specific capital purchase raised eligibility concerns. During the discussion a committee member warned that approving the boat “goes against attorney advice,” and another member urged the group to consider alternative eligible expenses such as operational reimbursements that applicants could use and then reallocate internally. Despite the caution, the committee later moved forward with a recommendation that included $20,000 for the water rescue applicant; members noted the concern would be addressed when the package goes to council and that applicants must provide receipts tied to approved, eligible expenses if required.

Committee members also debated payment practices for grantees (half up front versus reimbursement), the proper allocation of marketing versus non-marketing line items (for example online presence versus signage or payroll), and whether prior years’ reimbursements should affect current awards. On the Film Society application, one member said the organization’s submitted budget showed about $10,100 spent on marketing in the prior cycle and pressed staff and applicants for details on payroll and travel line items.

The committee made several conditional changes before finalizing the recommended list. For example, the committee asked some award letters to require off-island activations as a condition of reimbursement for events that primarily benefit an incorporated municipality. In other cases, members reduced amounts for first-time events or made awards marketing-only to ensure compliance with ATAX rules.

What happens next: the committee’s recommendations will be forwarded to Beaufort County council for review and final appropriation. Staff and legal counsel indicated they would flag items of possible ineligibility and provide guidance to council and applicants when the package is transmitted.

Votes at a glance (recommended amounts compiled and read by staff near meeting end): Art Center of Coastal Carolina $20,000; Carolina Bight Sanctuary $36,200; Hilton Head Symphony Orchestra $28,000; Friends of Spanish Moss Trail $20,000; Greater Beaufort/Port Royal CVB $195,000; Long Cove Club $16,500; Pat Conroy Literary Center $12,000; Historic Mitchellville Freedom Park $20,000; Historic Port Royal Foundation $4,000; Black Moses Freedom Festival $12,500; Beaufort Film Society $60,000; Original Gullah Festival of South Carolina $25,000; Penn Center (two entries) $10,000 each; Gullah Traveling Theater $25,000 (amended from request); Hilton Head Choral Society $5,000; Friends of Fort Fremont $30,000; Libraries for Kids International $10,500; Baja/Oyster Festival $50,000; Campbell Chapel Community Development (conditional) $100,000 (committee discussion recommended conditioning to verify public-access components); Sports Council $40,000; Port Royal Sound Foundation (recommended, adjusted in discussion) $76,000; and multiple other awards listed in the committee’s transcribed recommendation totaling about $1,141,550.

Committee members cautioned that the recommended list is subject to council review and to any adjustments required to ensure alignment with ATAX ordinance and state law. The committee will forward its package with staff notes identifying items that may require legal clarification or conditions on disbursement.