Finance committee directs staff to apply for $35,000 to fund countywide visitor‑tracking for ATAX decisions

Beaufort County’s Finance & Administration Committee voted Oct. 20 to direct staff to apply for $35,000 in local accommodations tax (ATAX) funding to contract with a mobile‑data and economic‑impact vendor to track visitors and measure return on investment for ATAX‑funded events.

Rob Wells, introduced to the committee as the presenter on the proposal, described a system that uses mobile geofencing, aggregated spending estimates and travel analytics to measure attendance, dwell time at events, lodging metrics such as average daily rate (ADR), and whether attendees are local or outside the county. Wells said the service can produce raw visitor reports within 24–48 hours and fuller economic indicators within about three weeks, and that historical 2024 data could be used as a baseline if the contract is awarded.

Committee members questioned data privacy and technical limits. Wells said the system avoids placing geofences on “sensitive areas” such as schools, military installations and certain roadways, and that the vendor supplies aggregated, geocode‑based outputs rather than individual tracking. He described data sources as third‑party location aggregators and aggregated credit‑card spend by ZIP code; Wells said the service does not provide identifiable personal information.

Discussion also covered funding and timing. Staff and members noted two potential funding paths: apply to the state 2% ATAX committee (which requires that state committee’s awarding process) or pursue local ATAX or council contingency funds so the contract can begin work while state awards are pending. The committee’s motion directed staff to apply for $35,000 via the local ATAX process. A committee member asked administration to pursue application timing so work could start on an early cycle if awarded. An amendment proposing immediate use of council contingency funds to begin work before grant awards was proposed and then withdrawn; the main motion passed with one objection during roll call.

What happens next: staff will submit a local ATAX application in the January cycle or pursue an alternative funding arrangement as agreed with administration; any awarded contract and final vendor terms will be subject to legal review and future council approval as required.