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Beaufort County finance committee reviews budget, vendor spending and rising stormwater fees
Summary
The finance committee reviewed monthly budget and transparency reports showing the district at 55.1% spent, highlighted large vendor spending variances (notably Thompson Turner and MBcon), and discussed higher stormwater fees driven by added impervious surfaces and a sheriff’s office–requested fee charged to Hilton Head Middle School.
The Beaufort County Board of Education finance committee on March 16 reviewed monthly budget and transparency reports that showed the district’s board budget at about 55.1% spent and salaries tracking near 66% of plan, the district’s finance lead said.
Miss Crosby, the district’s finance lead, told the committee that audit costs will be minimal for the remainder of the fiscal year and that the budget is “projected to be under budget at this point during the year.” She said salaries remain the largest single category of spending.
The purchasing and contracts specialist presented a transparency executive summary for December 2025 and detailed vendor spending comparisons with 2024. The presenter flagged three contract amendments above $100,000 completed in 2025 (one to Thompson Turner and two to Quackenbush Architects) and year‑over‑year vendor variances: Thompson Turner reported roughly $6,700,000 in December 2025 versus $1,800,000 in December 2024; MBcon reported about $6,800,000 in December 2025 versus $5,300,000 in 2024; and AJAX was shown at $1,300,000 versus $365,000. The presenter said those increases were driven by expanded project scopes, new contracts and milestone‑based payments.
The committee also heard a January summary showing similar patterns: MBcon construction spending had fallen substantially (the presenter cited $554,000 in January 2026 versus $4,380,000 the prior year), while Thompson Turner increased to about $2,280,000 as construction work continued across campuses. Technology and software renewals — including an SHI International Microsoft renewal of roughly $416,000 and new UPS/network purchases from CDW — were noted as drivers of nonconstruction spending.
The committee received a focused review of stormwater fees paid to the Beaufort County Treasurer’s Office. The presenter said the district’s stormwater payments totaled about $303,000 in 2024, $299,000 in 2025, and $322,000 in 2026; she identified a $23,520 increase in January 2026, with $14,630 of that attributable to a sheriff’s office–requested fee charged to Hilton Head Middle School. The purchasing and contracts specialist explained the county calculates the fee based on impervious surface area and that recent building and sidewalk additions had increased the district’s liability for that site.
Board chair Mister Dallas complimented staff for clear presentations and raised a broader question about global financial trends; Miss Crosby said the district will arrange a presentation by the district’s financial advisor, Brian Nurick, to address macroeconomic concerns and answer detailed questions about interest‑rate risk.
No board action was required on the transparency materials; the committee approved routine procedural items — the agenda and the prior meeting minutes — by unanimous voice votes earlier in the session. The meeting adjourned by unanimous consent.
