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Beaufort County ATAX panel approves multiple grants, updates application rules
Summary
Beaufort County's Accommodation Tax Advisory Committee on Aug. 20 approved grants including $80,000 for the Historic Bluffton Art & Seafood Festival and discussed changes to application rules and scoring to prioritize tourism draw and clarify museum eligibility.
The Beaufort County Accommodation Tax Advisory Committee voted on Aug. 20 to award multiple tourism-related grants and to forward several application and scoring changes to town council for consideration.
Natalie, the committee's finance staff, summarized the fiscal closeout for 2024 and said, "The available for state ATAX, for distribution is $595,051." Committee members then handled leadership elections, approved minutes and voted on individual grant recommendations. Mary, the festival organizer, described plans for a 20th‑anniversary Historic Bluffton Art & Seafood Festival; the committee approved the festival request in a motion that passed by voice vote.
The panel also discussed a package of application reforms intended to tighten eligibility and measurement of tourism draw. Committee members agreed to require a standard budget template, mandatory pre-application meetings for new events and a clear tagline requirement for paid advertising, specifying use of the "Heart of the Lowcountry" logo or an approved hashtag. On reporting, staff reiterated that award recipients must submit final reports within 30 days of the project period or event date.
The committee agreed to forward the recommendations and revised scoring options to Bluffton town council for final action.
