Hilton Head has a draft redistricting map for Town Council wards. Here’s what might change
The town of Hilton Head Island is hosting several public forums beginning Thursday for residents to weigh in on a preliminary redistricting map for the island’s six Town Council wards.
Hilton Head’s population increased by only 1.5% between 2010 and 2020, so the tweaks to the Town Council ward boundaries will not be as significant as the now-approved changes to Beaufort County’s 11 political districts.
The island’s redistricting process, though, is still likely to affect hundreds of people who will be shifted into Wards 4 and 5.
Town officials initially expected the S.C. Revenue and Fiscal Affairs Office to draft a “baseline” map for the town, which staff could then present to residents for feedback in January.
But Josh Gruber, deputy town manager, said the fiscal affairs office recently told Hilton Head that the earliest it could start drafting a new ward map was at some point in February. The office is busy working with counties on the redistricting process, Gruber said in a Monday phone call.
The town, Gruber said, decided to immediately have its geographic information system staff create a preliminary redistricting map so residents could start to weigh in on the process. (If the fiscal affairs office provides a baseline map to the town sometime this month, that map could become an alternate for residents to consider, Gruber said.)
The government hopes to have the full Town Council vote on a recommended redistricting map on March 15 (first reading) and then April 5 (second reading).
Hilton Head must finish the redrawing of its wards before July 31, when the open filing period begins for the November 2022 general election.
The town must redraw its wards to more closely match the 2020 population numbers released by the U.S. Census Bureau last year.
The town’s preliminary redistricting map can be found online: bit.ly/RedistrictingHHI
The upcoming public forums will be held on:
Thursday at 4 p.m. at the Hilton Head PSD Community Room, 21 Oak Park Drive
Feb. 14 at 1 p.m. at the Hilton Head Branch Library, 11 Beach City Road
Feb. 16 at 10 a.m. at Town Hall, 1 Town Center Court
Feb. 22 at 2 p.m. at the Island Recreation Center, 20 Wilborn Road
What is a preliminary map?
Frank Rainwater, executive director of the fiscal affairs office, previously told the Town Council that based on Hilton Head’s 2020 population of 37,661 people, the ideal number of residents per ward is now 6,277 instead of 6,183.
To meet that threshold, hundreds of residents likely have to be shifted into Wards 4 and 5, which are represented by Tamara Becker and Tom Lennox, respectively, Rainwater said.
The town staff’s map — which is just a “starting point for discussions,” Gruber stressed — essentially does just that.
Ward 1 loses about 630 residents; Ward 2 loses roughly 360 residents; Ward 3 loses just under 240 residents; and Ward 6 loses only three residents.
Ward 4, meanwhile, gains about 700 residents. Ward 5 gains roughly 530 residents.
Ward 4 currently covers Indigo Run, Palmetto Dunes, Coligny, Shelter Cove and Singleton Beach, among other places. Ward 5 covers Sea Pines and the Cordillo Parkway area, among other spots.
Ward 1, which is represented by Alex Brown, contains historic neighborhoods such as Squire Pope and Stoney. Ward 2 is represented by Bill Harkins and covers a portion of Hilton Head Plantation and Chinaberry Ridge. Ward 3, which is represented by David Ames, includes communities like Shipyard, Wexford, Long Cove Club and Yacht Cove. Ward 6 is represented by Glenn Stanford and includes Port Royal, Palmetto Hall and a chunk of Hilton Head Plantation.
Some of the ward boundary shifts in the town’s preliminary plan include the North Forest Beach Drive area moving into Ward 5 from Ward 4; a part of the Marshland Road area moving into Ward 4 from Ward 1; and more of the Folly Field Road area moving into Ward 4 from Ward 6.
This story was originally published February 2, 2022 at 2:37 PM.
