Hilton Head officials hope to pass 25-year tax to pump $65M into these projects
A “Central Park” on Hilton Head Island? A more robust arts center? A bigger presence for historic Mitchelville?
All of this by extending the Hurricane Matthew property tax assessment?
Officials on Hilton Head Island are hammering out which projects could be completed with a 25-year tax that would raise $65 million if approved by voters this May. The Town Council wants the money, which would take the place of the special hurricane assessment Hilton Head taxpayers approved in 2016, to be used for parks, recreation and arts organizations.
State law allowed the Town of Hilton Head Island to assess a special tax of 5 mils — about $20 per $100,000 of home market value — after the storm so the government could recover and prepare. The tax has raised $13.5 million to replenish hurricane funds since it was implemented three years ago.
Now, that tax is set to expire in two years, and Town Manager Steve Riley said he and Mayor John McCann have discussed extending the tax to complete projects in the town’s parks and recreation system in the next three to five years.
“You’re not going to lower taxes” as expected, Riley said. “But you’re not going to raise them.”
Where would the money go?
In a presentation to town council Tuesday, Riley said the money from a successful referendum would be split into two sections:
- Arts and Culture: $35 million would be divvied up three ways, he said: $25 million would go to capital improvements at the Arts Center of Coastal Carolina, another $5 million would go to projects at the Coastal Discovery Museum, and $5 million would go to expanding Mitchelville Freedom Park.
- Parks and Recreation: The remaining $30 million would also be split among three different areas. Chaplin park, Crossings park and a now-empty plot of land near Port Royal Plantation, which was previously used as Planter’s Row golf course, would get major updates to their facilities. Those could include new fields and buildings.
Riley said the two sections would be separate ballot questions for voters to decide.
The suggestions come from a parks and recreation master plan that’s been in the works since August and the venue committee, which has worked in years past to locate arts venues.
“This is a terrifically exciting idea,” council member Glenn Stanford told Riley. “You have focused on some of the true gems of this island, but some of those gems are tarnished at the moment. The Coastal Discovery Museum needs more (money) because it has such a draw. Mitchelville is a major cultural icon that we must develop.”
When would Hilton Head vote?
Riley said he wants the two questions put to a vote in a special election on May 5, rather than adding them to the massive November ballot that will list local, state and federal candidates.
“We’re concerned about getting lost in the shuffle,” he said.
But that timing concerned some members of council.
Council member Tamara Becker said she’d support funding for parks and arts, but “when you’re going out and asking people to commit themselves to a tax they thought was going to go away, and you’re doing it in such a short window, it may be short-sighted.”
Council member David Ames said he didn’t want to waste the opportunity by rushing the issue though.
“This is extraordinarily important to the community, and I don’t want to see it fail,” Ames said. “We need to have an affirmation that the amount of time we have available is adequate.”
Although the timeline is tight, Riley said, the council will hold two public meetings to formalize the ballot questions before submitting a formal notice of election.
Editor’s Note: An earlier version of this story misidentified what the referendum funds would be used for at the Arts Center. The money, if approved in 2021, would be used for capital improvements to the buildings.
This story was originally published January 8, 2020 at 4:30 AM.
