Hilton Head’s new town manager is getting a $40,000 pay bump. But there’s more
Former Bluffton Town Manager Marc Orlando will start his job as Hilton Head town manager on Feb. 22.
He’s walking in with a two-year agreement at $200,000 per year, according to his contract, obtained by The Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette newspapers. The contract, signed by Orlando and Hilton Head’s Town Council on Jan. 14, will automatically renew for one year at a time unless terminated by town leaders, as is customary.
Orlando, 49, will be responsible for overseeing town staff, managing the council’s priorities and the town’s finances for the island of 40,000 full-time residents and, in a typical year, 2.67 million visitors.
On his plate will be the looming U.S. 278 corridor project, a near-desperate need for affordable workforce housing, a paid beach parking program and Hilton Head’s all-important focus on nature and environmentalism.
His approach to those issues will likely have to be different from his work in the fast-growing Town of Bluffton, home to just under 21,000 residents but where the population has grown 95% since 2010.
Orlando is also coming to the job through what some residents called a “back channel.” He was not named as a finalist in a national search for candidates last fall, but sent his interest in the job to Town Council members and Mayor John McCann after the town called off the search and promised to take up the process again in January.
The town extended an offer to Orlando on Dec. 30, the day before outgoing Town Manager Steve Riley retired.
Here are some things to know about the new town manager and his contract:
He’s getting a $40K raise
Orlando’s contract calls for a $200,000 yearly salary.
In Bluffton, he was being paid $161,969 per year, according to town public information officer Debbie Szpanka.
He’ll have a much larger staff with different departments to oversee on Hilton Head — where there are 245 full-time employees and the town oversees the Fire and Rescue department.
In Bluffton, there were 131 full-time employees. As town manager, Orlando oversaw the Bluffton Police Department, but did not oversee the Bluffton Township Fire Department.
The Town of Hilton Head does not have its own parks and recreation department or police department.
He’ll get $10K in moving expenses
Orlando’s contract requires that Orlando move inside the town limits within 10 months of starting the job.
It includes $10,000 in moving expenses to make the move across the bridge from his home in Lake Linden.
He’ll get multiple stipends
Orlando’s contract also includes a $850 monthly car allowance for use on the job. It also includes a Palmetto Pass for use on the island’s toll road, the Cross Island Parkway.
The town will also pay his monthly cell phone and internet bills, the contract says.
He’ll get his feet wet next week
Orlando is expected to attend the Town Council workshop Jan. 28 and Jan. 29 at the The Westin Hilton Head Island Resort & Spa.
The workshop is not open to the public due to the coronavirus, but it will be broadcast online, and an Island Packet reporter will attend.
As for his goals as the incoming town manager, Orlando hasn’t said publicly. He has not returned eight calls and one text message since he was awarded the contract on Dec. 30.
He’s worked with the town before
Orlando previously worked as a senior planner with the Town of Hilton Head but has worked with the Town of Bluffton since 2014.
He has served as Bluffton’s town manager since September 2014. He was a finalist for the role of Beaufort County administrator in 2019.
This story was originally published January 20, 2021 at 1:33 PM.
