How will Hilton Head’s Town Council wards change during redistricting? Here’s a look
A Hilton Head Island committee has endorsed a redistricting map for the island’s six Town Council wards that shifts hundreds of residents into Wards 4 and 5, where they will have different representatives.
The full council is expected to approve the map in the coming weeks.
The council’s finance committee endorsed the proposed map in a 4-0 vote last week.
Matthew Carey, the town’s geographic information system administrator, said there will be several major changes to Hilton Head’s ward boundaries under the new map:
The Forest Beach area, including properties along North Forest Beach Drive and South Forest Beach Drive, will be moved from Wards 4 and 5 into Ward 3 (almost 1,200 people).
The majority of Point Comfort will be moved from Ward 3 into Ward 5, which covers Sea Pines (about 1,120 people).
Properties wedged between Spanish Wells Road and the Cross Island Parkway, including in Jarvis Creek Club, will be moved from Ward 1 into Ward 4 (just over 410 people).
The Folly Field neighborhood will be moved from Ward 6 into Ward 4 (almost 370 people).
The Hickory Forest Beach and Dolphin Head areas of Hilton Head Plantation will be moved from Ward 2 into Ward 6 (about 560 people).
The government hopes to have the Town Council vote on the 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.
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 town in recent weeks has held several public meetings for residents to suggest modifications to the wards and also has allowed Town Council members to recommend adjustments.
By the numbers
Frank Rainwater, executive director of the S.C. Revenue and 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, Rainwater said hundreds of residents have to be shifted into Wards 4 and 5, which are represented by Tamara Becker and Tom Lennox, respectively.
The redistricting map that the Town Council’s finance committee endorsed last week does that: Ward 4 gains 787 people; Ward 5 gains 463 people; Ward 6 gains 53 people; Ward 1 loses 491 people; Ward 2 loses 420 people; and Ward 3 loses 392 people, town records show.
Ward 4 currently covers Indigo Run, Palmetto Dunes, Coligny, Shelter Cove and Singleton Beach, among other places. Ward 5 currently covers Sea Pines and the Cordillo Parkway area west of Pope Avenue.
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.
This story was originally published March 7, 2022 at 11:45 AM.
