Highlights and Actions: Beaufort County Council Caucus and Council Meetings, August 10

Monday, August 17, 2026 2:13 PM

The Beaufort County Council met Monday, August 10. Below are some agenda highlights from each meeting.

County Council Caucus

There were several matters arising from County Council Caucus Executive Session. All Caucus votes passed.

Motion that Council authorize the Administrator to execute all legal documents to waive any potential conflicts of interest the HSB Law Firm may have in the representation of Beaufort County and the Beaufort County Treasurer's Office as it relates to Beaufort County's various banking contracts to include the PayStar contract and HSB's relationship in representing Wells Fargo Banking
Motion that Council authorize the County attorney to negotiate a settlement agreement in the case of Carroll v. Beaufort County and Beaufort County Zoning Board of Appeals in accordance with the terms as discussed in Executive Session and for the Administrator to, or his designee to, execute all relevant necessary documents to effectuate settlement in the case
Motion that Council authorize the Beaufort County Treasurer to award the Treasurer Department employees the 3% salary increase in FY27 as requested by the Treasurer, which will be considered to be a 1% COLA and a 2% Merit Increase. And that the 2% merit increase be authorized effective for July '26, r, that no additional merit increase be approved by the Treasurer without the consent of Council

Watch County Council Caucus here.

County Council Regular Session

A proclamation was presented recognizing the 500th Anniversary of Santa Elena. Watch the presentation here.

Santa Elena Proclamation

Beaufort County Council Chair Alice Howard and Christopher Allen of the Beaufort County Historical Society

Agenda Item Highlights

Council Updates Their Meeting Calendar

Due to early voting activities, the originally approved location for the October 26 Council meeting at the Bluffton Library is no longer available. The meeting will be relocated to Council Chambers, located at 100 Ribaut Rd, Beaufort (map). Check out the full calendar of meetings and events anytime here.

Council Appropriates Funds for Station 34 Joint EMS/Fire Station

In 2017, County Council authorized the issuance and sale of $35,000,000 in general obligation bonds. The rehabilitation of Station 34 was originally funded through bond funds, but the ultimate cost of the Station 34 Joint Fire/EMS project was higher than anticipated. There are approximately $2.35MM in unspent and unappropriated proceeds and interest within the 2017 GO Bond Fund available to fund the project overages. This vote appropriates $260,000 to the Station 34 Joint Fire/EMS project.
Click here for more information, or watch the item here.

FY27 Carry Forwards are Approved

Carry forwards are a measure to keep projects actively moving forward according to the funding previously approved by County Council. This allows the remaining open purchase orders and the funds from those purchase orders to carry forward into Fiscal Year 2027, and it increases the Fiscal Year 2027 budget by $35,973,634.66.
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Remaining American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Funds Reallocated

As the deadline set by the US Treasury regarding ARPA expenditures approaches, several allocations to projects have funds remaining and some projects have no expenditures. In order to meet the 12/31/26 expenditure deadline set by the US Treasury, funds will be reallocated to the Airport Investment Project.
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Council Supports Military Infrastructure Resilience and All Hazards Decision Support Program

This project will provide military and civilian decision-makers with an integrated decision-support environment capable of identifying infrastructure dependencies, modeling interdependencies, evaluating supply chain vulnerabilities, assessing cyber resilience, conducting predictive risk analyses, and supporting operational planning before, during, and after natural or human-caused disasters
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Council Creates Ad Hoc Committee for Animal Services

County Council approved a Resolution to establish a joint ad hoc committee, which would include four members from Beaufort County and three from Jasper County. The goal of the committee is to further strengthen the two counties' animal services partnership.
Click here for more information. or watch the item here.

Parks and Recreation Fee Schedule Updated

The parks and recreation fee schedule was adopted by Council in October of 2012. In recent years, increased participation levels, shifting community interests, and expanded programming has created a need to reevaluate the current fee schedule in order to support high-quality recreational opportunities and allow the department to meet the evolving needs of the community.
Click here for more information or watch the item here.

Administrator's Report

County Administrator Michael Moore provided an update on the information campaign for the upcoming Sales Tax Referendum. He also recognized several County employees for their service in his report.

Grace Cordial, recognized by County Administrator Moore for her retirement after 27 years of service.

Sergeant Cornillus Lavan, recognized for 15 years of service.

Felicia Jenkins, recognized for 20 years of service.

Eric Warren, recognized for 20 years of service.

Alvina Avery, recognized for 25 years of service.

Pam Baxley, recognized for 25 years of service.

Sergeant Jefferey Merrill, recognized for 30 years of service.

Note: this is a selection of items from the Council Committee Meeting Agendas. To watch the meeting in its entirety, download the agenda and packet, view minutes and more, please visit www.beaufortcountysc.gov.

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Looking for more details or a specific item not covered in this release? Check out BCTV for full meeting recordings, agendas, and other details! BCTV can be found on cable channels Comcast - channel 2; Sparklight- channel 9 and 113; Spectrum - channel 1304. BCTV also streams live on ROKU and Amazon Fire.