By the beginning of June each year, the Town of Hilton Head Island has two very important messages we must convey to the public. First, we present the final consolidated budget for the upcoming fiscal year (FY July 1 to June 30); second, we remind the community of the importance of emergency preparedness as we begin another hurricane season.
On May 6, Town Council passed unanimously the proposed FY26 consolidated budget with a 7-0 vote on first reading. Just to state it, that has not happened in the past several years and I think it signals a huge step forward for our island community. The balanced budget totals $174,711,350 million in projected revenues and scheduled expenditures. It spans six major funds and includes a 2-millage (mills) property tax rate reduction, decreasing the rate from 21.4 mills to 19.4 mills. At the time of my writing, I anticipate that the budget will pass its second reading on June 3.
Town Manager Marc Orlando and his team have done a fantastic job in exploring avenues to cut operational costs, save money for rainy days, move our strategic priorities forward, and become even more fiscally responsible. We’re putting shovels in the ground on some big projects, supporting economic growth, and I’m particularly excited about the forthcoming, long-awaited improvements in our land management ordinance. By no means is this an exhaustive list of what we plan to accomplish. I encourage you to take a deep dive into the budget materials on the town’s website because I think you will be pleased with how well it positions us for success now and in the future.
And now, a reminder about staying ready for anything during hurricane season, which began June 1. There is a wealth of great information and connection to resources on the town’s website (hiltonheadislandsc.gov/hurricane) so you can prepare. I’m also happy to share that, if we do get a storm, the town will operate a new, real-time emergency services dashboard on the website, too. It’s intended to help residents understand what roads might be affected or impassable, damage assessments in residential and commercial areas, and where our town staff are working to restore normalcy.
Please don’t wait until the last minute to have an evacuation plan mapped out, your supplies on hand, and a detailed conversation with your loved ones about hurricane emergency preparedness. Your safety remains our priority – always.
