Enhancing Transparency for Town Government

Transparency in government is one of the most important qualities I believe in when it comes to public accountability of elected officials. When I ran for mayor of Hilton Head Island, I advocated for ways to make sure our actions as elected officials were readily accessible to the public. My goal was not to open us up to public scrutiny, but to demonstrate our commitment to serving our community effectively and transparently. Providing clear, concise information on actions we take, including where each of us land on a vote, is essential to maintaining the trust placed in us by our constituents. I am excited to share that Town Council was able to accomplish this goal with the support of the town staff.

Councilmembers discuss many issues at length before we take a vote. It is imperative that we do because our votes provide direction to town staff on strategic actions related to our parks, land acquisition and use, budgets, community planning, workforce housing, zoning, capital improvement projects, pathway improvements, beach management, and many other activities. Our decisions affect your quality of life, so we want you to know immediately where we stand on matters that are important to you.

Beginning with our January 2023 meetings, summary information for actions taken by the Town Council at its meetings has been added to the Agendas, Minutes, and Video page of the town’s website at hiltonheadislandsc.gov. Within 24 hours of each meeting where the action is taken, an action summary will be created and published. The report will provide information about: 

• The agenda item language or motion
• Who made the motion to act
• Who seconded the motion
• The outcome of the vote
• How each council member voted

The dates, times, and agendas for our Town Council or committee meetings are posted in advance to our website. The agenda provides an overview of what will be considered for action. The agenda packet provides detailed minutes of previous meetings including our vote. The action summary report will not replace the detailed minutes, which also provides a level of transparency. Instead, the summaries of our actions put information in your hands more readily.

If you tend to follow or would like to follow the actions of your councilmember or Town Council overall on issues that matter to you, I encourage you to check out the action summaries on the Agendas, Minutes, and Video page or on the individual committee and agenda pages at hiltonheadislandsc.gov.