Hilton Head Island Politics & Civic News

Beaufort County sits inside one of the most layered governmental structures in the region. Residents answer to at least five levels of elected authority simultaneously: the federal government, statewide offices, Beaufort County Council, Hilton Head Island City Council, and school district boards — each a separately elected body covering its own geographic slice of the county. South Carolina is the only state in the nation where the full SC General Assembly elects justices to the SC Supreme Court — not the governor — making Statehouse races consequential even to courtroom outcomes.

Beaufort County Council is chaired by Alice G. Howard and seats 2 members across single-member districts. Alan R. Perry serves as Mayor of Hilton Head Island. Countywide law enforcement runs through Sheriff P.J. Tanner.

Beaufort County Council controls property tax millage, land-use zoning outside city limits, and fee-in-lieu-of-tax agreements. Downtown zoning decisions and the Hilton Head Island Police Department budget run through Hilton Head Island City Council. State funding for schools, roads, and Medicaid flows from the SC General Assembly, which convenes January through May. The Beaufort County Elections and Voter Registration Office administers local balloting under SC Election Commission oversight.

HERE Hilton Head covers Beaufort County Council meetings, Hilton Head Island City Council sessions, SC General Assembly session, federal delegation votes and town halls, school board meetings, and candidate filing windows. We also pull FOIA-sourced travel records and contracts at both the city and county level. If it shapes how Beaufort County is governed, it’s HERE.