By Lolita Huckaby
State grand jury wants look at P-cards, etc.
BEAUFORT
It’s about time.
Word came last week in The Island Packet that a state grand jury also wants to take a look at the county’s financial records dealing with purchases during the administration of former County Administrator Eric Greenway.
The subpoena was reportedly issued last Wednesday, two days after the Beaufort County Council voted unanimously to partially release the financial audit done by an independent law firm.
The Council took action after months of closed-door discussions and finally complaints from Sheriff P.J. Tanner that the report from Haynesworth Sinkler Boyd should be shared with his office and investigators in 14th District Solicitor Duffie Stone’s office.
One has to wonder if the Council’s vote and the grand jury subpoena crossed proverbial paths in the mail, but it’s more likely both sides, aided by their individual lawyers, knew exactly what moves were being made.
While the public’s been waiting for, first, the Haynesworth, et.al., report and then, to know what it said, they’ve also been waiting to see what the law enforcement and judicial authorities were going to do.
So now there’s a new county administrator replacing the former administrator, a new P-card policy in the works and the former recreation director who oversaw questionable expenditures for playground equipment is gone.
We all know the wheels of justice grind slowly … but still we ask, what next?
Number one on list for housing no place to be
BEAUFORT – It’s not a “number one” ranking Beaufort should be proud of.
While we’re accustomed to seeing our community at the top of lists for wonderful places to live, visit, view alligators, eat seafood, etc., being “number one” on a list of difficult places to find housing is nothing to brag about.
Apparently, the county has surpassed Charleston County as the top county in South Carolina in terms of lack of affordable housing available.
Now this is certainly no surprise to anyone who’s had to look for rental opportunities in the past decade. Even those looking to buy a home are expressing some sticker shock, especially if it’s someone opting to sell their home, to take advantage of the housing market, but checking around to see what are their own local options.
So, we’re at the top of the list in terms of the lack of affordable housing. This designation comes not from Southern Living or Travel + Leisure magazines but the National Low Income Housing Coalition, which keeps data on this type of information. Their study of housing wages uses estimates of the hourly wage a full-time worker must earn to afford a modest rental home, based on the federal Housing and Urban Development’s definition of fair market rent (FMR) without spending more than 30% of their income on housing costs (again, HUD standards).
(There’s lots of interesting – if not disturbing – information out there about housing costs, including this link: https://nlihc.org/oor. FYI, this analysis shows a person would have to make $27.88 per hour in the Beaufort area to afford a two-bedroom apartment without going over the 30 percent designation of total income standard.
(Another FYI to throw out: the median rent in Beaufort, as of March, was $2,300 a month. The state median is $1,800.)
And how does this affect me, one might ask?
Basically, it’s political season and once again, individuals who want our vote to lead our community are making promises they hope to keep. You can ignore them at your peril.
We’re already being bombarded on TV, in the mailbox and on our cell phones with requests from candidates running on the national and state level. But what about the four candidates who are running for Beaufort City Council seats and the two running for Mayor. Campaigning hasn’t actively started yet but it’s after Labor Day now, so that will change.
There’s certain to be a candidates’ forum or two in the coming weeks and reporters will be doing the standard candidates interviews. Hopefully the question will be raised about the continuing need for affordable housing.
There are obviously lots of issues facing these individuals who want to provide leadership in our community – traffic issues, development pressures, crime (we certainly seem to have seen an uptick in shootings lately) taxes.
But the issue of housing is one of those challenges that’s been with this community for at least the past two decades as more and more people discover the desirability of the Lowcountry.
And progress is being made. The County Council and municipalities joined together in 2021 to create the Beaufort-Jasper Housing Trust which pools contributions from these entities and the state to work with developers willing to build residences for those within certain income levels.
The Trust just recently announced the distribution of $984,000 to eight groups like Deep Well Project in Bluffton and the St. Helena Island Gullah Housing Project for housing repairs and assistance to first-time homebuyers.
The Trust is working with developers seeking tax credits for projects such as the Carrington Manor, the 64-apartment senior housing complex beginning construction on Boundary Street.
The Beaufort Housing Authority and Habitat for Humanity are two of the agencies working to provide housing for those who can’t afford the $1,000-plus monthly rents, much less the multi-million dollar homes.
Beaufort Memorial Hospital, in an effort to obtain and retain skilled staff has adopted its own housing program, working with the county on houses in the Ribaut Road area and over on Buckwalter Parkway in Bluffton, where they’re expanding medical services.
Leaders of the town of Hilton Head Island, where the availability of hospitality workers, in particular, is crucial to its economy, have been experimenting with housing incentives, including density bonuses, to increase living spaces. Commercial buildings have been converted with private agreements with the Sea Pines company for its workers while the town is working with a developer to build a 160-unit complex for those with certain incomes.
There are no easy solutions when land costs are so high and demands for adequate – not just exclusive – housing are so great. But just like the other issues facing elected officials, it takes leadership and a community desire to get off the top of this particular list.
Lolita Huckaby Watson is a community volunteer and newspaper columnist. In her former role as a reporter with The Beaufort Gazette, The Savannah Morning News, Bluffton Today and Beaufort Today, she prided herself in trying to stay neutral and unbiased. As a columnist, these are her opinions. Her goal is to be factual but opinionated, based on her own observations. Feel free to contact her at bftbay@gmail.com.
