Harry Williams, Mayor of Hardyville
Thursday, July 11, 2024
Mayor Williams began by letting us know that he will be seeking a third term. He then went on to set the stage for his presentation by giving us a lay of the land. The city of Hardeeville is 58 square miles and Jasper County is 665 square miles. There’s no way to go to or from Hilton Head without going through Jasper County. Given the interconnectivity of the Low County, Mayor Williams is a tremendous proponent of regional planning and cooperation. Especially since growth isn’t just here – it’s still coming – in a big way. For instance, the population of Hardeeville was 6,500 in 2019, it is 17,343 now and is projected to be 31,176 in 2030.
From that point forward the presentation focused on the upcoming Jasper County sales & use tax referendum that is coinciding with the Beaufort County sales tax referendum – both will be on voters’ November ballots – and both are to fund the costs of highways, roads, streets, bridges, and other transportation-related facilities, and drainage facilities. The proposed Jasper County referendum would be for a period not to exceed 15 years to raise $470,000,000. The breakout of projects that have been identified and prioritized and the associated cost for each are provided in Mayor Williams’s presentation which can be seen in its entirety if you click here.
Mayor Williams went on the share how he and leaders from around the region (aka the Southern Low Country Advisory Board) meet monthly (as they have for the last 7 years) to discuss priorities and project pipelines to help ensure there aren’t “bridges to nowhere” and that the interconnectivity of local, regional, state and interstate projects are always considered as part of “the big picture.” The Southern Low Country Advisory Board includes leaders from every county and every municipality.
During Q&A, the mayor was asked what if anything was being done to moderate some of the exponential growth in the region. His response was that 20% of every dollar collected from the proposed sales & use tax (i.e. $94MM) will go to purchase land to hold as undevelopable greenspace.
At the conclusion of our meeting GIC president, Lee Wilwerding offered his closing remarks encouraging members to support both the Jasper County and Beaufort County sales tax referendums this November and that we should do all we can to urge our family members, friends and communities to do the same.