Get involved in your Town Government
While so many people are understandably focused on the Presidential election in November 2024, sometimes change happens at a more local level. Do you want to see meaningful change in your community? Sometimes the best place to start is your Town government. Binya has compiled a list of resources and suggestions for the average citizen to become more involved in the Town of Hilton Head Island. Your voice deserves to be heard! Here’s are some tips and recommendations in ensuring that your opinions matter.
1. Stay informed about local issues by reading local newspapers such as The Island Packet and Hilton Head (and Bluffton) Sun. Be sure to follow the town website (https://hiltonheadislandsc.gov) and social media accounts (Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/townofhhi and https://www.instagram.com/townofhhi/). By staying informed and engaged, you can start forming informed opinions about what’s going on in your community (and what you’d like to change!) The Town of Hilton Head also publishes news releases regularly on their website that are informative pushes of information from the town to the general public.
2. Read the Annual Report. The Town of Hilton Head Island publishes a comprehensive summary report each year. The Annual Report covers the town’s mission, vision, goals, leadership, strategic action plan, accomplishments, financials and key performance indicators. It’s chalk full of information! Read the 2023 Annual Report by visiting here: https://hiltonheadislandsc.gov/reports/annualreport/
3. Attend Town Meetings. One of the simplest ways to get involved and really understand the town government is to attend town meetings. These meetings are open to the public and provide valuable insights into the decision-making processes our local government. On Hilton Head, they occur regularly on the 1st and 3rd Tuesday of the month. Town Council meeting calendar, the agenda, and past meeting minutes are published on the town website: https://hiltonheadislandsc.gov/towncouncil/agendas/ ; you can also view the calendar here: https://hiltonheadislandsc.gov/towncouncil/schedule.cfm. Something else that is cool? You can live stream the meetings! Just click, “Live Stream” button on the far right.
4. Speak at Town Council Meetings. If you have something to say before your Town Council, fill out an official form to be added to the agenda! https://hiltonheadislandsc.gov/forms/speaker/
5. Know your government officials! Currently, our Mayor is Alan Perry and we have 6 Town Council Members and 1 Town Manager. Hilton Head Island has a council-manager form of government. In this form of government, Town Council hires a Manager to implement Town Council's direction and oversee the day-to-day operations of the Town, while Town Council sets policy, establishes priorities, approves the budget, and addresses issues facing our community. The Mayor presides over Town Council meetings. Each of these officials have their phone numbers and email addresses published so reaching them is as simple as picking up the phone or starting an email. Your voice deserves to be heard! Visit https://hiltonheadislandsc.gov/towncouncil/ for all the contact information of the town officials you need to know. You can also visit this link to see the Executive Team of the Town government: https://hiltonheadislandsc.gov/executive/
6. The Hilton Head Island Chamber of Commerce is another great way to get involved in the community and understand the vision for our community. The Chamber of Commerce’s mission is to support businesses on Hilton Head Island and aid in economic prosperity for its members. You can read annual reports, see the economic impact of their efforts, join the Chamber, follow on social media, and read newsletters. It’s a great way to get involved in the community. https://www.hiltonheadchamber.org
We hope this spurs you to get involved in the local government or Chamber, or at least provides an outlet where you can advocate for what matters most to you! As a Citizen of Hilton Head Island, it’s exciting to know that your voice counts and can be heard!