Chiefs, councilors press county to broaden consolidation study, want chiefs on evaluation panel

Several chiefs told the council they were not involved in the final drafting or evaluation of the countys request-for-qualifications and urged inclusion in the process. One chief said the RFQ "had 5 items and the majority of those were finance related," and asked that experienced chiefs and the CFO be engaged in financial review before a consultant is paid to do the work.

Council members and chiefs pressed for an expanded scope that would include additional unincorporated districts and, potentially, Bluffton and Daufuskie, while noting Hilton Head had signaled it would opt out. County staff said the RFQ is public and that the selected consultant would work with chiefs to collect data; staff also said they could negotiate scope changes in the contract. Council directed administration to share the RFQ with chiefs and to include chief representation in review of proposals.