Lowcountry COG asks Beaufort County for $295,000 in annual dues, highlights housing and senior services

Hank Emmonson, speaking for the Lowcountry Council of Governments, asked the Beaufort County Council on April 20 to continue funding the COG at the requested $295,000 level for the coming fiscal year.

Emmonson said the $295,000 request breaks down into $177,007.61 in per-capita dues (95¢ per capita), a $75,000 contribution to the HOME consortium match, and program support. He said the HOME consortium activity in Beaufort County totaled about $386,000 in projects last year and that regional HOME work helped the four-county area pull down roughly $3.6 million from HUD plus additional local match, resulting in more than $800,000 of activity tied to the program.

Emmonson described three program areas the COG supports for county residents: home repair and new-construction partnerships (including work with Habitat for Humanity), transportation planning and grant coordination (LATS), and community and economic development. He said the COG’s economic-development efforts helped generate more than $5 million in grants for the region in the prior year.

On aging services, Emmonson told the council the COG contracts with local providers (the parks department was cited as the contract provider) to deliver meals, transportation and in-home services for seniors. He said state and federal funding flows through the COG and that the program has delivered roughly $1.25 million in assistance, including about $600,000 for meals and transportation and additional funds for home repairs and caregiver support.

Council members asked how the per-capita figures are calculated and whether Beaufort County residents receive services in proportion to their contributions. Emmonson said the per-capita number is based on the 2020 census count and reiterated that the specific figures he cited for HOME and other programs represented Beaufort County activity. He also offered to return for a brief “light agenda” presentation to help market COG services to county residents.

The CFO had previously told the council that staff will present an administrators’ recommended general fund budget at the May 5 workshop; the COG presentation was one of several outside-agency briefings that will inform that work.

Next steps: the COG’s request will be included with other outside-agency requests reviewed during the county’s budget process; the administrators’ recommended budget is scheduled for May 5.