# League of Women Voters of Hilton Head Island-Bluffton Area present HHI Town Council Candidate Forum

BCTV televised a League of Women Voters candidate forum for Hilton Head Island Town Council candidates on October 8, 2026. Candidates discussed healthcare access and workforce housing, growth management, public safety, youth programs, short-term rental enforcement, environmental protections, and community engagement. On infrastructure and housing, speakers cited existing initiatives including the town’s purchase of the former Mercedes property, a North Point housing agreement, the Bryant Road property, and public-private workforce housing efforts; they also discussed planned Novant and MUSC emergency-care facilities. These were discussed as ongoing or proposed initiatives, not as new contract awards or purchasing decisions at the forum.

Candidates addressed the U.S. 278 corridor project and the proposed Beaufort County penny sales-tax referendum, emphasizing public information and differing views on whether the countywide measure or a locally controlled funding approach would best serve the island. The transcript references roughly $80 million previously set aside for Hilton Head from a 2018 referendum, which candidates said was later redirected. Candidates also discussed funding additional code-enforcement staff and debated potential local hate-crime and single-use-plastics policies. No motions or votes were taken, and no new procurement award was identified.

**Jurisdictions:** sled
**Industries:** Construction & Infrastructure
**Topics:** Physical Infrastructure, Grants & Funding
**Published:** October 08, 2026

### Sources
- [League of Women Voters of Hilton Head Island-Bluffton Area present HHI Town Council Candidate Forum](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dM7hASgMqrQ) - BCTV