Posted on February 7, 2022
A Beaufort County elected official is facing scrutiny for being involved in a plan to raise his neighbors’ property taxes to pay for the dredging of a creek that flows behind his house.
The proposal, floated by a group of six Hilton Head Island property owners, including Beaufort County Council member Stu Rodman, would tax Rodman and more than 200 property owners at a higher rate through a special tax district — a mechanism rarely used in Beaufort County.
Rodman said he is not pushing for the taxing district and would recuse himself from voting for it if it came before the council.
If approved, the tax district would raise property taxes for 214 property owners near Baynard Creek in Sea Pines, Hilton Head Island’s most well-known gated community.
The annual tax increase for each home hasn’t been finalized yet, but it would likely range from $300 to $5,000 per year for 10 years. Homeowners who live closest to the creek would pay the higher amount.
That extra money, supporters said, would be used to pay off a $920,000 bank loan to dredge — remove sediment and debris from — Baynard Creek. The creek has not been dredged in 15 years and needs to be cleaned to stop it from silting up and to keep the neighbors’ property values in check, they said.
Opponents, however, point out that the creek runs directly behind Rodman’s home. Only Rodman and the 12 other property owners who live near where the creek is to be dredged will benefit from the property tax increase, critics said.
They worry that Rodman and the six-member dredging committee have misled neighbors into approving a tax increase that does not benefit the entire community.
Some neighbors say this presents a conflict of interest and raises ethical questions for Rodman, whose position on the Beaufort County Council gives him unique access to county resources and staff.
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