Berkeley County Council approves A-Tax and A-Fee Funding for local organizations

Berkeley County has awarded approximately $118,500 in Accommodations Tax (A-Tax) funding to 13 different local nonprofits and organizations. At its meeting on Monday, November 25, 2024, County Council approved the recommended funding allocations made by the Berkeley County Accommodations Tax Committee.

Berkeley County opened an application period August 1-31, 2024, for interested organizations to apply for State Accommodations Tax funds. The County established an Accommodations Tax Advisory Committee—each Council member appointing one committee member from his/her respective district—to review applicants and determine eligible groups before making a recommendation to Council. The Committee also held a public meeting in September 2024. Funding has been awarded to the following groups:

• Alvin Recreational League (for Alvin Homecoming Festival 2025) – $5,000
• Berkeley County Museum (for Colonial Day 2024) – $5,000
• Berkeley North Historical & Cultural Association (for Christmas Concert 2024) – $1,500
• Bradley Blake Foundation (for 2025 Tri-County Orange Walk) – $1,000
• Charleston Wine + Food (for 2025 Charleston Wine + Food Festival) – $20,000
• Meals on Wheels of Summerville (for 2025 Drink & Deliver Classic) – $12,500
• Santee Cooper (for 2024 Celebrate the Season) – $7,500
• Southeastern Wildlife Exposition, Inc. (for 2025 Southeastern Wildlife Exposition) – $20,000
• St. Stephen Growth & Development, Inc. (for 2024 Community Appreciation Festival) – $5,000
• Summerville Family YMCA (for 2025 Flowertown Festival) – $12,000
• The ARK of SC (for 4^th Annual ARK of SC Car Show) – $1,500
• Town of Moncks Corner (for July 4^th Festival 2025) – $25,000
• Wassamasaw Tribe of Varnertown Indians (for 2025 Wassamasaw Tribe Annual Powwow) – $2,500

According to Section 6-4-10 of State Law, Accommodations Tax is to be used exclusively for “tourism-related expenditures.” For a full list of such expenditures, read the state law HERE.

Berkeley County has also awarded Accommodations Fee (A-fee) funding totaling $269,339 to nine different local organizations after holding an application period February 1-29, 2024. Council approved half of the funding recipients in July 2024; additional recipients were approved at Council’s meeting on Monday, November 25, 2024. Recipients and funding allocations included:

• Berkeley County Historical Society (for Berkeley County Historical Society sign) – $900

• Berkeley Soil and Water Conservation District (for ByGone Berkeley and Berkeley Outdoor Life, Phase III) – $74,099
• Charleston Area Convention and Visitors Bureau (for advertising and marketing Berkeley County and its tourism-related assets) – $75,000
• Berkeley 250 Francis Marion Commission (for sustainability and increased capacity funding for the Berkeley 250 Francis Marion Commission) – $50,000
• Friends of Keep Berkeley Beautiful (for Beautiful Gateways Project: Additional Planting and Maintenance) – $13,440
• Berkeley County Museum (for museum rejuvenation and digitalization) – $20,000
• Mepkin Abbey (for restoration of the Henry Laurens Family Cemetery and Enslaved Graveyard in the Meditation Garden of Truth and Reconciliation at Mepkin Abbey) – $10,900
• Southeastern Wildlife Exposition, Inc. (for SEWE 2025) – $5,000
• Berkeley North Historical & Cultural Association (for S.I.G.N. – Site for Interpretation for Gaps in Narration, Phase III) – $20,000

Berkeley County charges a two-percent Accommodations Fee on rentals of hotels, motels and other lodging establishments in the County that offer accommodations to tourists. The fee helps fund long-term tourism initiatives designed to enhance travel and tourism to Berkeley County. According to the Accommodations Fee Ordinance, funding guidelines include the following:

Pursuant to S.C. Code Section 6-1-530 and under the direction of the Attorney General, the revenue generated by the local accommodations fee must be used exclusively for the following purposes:

1. Tourism-related buildings including, but not limited to, civic centers, coliseums, and aquariums;

2. Tourism-related cultural, recreational, or historical facilities;

3. Beach access, renourishment, or other tourism-related lands and water access;

4. Highways, roads, streets, and bridges providing access to tourist destinations

5. Advertisements and promotions related to tourism development; or

6. Water and sewer infrastructure to serve tourism-related demand.