Tom Barton covers breaking news for The Island Packet. He is a Davenport, Iowa, native and 2007 graduate of Iowa State University. Before coming to the Island Packet he worked as a reporter at The Des Moines Register. He moved to Bluffton in July 2010. | 
Brian Heffernan covers the Town of Hilton Head Island for The Island Packet. He is a native of St. Louis, Missouri and a graduate of the Missouri School of Journalism. | As far as town government meetings go, last week brought out lots of residents, some of whom didn’t get their way, as the town discussed funding and road changes. Most of the excitement happened Thursday evening at the three-hour Town Council meeting.
Mayor Drew Laughlin and council were given about $1 million in accommodations-tax grants to divvy up among 27 groups.
The big winners were the Hilton Head Island-Bluffton Chamber of Commerce ($250,000), Hilton Head Symphony Orchestra ($175,000), The Coastal Discovery Museum ($168,000) and Hilton Head Concours d’ Elegance ($115,000).
Eight groups walked away with no money:
• The Beaufort County Black Chamber of Commerce
• David M. Carmines Memorial Foundation
• Hilton Head Island Airport
• Italian American Club of Hilton Head
• LoCo Motion, Penn Center
• Lowcountry Tourism Commission
• South Carolina Watermedia Society
The biggest surprise of the meeting was when the council decided to reject a recommendation from the Accommodations Tax Advisory Committee to give no funding to the Hilton Head Island Institute.
The council not only gave it $25,000, but also passed a resolution endorsing “the concept and proposals for the Hilton Head Island Institute and urg[ing] the community to step forward, in ways large and small, to bring this initiative forward.”
Read more about what the institute has planned here.
Other highlights of the week included the Planning Commission recommending a new intersection on a danger-prone stretch of William Hilton Parkway near the entrance to Leamington and council approving a handful of road resurfacing projects .
As for this week:
MONDAY
Town of Hilton Head Island
Public Safety Committee Meeting: 10 a.m., council chambers, One Town Center Court
Agenda: 2013 Fire & Rescue Strategic Plan
On the Web: www.hiltonheadislandsc.gov
TUESDAY
Town of Hilton Head Island
Design Review Board: 1:15 p.m., council chambers, One Town Center Court
Agenda: Plans for Palmetto Dunes’ new gatehouse
On the Web: www.hiltonheadislandsc.gov
WEDNESDAY
(Ok, this isn’t officially a town meeting, but it’s worth noting.)
State of the Town of Hilton Head Island sponsored by the League of Women Voters of Hilton Head Island/Bluffton Area, 10 a.m., Hilton Head Island PSD Meeting Room, 21 Oak Park Dr.
Agenda: Mayor Drew Laughlin will talk about the state of the town and answer questions from the audience.
On the Web: http://lwvhhi.org
FRIDAY
Broad Creek Public Service District
Monthly Meeting: 9 a.m., Conference Room 3, 3 Marina Side Drive, Hilton Head Island
Agenda: Legal, financial, operations, engineering and general manager committee reports
On the Web: www.bcpsd.com
Follow reporter Brian Heffernan at twitter.com/IPBG_Brian.
Tags: Hilton Head Island-Bluffton Chamber of Commerce, meetings, hilton head island, mayor drew laughlin, Hilton Head Symphony Orchestra, The Coastal Discovery Museum, Hilton Head Concours d’ Elegance The Beaufort County Black Chamber of Commerce, David M. Carmines Memorial Foundation, Hilton Head Island Airport, Italian American Club of Hilton Head, LoCo Motion, Penn Center, Lowcountry Tourism Commission, South Carolina Watermedia Society