The county made the first of several moves on Monday morning to take the driver’s seat away from the state and federal governments over the right of the county to renourish its own beaches, underscoring the difficulties in obtaining federal funding and the odd contributing authority regulations that have led to reduced projects on Pleasure Island, officials said.

County commissioners voted unanimously to kick upwards of $100,000 toward a feasibility study that would determine whether it is possible to assume the partial or full responsibility of renourishment projects should federal funding be insufficient.

In the future, New Hanover County could bypass regulations to makeup any shortfall or contract its own company for renourishment—a power that would almost guarantee every beach acquire the needed amount of sand, officials said.

Currently, the county is not authorized to fund more than the amount specified by a cost-sharing formula between the federal government, county and state.

Because of that agreement, Carolina and Kure beaches are looking down the scope of underfunded projects during this renourishment cycle, and county officials have been unable to secure a greater contributing authority with Congress to complete those projects, said Rick Catlin, chairman of the Port, Waterways and Beach Commission, which, for a second time, voted unanimously to recommend the feasibility study, and put it before the county commissioners Monday morning for the vote.

"We can’t really depend on our federal funding," Catlin told the board, adding that the county maintains an expanding fund earmarked for renourishment projects but has been unable to use it because of the cost-sharing mandate.

County finance director Avril Pender said that fund—which is collected through room occupancy taxes—has grown about $2-3 million each year since it began in 1984. Although, she said, this year room occupancy is down about 10 percent and projected collections have diminished the beach nourishment allowance to $1.5 million this year.

The feasibility study will be funded through room occupancy dollars, said assistant county manager Dave Weaver.

Officials said the study will produce a report that takes into account the federal and state permitting requirements if the county were to assume responsibility for the periodic renourishment projects. The report is also expected to include possible monitoring requirements, borrowing sources, cost estimates for periodic projects during the next 30 years and funding options.

County officials are also considering the purchase of a dredge.

New Hanover County has considered taking over responsibility before, said chairman Ted Davis, but there is concern that the federal government would then cut off its funding entirely.

Catlin said the study could begin around Jan. 1, 2010, depending on negotiations with coastal engineering and consulting firms.

Beach renourishment has been at the forefront of issues ever since the county fronted the state’s share of $2.8 million earlier this year for projects on Wrightsville, Carolina and Kure beaches.

Weaver said the county will likely get a majority but not all of that money refunded once those projects are priced. Renourishment will likely begin in late 2009 or early 2010.