Beaufort County's Military Enhancement Committee has enlisted a lobbying firm in its battle to protect area bases, and will have an extra $100,000 from the state in the next few weeks.

The committee, an off-shoot of the Greater Beaufort Chamber of Commerce working to protect local bases from closure, entered into a contract with the Rhoads Group, a Washington, D.C.-based lobbying firm earlier this month.

"They have a great deal of experience in (Base Realignment and Closure)," said retired Marine Corps Col. John Payne, the committee's chairman.

A round of Base Realignment and Closure is set for next year to eliminate excess installations and allow the military to operate more efficiently. About 25 percent of America's bases will be affected. A closure list will be published in May.

The contract with the Rhoads Group is for $243,750, which will paid quarterly, said Delane Wells, the Military Enhancement Committee's treasurer.

"That way, if we get up to a particular quarter at the middle or end of next year and we're not on the list, we can back out on the latter part (of the payments)," Wells said.

The bulk of the contract will be paid for with the $217,000 the committee received from the Beaufort County Council in August, she said.

Earlier this week, the city of Beaufort received $100,000 from the state to bolster the committee's efforts, said Matt Horn, the assistant to Beaufort's city manager.

The city will disperse the money to the Military Enhancement Committee because the state can't legally give money to a private agency, Horn said.

The state will also provide $100,000 each to the Sumter, Charleston and Richland County areas, which are all working to protect bases from closure, said Will Folks, spokesman for Gov. Mark Sanford.

"We will have an additional amount coming from the state, which will be great," Wells said, adding that she's hopeful the committee will have the money in hand within three weeks.

Committee members have said they wanted to hold off on hiring a lobbyist for as long as possible, because it's such a big-ticket item. With the base closure deadline bearing down, and with the loss of Navy Strike Fighter Squadron 82, The Marauders, which the Navy announced in August would be decommissioned, it was time to seek help from a firm with experience in the nation's capital, officials have said.

Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island and Naval Hospital Beaufort contribute $454 million to the local economy each year.