Sales tax increase to be decided by Beaufort County voters
Would you be willing to pay an extra penny for every dollar you spend when you shop at the mall if it meant providing Beaufort County funding for several dozen infrastructure projects?
County residents will have an opportunity to answer that question in the voting booth this November.
The Beaufort County Council voted unanimously Monday night in favor of a ballot referendum that, if supported by voters Nov. 8, would add a penny of sales tax to every dollar spent in the county.
County officials estimate the 1 percent increase to yield $120 million in revenue over four years to be used for capital improvement projects.
Those projects — determined after months of debate and scrutiny by the county’s Capital Projects Sales Tax Commission — include, countywide roadway improvements, a parking garage in Beaufort, and new Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office communications equipment.
The commission broke the projects into four categories: public safety, quality of life, economic development and environmental impact.
Beaufort County Councilman Stu Rodman said Monday that he recently analyzed the projects “and sorted them by geography and category.”
The projects “seemed to be quite balanced,” he said. “I think we are good to go.”
The County Council quashed a similar capital sales tax referendum proposal in 2014.
Despite the unanimous approval Monday night, the idea of adding an additional tax did not always sit well with members of the council.
Earlier this month, Councilwoman Cynthia Bensch called some of the infrastructure projects “pure pork.”
But Councilman Bill McBride said after the vote Monday that he thinks “a lot of the (unnecessary) projects were cut out (of the final projects list), and I was glad to have them deleted from the proposal.”
He said he plans to support the referendum when it comes time to cast his vote as a private citizen.
Whether a majority of his fellow Beaufort County voters will follow suit, McBride was unsure.
“We will have to see what happens, but I think it has a pretty decent chance,” he said regarding the passage of the referendum.
Voters also will have a chance to weigh in on another 1 percent sales tax increase proposed by the Beaufort County School District during the November election.
Revenues from that tax hike are expected to generate about $282 million over the course of 10 years for the construction of new schools and other capital projects.
In addition to two potential sales tax increases, the county residents will be paying more in property taxes due to expenditures that are expected to outpace revenues in the 2017 fiscal year, which begins Friday.
The Beaufort County School Board budget, which was also approved Monday by the County Council, comes with a tax hike as well.
| Projects | Amount |
|---|---|
| CATEGORY 1, PUBLIC SAFETY: | |
| Jenkins Island (Windmill Harbour) Roadway Improvements | $7,400,000 |
| Pinckney Island Road Improvements | $2,000,000 |
| County Safe Routes to Schools (11): Salem Road/Old Salem Road/Burton Hill Road Burnt Church Road and Ulmer Road Pathway and Intersection Improvements Joe Frazier Road Meridian Road Middle Road/Coosa Safe Routes to School Stuart Point Sidewalk US 17 Pathway Extension Big Road Seabrook Road Pine Grove Road/Burton Wells Road Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive | $4,640,000 |
| EMS Facilities - Bluffton/Pritchardville and Burton | $6,000,000 |
| Implementation of US 278 Traffic Safety Study Recommendations | $5,600,000 |
| Detention Center Security Improvements and Repairs | $1,000,000 |
| 278 Improvements Jenkins Island to Squire Pope Road | $4,500,000 |
| Sheriff's Office Communication Equipment | $6,255,698 |
| Sheriff's Office Traffic Management Improvements | $836,955 |
| Buck Island and Simmonsville Road Improvement between May River Road and US 278 | $750,000 |
| Hilton Head Island Safe Routes to Schools (2): Main Street West and Connections to US 278 William Hilton Parkway Eastbound - Gardner Drive to Jarvis Park | $2,910,000 |
| Resurfacing of Town of Port Royal-Owned Roads | $2,500,000 |
| Port Royal Sidewalk Construction | $300,000 |
| Sub Total: | $44,692,653 |
| CATEGORY 2, ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT: | |
| Bluffton Sanitary Sewer Installation and Connection | $4,000,000 |
| Stoney Creek Sub-Basin Pond Improvements and Wetlands Restoration | $4,250,000 |
| Rose Dhu Creek Sub-Basin Pond Improvements and Wetlands Restoration | $1,750,000 |
| Oyster Factory Park Improvements | $2,000,000 |
| Daufuskie Island Consolidation of Island-Wide Solid Waste Disposal | $1,800,000 |
| Sub Total: | $13,800,000 |
| CATEGORY 3, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT: | |
| Waddell Mariculture Improvements | $750,000 |
| Beaufort Downtown Parking Garage | $13,000,000 |
| Calhoun Street Dock Improvements and Expansion | $750,000 |
| Construction of New Port Spine Road (Port Redevelopment) | $4,500,000 |
| TCL Culinary Arts Teaching Institute and the Health Sciences Expansion | $10,000,000 |
| Sub Total: | $29,000,000 |
| CATEGORY 4, QUALITY OF LIFE: | |
| US 21 ITS Bridge System | $500,000 |
| Waterfront Park and Marina Improvements and Southside Park Improvements | $4,000,000 |
| Acquisition and Paving of Certain Dirt Roads on Hilton Head Island (21): Aiken Place Allen Road Mackerel Drive Pine Field Road Sassafras Lane Clifford Miller Road Orage Road Amelia Court Amelia Drive Bligen Road Cobia Court Murray Avenue Outlaw Road Adell Lane Alice Perry Drive Benjamin Drive Great Barracuda Lane Horse Sugar Lane Mitchellville Road Ext Triggerfish Trail Christopher Drive | $7,000,000 |
| Arts, Entertainment & Cultural Campus | $6,202,000 |
| Pavilion at Historic Mitchelville Freedom Park | $210,000 |
| Hilton Head Island Recreation Center Expansion | $10,000,000 |
| Daufuskie Island Road Right-of-Ways | $1,350,000 |
| USCB Academic/OLLI Building (Bluffton Campus) | $3,150,000 |
| Sub Total: | $32,412,000 |
| TOTAL ESIMATED COST OF ALL PROJECTS: | $119,904,653 |
Lucas High: 843-706-8128, @IPBG_Lucas
This story was originally published June 27, 2016 at 1:23 PM with the headline "Sales tax increase to be decided by Beaufort County voters."