Eliminating tolls must be weighed against options

Published Friday, November 13, 2009

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State Rep. Richard Chalk seems determined to rid the Cross Island Parkway of its tolls, but he hasn't come up yet with a viable alternative.

Suggesting the Town of Hilton Head Island tap its 2 percent tax on prepared food and beverages to help pay for it does not count. The town has committed that money to town operations and other projects.

Lawmakers have limited the town's revenue options and its ability to raise property taxes. The state built the toll road and is responsible for paying for it.

"We can't give up a funding source and not replace it with something unless we're going to start reducing the firemen and the other services the town provides," Mayor Tom Peeples said.

We'll need to compare specific alternatives for paying for the road before we know whether removing the tolls is a good idea.

The $39 million still owed on the $81 million project won't go away if the tolls are eliminated. The debt is now scheduled to be paid off in 2022.

We do support Chalk's idea of reducing the road's debt with any money the state gains from the sale of five acres purchased as a staging area for the road's construction.

The town bid $1 million for the waterfront acreage, but the state turned down that bid and two others. S.C. Department of Transportation officials, who were said to be looking for bids closer to $4 million, said they would negotiate with the unsuccessful bidders.

In the meantime, is there a big groundswell for doing away with the tolls, as Chalk suggests? It's not as if drivers don't have a choice. If you don't want to use the shorter, faster route, you don't have to. Just travel down William Hilton Parkway to reach your destination.

Sure, no one likes to pay a toll, and few welcomed last year's increase from 50 cents to 75 cents for Palmetto Pass holders and from $1 to $1.25 for others. The state also tacked on a $1 monthly administrative fee. But is the cost too onerous for most users?

The toll road had been operating at a loss for all but one year -- after the debt was refinanced -- when the tolls were increased in 2008. Totals for revenue and expenses since the toll increases weren't immediately available.

Tolls, with the cost to collect them, are not the most efficient way to pay for roads. But they do confine the debt to the road's

users. The fact that the Cross Island Parkway was to be a toll road moved it up the state's project list. And Hilton Head needed relief for traffic-jammed William Hilton Parkway. The toll road cuts three miles and 12 traffic lights from a north- to south-island trip, and provides an alternative route for getting around the island.

Eliminating the tolls would be nice, but nice doesn't pay the bills. And in these economic times, with the state facing another $120 million drop in anticipated revenue, it seems unlikely state officials would shift the debt away from the road's users.

If Chalk wants to relieve his constituents' financial burden, he would do better to focus his efforts on correcting the inequities in state funding for education.

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Senator Tom Davis(R-District 46)
P.O. Drawer 1107, Beaufort, 29901-1107
(843) 252-8583
602 Gressette Bldg., Columbia, 29201
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Rep. Curtis Brantley (D-District 122)
194 Bees Creek Rd., Ridgeland, 29936
(843) 726-5998
314D Blatt Bldg., Columbia, 29201
(803) 734-2965
Rep. Richard Chalk (R-District 123)
326C Blatt Building, Columbia, S.C. 29211-1867
Office: (803) 734-3067; Home: (843) 842-5985
15 Goldfinch Lane, Hilton Head Island, S.C. 29928
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306A Blatt Bldg., Columbia, 29201
(803) 734-3261
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P.O. Box 11867, Columbia, S.C. 29211
Office: (803) 734-3063; Home: (843) 757-5424
151 Gascoigne Bluff, Bluffton, S.C. 29910
Rep. Kenneth F. Hodges (D-District 121)
PO Drawer 355, Green Pond, 29446
(843) 525-9006 Home (843) 844-8756
434B Blatt Bldg., Columbia, 29201
(803) 734-3062

Beaufort County

Rick Caporale (R-District 1)
17 Salt Wind Way, Hilton Head Island, S.C. 29926
Office: 680-9999; fax: 681-6700
Steven Baer (R-District 2)
10 Heather Lane, Hilton Head Island, S.C. 29926
Office: 689-3570; fax: 689-3569
Stu Rodman (R-District 3)
27 Baynard Park, Hilton Head Island, S.C. 29928
Office: 363-470; fax: 363-6472
Weston J. Newton chairman (R-District 4)
P.O. Drawer 7049, Hilton Head Island, S.C. 29938
Office: 842-6111; fax: 706-9981
William McBride (D-District 5)
P.O. Box 77, St. Helena Island, SC 29920
Fax:(843)838-8303
Home:(843)838-2264
Gerald Dawson (D-District 6)
64-A Horace Dawsone Drive, Seabrook, SC 29940
Fax:(843)846-4738
Office:(843)846-4830
Paul Sommerville vice chairman (R-District 7)
1509 Pigeon Point Road, Beaufort, SC 29902
Fax:(843)379-7115
Office:(843)379-7114
Herbert N. Glaze (D-District 8)
P.O. Box 4053, Burton, SC 29903
Fax:(843)846-3601
Home:(843)846-2845
Brian Flewelling (R- District 9)
25 Petigru Drive, Beaufort, SC 29902
Fax:(843)379-9806
Office:(843)379-9805
Jerry Stewart (R-District 10)
11 Teaberry Lane, Bluffton, S.C. 29909
Office: 705-4753; fax: 705-4723
Laura Von Harten (D-District 11)
166 Fuller Parkway, Beaufort, SC 29902
Fax:(843)379-1380
Office:(843)379-1367

Beaufort County School District

District Office: 1300 King St., P.O. Drawer 309, Beaufort, SC 29902
Office: 322-2300; fax: 322-2371
Hilton Head Island office, 689-4635; fax: 689-4617

Beaufort County Board of Education members

Fred S. Washington chairman (District 11)
PO 325, 804 West Street, Beaufort, SC 29901
(C) 843-524-8404
Bob Arundell vice chairman (District 2)
198 Woodlake Villas, Hilton Head, S.C. 29926
Home: 681-8502; work: 7855-8040; fax: 785-3056;
Joan Deery (District 1)
5 old Fort Drive, Hilton Head, S.C. 29926
Home: 681-8968
Wayne Carbiener (District 3)
Home: 843-363-2113
Laura Bush (District 4)
P.O. Box 172, Bluffton, S.C. 29910
Home: 757-2638; fax: 757-2638
Michael F. Rivers, Sr. (District 5)
734 Seaside Road, St. Helena, SC 29920
(H) 843-838-2277
FAX 843-838-1192
Earl Campbell (District 6)
93 Bruce Smalls, Grays Hill, P.O. Box 768, Lobeco, SC 29931
(H) 843-846-4531
(C) 843-476-7512
FAX 843-846-1373
Jim Bequette (District 7)
4 Broomfield Lane 2532, Beaufort, SC 29907
(H/C) 843-263-8327
Herbert Burnes (District 8)
95 Pine Grove Road, Beaufort, SC 29906
(H) 843-846-445
(C) 843-263-2776
Ronald Speaks (District 9)
3121 Palomino Dr., Burton, SC 29906
(H) 843-525-1163
(W) 843-525-8277
FAX 843-525-1163
George Wilson (District 10)
20 Osprey Circle, Callawassie Island, S.C. 29909
Home: 987-1234; cell: 812-9870

City of Beaufort

Mayor Billy Keyserling
771 Ribaut Rd., Beaufort, SC 29902
(843) 986-2444 (Work)
(843) 521-2600 (Home)
Councilwoman Donnie Ann Beer
P.O. Box 1171, Beaufort, SC 29901
379-6099 (Home)
379-2750 (Work)
Councilman Gary Fordham
860 Ribaut Road, Beaufort, SC 29902
524-3334 (Home)
Councilman Mike Sutton
809 Craven St., Beaufort, SC 29902
252-5687
Councilman Mike McFee
2302 Wilson Dr. Beaufort, SC 29902
843-321-0556 (Work)
843-522-1528 (Home)

Town of Hilton Head Island

Town Hall: One Town Center Court, Hilton Head Island, SC 29928; 341-4600

Town Council

Mayor Thomas D. Peeples
4 Hartford Place, Hilton Head Island, SC 29928-3922
Home: 686-4138; office: 681-2600; fax: 689-3229
Bill Ferguson (Ward 1)
634 William Hilton Parkway, Hilton Head Island, SC 29928
Home: 686-2863
William Harkins (Ward 2)
3 Old Fort Lane Hilton Head Island, SC 29926
263-3261 - cell
Drew A. Laughlin (Ward 3)
5 McIntosh Road, Hilton Head Island, SC 29928
Home: 689-5723; work 689-5700; fax 689-9300
John Safay (Ward 4)
19 Starboard Tack, Hilton Head Island, SC 29928
Home: 785-4489; work: 785-4696; fax: 785-4696
George Williams (Ward 5)
8 Braddock Cove, Hilton Head Island, SC 29928
Home: 363-6601; fax: 363-6604
Ken S. Heitzke (Ward 6)
3 Audubon Place, Hilton Head Island, SC 29928
Home: 681-8182; fax: 681-9864