What, exactly, do the Beaufort County sales tax and bond ballot questions say?
Here is the exact wording to expect on your Beaufort County ballot for three local referenda:
Local Question #1
BEAUFORT COUNTY ONE PERCENT CAPITAL PROJECTS SALES TAX REFERENDUM
MUST A SPECIAL ONE PERCENT SALES AND USE TAX BE IMPOSED IN BEAUFORT COUNTY FOR NOT MORE THAN FOUR (4) YEARS TO RAISE THE AMOUNTS SPECIFIED FOR THE FOLLOWING PURPOSES?
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): $4,640,000
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
PineGrove Road/BurtonWells Road
Dr.Martin Luther King Jr.Drive
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
Sheriffs Office Communication Equipment $6,255,698
Sheriffs 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): $2,910,000
Main Street West and Connections to US 278
William Hilton Parkway Eastbound - Gardner Drive to Jarvis Park
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 andWetlands Restoration $4,250,000
Rose Dhu Creek Sub-Basin Pond Improvements andWetlands Restoration $1,750,000
Oyster Factory Park Improvements $2,000,000
Daufuskie Island Consolidation of Island-Wide SolidWaste Disposal $1,800,000
Sub Total: $13,800,000
CATEGORY 3, ECONOMICDEVELOPMENT:
WaddellMariculture Improvements $750,000
Beaufort Downtown ParkingGarage $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): $7,000,000
Aiken Place
Allen Road
Mackerel Drive
Pine Field Road
Sassafras Lane
Clifford Miller Road
Oraqe Road
Amelia Court
Amelia Drive
Bligen Road
Cobia Court
MurrayAvenue
Outlaw Road
Adell Lane
Alice Perry Drive
Benjamin Drive
Great Barracuda Lane
Horse Sugar Lane
Mitchellville Road Ext
Triqqerfish Trail
Christopher Drive
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
USCBAcademic/OLLI Building (Bluffton Campus) $3,150,000
Sub Total: $32,412,000
TOTAL ESTIMATED COST OF ALL PROJECTS: $119,904,653
In order to pay the costs of the capital projects pending receipt of the sales tax revenues, must the County also be authorized to issue not exceeding $130,000,000 of its general obligation bonds and pledge the proceeds of sales tax, if authorized, to the payment thereof?
The maximum amount of net proceeds of the tax which may be used to pay the cost or debt service on the bonds must not exceed $10,095,347. The maximum amount of sales tax that may be collected must not exceed the sum of $130,000,000 which includes the direct costs of the capital projects, plus the amount of $10,095,347 being the maximum amount of cost or debt service on bonds that may be paid from such source. "The $130,000,000 is to be repaid from the net proceeds of the sales and use tax and if such sales and use tax is inadequate to repay the $130,000,000 any balance shall be paid by Beaufort County.
INSTRUCTIONS TO VOTERS: All qualified electors desiring to vote in favor of imposing the tax for the stated purposes and authorizing the general obligation bonds in connection therewith as outlined above and subject to the limitations and conditions set forth above shall vote "YES" and all qualified electors opposed to levying the tax and issuing such general obligation bonds shall vote "NO".
Yes
No
Local Question #2
$217,000,000 GENERAL OBLIGATION BONDS
SCHOOL DISTRICT OF BEAUFORT COUNTY, SOUTH CAROLINA
Shall the Board of Education of the School District of Beaufort County, South Carolina (the "School District") be empowered to issue, at one time or from time to time, general obligation bonds of the School District, in a principal amount of not exceeding $217,000,000, the proceeds of which shall be used to finance the costs (including architectural, engineering, legal and related fees) of acquiring, constructing, improving, equipping, expanding, renovating and repairing school facilities, including land acquisition, within the School District, as follows:
Additions/renovations to existing facilities:
Beaufort High School
Bluffton High School
Hilton Head High School
Hilton Head Middle School
May River High School
River Ridge Academy
Riverview Charter School
Robert Smalls International Academy
Whale Branch Early College High School
HVAC upgrades to existing facilities:
Battery Creek High School
Beaufort Middle School
Beaufort Elementary School
Bluffton Elementary School
Bluffton High School
Coosa Elementary School
District Educational Services Center
H. E. McCracken Middle School
Hilton Head High School
Hilton Head Middle School
Lady’s Island Middle School
District Office Maintenance Building
Port Royal Elementary School
Okatie Elementary School
Whale Branch Elementary School
Roof replacement and waterproofing to existing facilities:
Beaufort High School
Bluffton Elementary School
H.E. McCracken Middle School
Hilton Head Island High School
Hilton Head International Baccalaureate (Red and Yellow)
Hilton Head School for the Creative Arts
Hilton Head Middle School
Joseph S. Shanklin Elementary School
Lady’s Island Middle School
District Office Maintenance Building
Islands Academy (at District Educational Services Center)
District Educational Services Center
Robert Smalls International Academy
Whale Branch Middle School
Constructing and equipping of new facilities:
Two new schools, one of which with future additions as necessary in the Bluffton Area
Land acquisition:
Purchase land for new school facilities
If the voter wishes to vote in favor of the question, fill in the oval next to "In favor of the question;" if the voter wishes to vote against the question, fill in the oval next to the words, "Opposed to the question."
In favor of the question /yes
Opposed to the question /no
Local Question #3
EDUCATION CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS SALES AND USE TAX ACT REFERENDUM FOR BEAUFORT COUNTY
Must a special one percent education capital improvements sales and use tax be imposed in Beaufort County for 10 years with the revenue of the tax used to pay, directly or indirectly, the costs of the following education capital improvement projects in Beaufort County?
Explanation: A "yes" vote will allow the School District of Beaufort County, South Carolina (the "School District") to use the one percent sales and use tax to pay, directly or indirectly, the costs of the projects identified below. A "no" vote will prevent the School District from imposing a sales and use tax and prevent the School District from using the one percent sales and use tax to finance the costs of the projects.
The revenue of the sales and use tax shall be used by the School District of Beaufort County to reduce property taxes, to pay debt service on School District bonds, and to directly pay costs of the following education capital improvements projects of the School District:
Additions/renovations to existing facilities:
Beaufort High School
Bluffton High School
Hilton Head High School
Hilton Head Middle School
May River High School
River Ridge Academy
Riverview Charter School
Robert Smalls International Academy
Whale Branch Early College High School
HVAC upgrades to existing facilities:
Battery Creek High School
Beaufort Middle School
Beaufort Elementary School
Bluffton Elementary School
Bluffton High School
Coosa Elementary School
District Educational Services Center
H. E. McCracken Middle School
Hilton Head High School
Hilton Head Middle School
Lady’s Island Middle School
District Office Maintenance Building
Port Royal Elementary School
Okatie Elementary School
Whale Branch Elementary SchoolRoof replacement and waterproofing to existing facilities:
Beaufort High School
Bluffton Elementary School
H.E. McCracken Middle School
Hilton Head Island High School
Hilton Head International Baccalaureate (Red and Yellow)
Hilton Head School for the Creative Arts
Hilton Head Middle School
Joseph S. Shanklin Elementary School
Lady’s Island Middle School
District Office Maintenance Building
Islands Academy (at District Educational Services Center)
District Educational Services Center
Robert Smalls International Academy
Whale Branch Middle School
Constructing and equipping of new facilities:
Two new schools, one of which with future additions as necessary in the Bluffton Area
Land acquisition:
Purchase land for new school facilities
If the voter wishes to vote in favor of the question, fill in the oval next to "In favor of the question;" if the voter wishes to vote against the question, fill in the oval next to the words, "Opposed to the question."
In favor of the question /yes
Opposed to the question /no
Kelly Davis: 843-706-8102, @kdavis2001
This story was originally published October 24, 2016 at 2:14 PM with the headline "What, exactly, do the Beaufort County sales tax and bond ballot questions say?."