Penny Sales Tax Road to Great Future for Anderson County

Opinion: Editorial Board

In November, Anderson County voters will be asked to decide on a referendum which, one way or the other, will have a lasting impact on all citizens.

After long discussions, Anderson County Council approved the referendum asking voters to approve a one-penny sales tax to repair and maintain the 1,576 miles of county-owned roads and bridges as well as the more than 200 miles of roads owned by the municipalities.

Council petitioned the state legislature to allow for exempting groceries in the tax, and won that request fairly quickly.

The penny tax would generate an estimated $35 million annually, with 35-40 percent of the funds (at least $127 million) coming from out-of-county visitors/travelers. Every penny will be used for road/bridges repairs/maintenance of county roads and bridges.

Anderson County has never had a regular economic engine for such funding, which makes us one of the few counties in the state without a way to take care of our roads and bridges.

Council has considered a variety of other funding sources for roads/bridges repairs and maintenance but all came up short of the amount needed. A few years ago, the idea of a vehicle fee was floated, but not only would the burden fall totally on the shoulders of county residents, the amount raised by such a fee would only be an estimated $6 million.

Currently the county has a $243 million backlog of needed work, much of it critical. Council approved a study last year which evaluated every mile of county roads. That study found that more than a third of all roads are either in poor, failing or headed toward failing without proper repairs and maintenance. One third of the county’s bridges cannot be traversed by fire trucks or school buses, creating both safety and logistical problems.

The proposed penny sales tax is the best option for generating funds needed to remedy this situation. Fixing roads is expensive, with the cost of maintaining one-mile of road in adequate condition at $500,000 per mile, and to restore a road in failing/failed condition close to $1 million per mile. Bridges are even more costly to repair/maintain or replace.

Currently the county hovers in a patch-and-save mode, since funding is limited.

And sadly, no other sustainable funding source for roads and bridges is not in sight.

Funds generated by the South Carolina Gasoline Tax bring in around $6 million annually, with most of that money going for state roads funding.

County council has pieced together a variety of temporary funding sources and grants, but years of neglect requires more than some paving and putting band aids on many of our pocked, crumbling roads.

A number of national studies suggests that well-maintained roads more than offset the cost of vehicle fees in savings on tires, alignments and other mechanical repairs caused by poor roads. One study found that drivers spend $591 per year on tire/alignment repair due to poor roads.

Improperly maintained roads are also to blame for injuries and deaths in vehicle accidents on the road each year.

The funds will not be available for any use other than actual roadwork, and cannot be transferred to any other budget areas, including personnel. These funds will be regularly audited with those audits made available to the public.

A website showing all roads on the priority list for the first round of repairs will also be available this week.

If you have any questions, ask your county council representative who can answer any questions about details of the referendum.

A “Yes” vote is crucial to the county’s future, including economic development (companies consider road conditions when scouting locations) as well as the safety of our citizens.

The argument that it will be a financial hardship rings hollow. One penny sales tax is not a financial strain on any citizen, and those who suggest it is are disingenuous.

A “No” vote will mean more crumbling roads, higher vehicle maintenance costs and decreased safety for all drivers.

Let’s hope Anderson County voters look to the future and approve the roads referendum in November.

Here are the questions as they will appear on the ballot:

The first reads:

Question 1: “I approve a special sales and use tax in the amount of one percent to be imposed in Anderson County, South Carolina for not more than seven years to fund the following project or projects: Project (1) For improvements to highways, roads (paved and unpaved), streets, intersections, and bridges within Anderson County, South Carolina,

including related drainage system improvements. $366,000,000” Yes ___ No ___

The second reads:

Question 2 “I approve the issuance of not exceeding $15,000,000 of general obligation bonds of Anderson County payable from the special sales and use tax described in Question 1 above, maturing over a period not to exceed seven years, to fund a portion of the projects described in Question 1 above.” Yes ___ No ___

If you are not registered to vote, there is still time. Visit SCVotes.gov for more information.

The Anderson Observer Editorial Board is made of of five journalists with a combined 200 years in the newspaper business.