County Moves Ahead on Revision to Roads Referendum

Greg Wilson/Anderson Observer

Anderson County Council voted unanimously on second reading to amend the referendum for a one-penny sales tax to be used to maintain/repair the county’s roads and bridges to exclude groceries from the proposed tax.

The shift, which was allowed after the South Carolina General Assembly gave counties the option to exclude groceries (unprepared foods only) earlier this summer, will reduce the amount of annual road funding for the county from $50 annually to around $35 million annually.

The county continues to face the growing challenge of funding road maintenance/repair of the 1,576 miles of county owned roads, with close to a third of these roads in poor or failing condition. Nearly a third of county bridges are not safe for fire trucks or school buses and in need of updates and repairs.

Funding for roads and bridges is expensive, with the cost of repairing one-mile of road is close to $1 million. The referendum, if approved in November by voters, would allow the county to completely repair and maintain roads for the first time in history.