Voters Reject One-Cent Tax to Fix Roads

Greg Wilson/Anderson Observer

Anderson County voters rejected a referendum asking for a one-penny sales tax to repair/replace the county’s aging roads and bridges on Tuesday.

A total of 44,121 voted against the referendum which would have put a one-cent tax on all items except groceries for the next seven years. The move would have provided the county $350 million over that time, with an estimated $127 million coming from visitors to the county. 40,121 voted in favor of the measure.

The rejection means that Anderson County still has never had an economic engine in place to fund the maintenance of the county’s 1,554 miles of roads and bridges.