New sales tax could finance road, bridge improvements in Anderson County
ANDERSON COUNTY, S.C. (WSPA) – Another chance for Anderson County residents to address the state of their roads will be on the ballot in November.
Anderson County has 1,553 miles of roads, 157 of which are in need of repair.
'We've been ready to start paving and repairing some bridges that have been out for two or three years but we just don't have the funding available,' said Matt Hogan, the deputy administrator for the county.
County leaders unanimously approved the first reading of a capital sales tax referendum on Tuesday night.
Related video: Sales tax referendum to repair Anderson Co. roads fails
The referendum is similar to the transportation tax residents voted not to pass in 2024.
Council members said the difference between the referendum and transportation tax involved a new committee, comprised of six community members.
The committee will designate projects addressed by the sales tax.
Gerritt Beatty is one of six nominee to the committee.
'They need a dependable, long term revenue stream to maintain and improve our roads and bridges,' Beatty said. 'The time to act on this is now. Community engagement such as what I am coming forward for, can foster creative solutions to all these problems, and we are eager to assist our leaders in meeting this challenge.
If implemented, the one percent capital sales tax could generate $350 million a year — strictly used for repairing roads and bridges.
'A lot of our roads don't meet our current guidelines, like 17-feet wide,' Hogan said. 'Some of our collector roads are too narrow. You have to swerve to get over. That's a safety issue and we know that, but of course, we don't have the money to fix it.'
Leaders said alternatives to the tax would include raising property taxes and vehicle fees, but the county council said that's not enough, as it would only generate a fraction of what is needed to fix the problem.
'We're in a hole and we need that type of money — $38 million a year to really dig us out of this hole,' said Hogan.
What comes next? County council will have two more readings to go, and the six-person committee will review a priority list of roads and bridges.
Council also voted on first reading on a $292 million budget for the 2025-2026 fiscal year. Leaders said the budget is still being fine-tuned and must be approved in three readings before the next fiscal year begins on July 1.
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