ORANGEBURG COUNTY, S.C. — Orangeburg County is looking at bringing back the "penny tax."
Supporters argue that the penny tax could help the county build its new courthouse, replace roads, build an urgent care facility in Santee, and renovate the town's Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) building.
In the past, penny taxes helped build a new jail, town halls, water parks, monuments, county industrial parks, renovations to county buildings and more.
County Administrator Harold Young said it is important for residents to vote for this "penny tax."
“This would be the fifth penny and so we ask that the citizens go out and vote because this is the way that we’ve been shaping our future and moving our future forward," said Young.
Jaquaria Hughes lives in Orangeburg and says she and her family have benefitted directly from a penny tax project.
“The water park is definitely useful especially having little toddlers 6 and 7-years-old you know so it’s definitely something for them to participate in," said Hughes.
Holly Ulmer lives in Bowman and says she is glad to see Orangeburg improving.
“It’s nice to see everybody try come together to try to improve things in Orangeburg and the different areas," said Ulmer. "Because they have been kind of neglected and the people need help because its like a poor population and they need more resources for the people here.”
“The capital project sales tax benefits so many people in so many areas and one thing Orangeburg County has done is made sure that all 17 towns have a part of it," said Young.
"So there’s nothing that says that we have to do it that way but we felt like sharing the wealth throughout the towns and throughout the county would be away to make everybody's area more beneficial,” he said.
Orangeburg County Council still has two more readings before the new penny tax can be placed on the November ballots.