SUMTER, S.C. — Sumter city leaders encourage voters to vote yes on the "Penny for Progress" sales tax referendum.
It would raise $124 million if approved, which would go to capital improvement projects.
Ed Bynum, chairman of the 2024 "Penny for Progress" campaign, said this is the third time the referendum will appear on the ballot, and if the voters say yes, they plan to continue the work the city has started.
“There were things that were put in place in 2008 and 2014 that now we are looking back at those successes, and we want to do it again in 2024," Bynum said.
According to Bynum, the tax funds will be used in rural areas and throughout the county, including for quality-of-life improvements, economic development, infrastructure and public safety.
“For public safety, some projects include community-wide radios, pagers, fire trucks for different fire stations, improving fire stations and EMS,” Bynum said.
This referendum allowed Sumter County to levy a temporary sales tax, which was implemented in the Spring of 2009 and funded 16 capital projects.
Proponents said this $75 million investment in the regional economy resulted in several improvements and large-scale projects now known throughout the Southeast.
A lifelong resident of Sumter, Bobby Ives said he has voted for the tax in previous elections and seen improvements. He plans to do the same in November, hoping to see more roads fixed.
“I want to see more of the roads being paved more, and I want to see more work done to the parks, things like that,” Ives said.
According to Bynum, this common request from residents will be resolved, along with stalled projects that were not completed after the tax didn’t pass in 2022.
“The infrastructure includes 25 miles of roadwork; some of it is just repaving, others are dirt roads throughout our community that have never been paved, and so, there is a big piece for the rural areas within this penny sales tax, which is a real plus,” Bynum said.
City officials said that if approved for the next eight years, this tax will impact the city now and continue to do so.
“Not only will it impact us that live here now, but it’s going to impact our children and our grandkids, and I think people realize that we need to get the penny back going to invest in these different projects,” Bynum said.
Chairman Bynum said the tax does not apply to groceries or medical supplies and would run for eight years.
However, not everyone supports the referendum. Several Sumter residents have posted on the city’s Facebook page that they will vote “no” in November.
The tax, if approved in November, will take effect in 2025.
Visit the city's webpage to learn more about "Penny for Progress."