COLUMBIA, S.C. — Richland County and Columbia officials hosted a town hall to talk about the new Transportation Penny referendum. This would be a continuation of the current 1% sales tax residents voted for in 2012.
The town hall was part of an effort to expand the conversation on the Transportation Penny Program and keep inform voters before they make a decision in November.
The open town hall allowed residents to ask questions about the Transportation Penny Program. In 2012, voters supported the penny tax. This November, they are being asked to approve a new referendum to extend the tax.
“There is a list of prioritized projects, including some from the 2012 penny that were not able to be completed that round. So, we wanted to make sure that we had input from the community, that we had input from local governments, and we had a needs assessment as to the status of our infrastructure, and where really the needs are," said Allison Terracio, with Richland County Council, District 5.
County and City officials say the penny has already had a positive impact by adding 29 new comet routes, creating 20,000 new jobs and completing more than 500 roadways, bikeways and greenways.
“I support the penny program, I seen what it's done with the first penny, but I like the changes with the proposed second penny," said Whitney Denton, South Kilbourne resident.
Online comments show that not everyone is excited about the idea of the tax being renewed. Shannon Knox posted on the County's Facebook page, saying she will not be voting for the penny tax, and that the county needs oversight on how they spend taxpayer's money. County officials say that if the penny is not approved, many projects will be difficult to complete.
“We would miss out on a lot of the opportunities of Council Member Brennan mentioned sidewalks, but we are also talking about bike pass and greenways that will just sit undone until some funding source came along," Councilmember Terracio said.
Officials say that additional penny projects won't begin until sometime after 2026, when the funding limit on the current penny tax is reached.
The next public hearing will be next Tuesday at the Richland County Administration building at 3:30 p.m.