Charleston County Council members on June 25 voted to change the wording of a proposed $4.3 billion transportation sales tax referendum planned for the November ballot to reassure voters and add clarity to what projects the measure will fund.
Previously, the ballot question said that the billions raised over the next 25 years from the half-penny tax would be used for transportation projects that “may include” those listed in the referendum. The wording was changed to say that money would include a list of specific projects. It also added language that specifies if any project is deemed nonviable, then its funding would be applied to other projects listed in the ballot question.
“It was a matter of integrity and honor,” said council Vice Chair Larry Kobrovsky of Sullivans Island. “You start with that so people can make an educated choice in November.”
Kobrovsky was a vocal opponent of the council’s 2024 failed tax referendum because of its lack of clarity on which projects it would fund.
“I thought it was disingenuous,” he told the Charleston City Paper this week. “People need to know exactly what they’re voting on, and I thought the previous referendum was too vague.”
Listed projects for the 2026 vote include:
- West Ashley: Widening U.S. Highway 17 South, west of Dobbin Road, to S.C. Highway 162 ($445 million)
- West Ashley: An eastbound flyover on Glenn McConnell Parkway at Magwood Road in West Ashley ($100 million)
- Mount Pleasant: Improvements to the intersection of Johnnie Dodds Boulevard and Houston Northcutt Boulevard ($230 million)
- Mount Pleasant: Improvements to Long Point Road at Boone Hall Creek in Mount Pleasant ($170 million)
- North Charleston: Improvements to the rail line crossings at Rivers and Durant avenues ($175 million)
- North Charleston: Improvements and bridge replacement at Mall Drive in North Charleston ($100 million)
- Charleston: The “Battery Extension” seawall project ($225 million)
Some questions, criticisms remain
While the change in language may appease some voters, many remain skeptical of the multi-billion dollar half-penny tax. Mobility advocates are pushing for additional language that specifies county leaders are thinking about bike-ped infrastructure with all funded projects.
A vote to add it to the referendum, however, failed 5-4 last week, with council members Teddie Pryor, Jenny Honeycutt, Brantley Moody, Herb Sass and Chairman Joe Boykin voting against it.
Council members said the language was unnecessary since council members were already thinking about bike-ped improvements, and that voters should trust them to do their jobs.
“Anything that provides clarity and certainty in this referendum allows us to go to the people and say, ‘This is what you’ll get if you vote for this,’ Kobrovsky said. “It is our responsibility to address the needs of the county and put out a plan to do so. We can’t just take our marbles, go home and pout.”
Other opponents point to the listed projects as piecemeal improvements and solutions rather than an attempt to address the root cause of the county’s biggest issues — rampant growth and out-of-control traffic congestion.
Kobrovsky agreed the concern is valid, but said funds for greenspace and preservation in the referendum act as ways to bind otherwise separate projects together under the common banner of serving Charleston County.
“There’s truth in the concerns,” he said. “We can’t do something that’s completely unifying. But the alternative is to do nothing, and the problems will continue to get worse and worse.
“More people, more crowding, more inflation. Sometimes, we reach the point where enough is enough, and we can’t just keep building more roads. That’s where I think the greenbelt funds are so essential. We have to preserve what’s left.”
The referendum would continue an existing 2004 half-cent sales tax, which is projected to end in 2027. Over its 25-year lifespan, the new tax would direct $2.7 billion to roadway infrastructure, $860 million to public transit and $690 million to the county’s greenbelt program.
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