Environmentalists and Residents Question Sales Tax Referendum for I-526 Extension
In a recent turn of events, a leading environmental group in South Carolina has filed a lawsuit against Charleston County. The basis of this legal action pertains to a contentious transportation sales tax referendum question that was passed in a county council meeting last week. The proposed half-cent sales tax, if approved, is slated to run for the next 25 years or until an approximate amount of $5.4 billion is collected, the primary purpose is towards road projects and improvements in the county, particularly the extension of the Mark Clark Expressway.
A Misleading Ordinance?
The lawsuit states that the presented ordinance and referendum language mislead voters by not disclosing the estimated costs of each project. Critics say that the 2024 sales tax referendum ballot language doesn’t meet the transparency requirements specified by South Carolina law. The pleadings further argue that the sales tax question does not offer an opportunity for voters to support funding for Greenbelt and mass transit without concurrently funding the Mark Clark Extension.
Comments from Coastal Conservation League
Faith Rivers James, the executive director of the Coastal Conservation League, finds this lack of choice objectionable. She states, “South Carolina law says that we’re supposed to have a clear indication of the projects, costs, and timeline for everything that we’re voting on in a transportation tax, and this ordinance does not give us that information.”
She further criticizes the County’s all-or-nothing approach by saying, “The ballot language, 526 extension, Mark Clark Extension, does not appear on the ballot anywhere and they are trying to force us into an all-or-nothing choice so that voters won’t be able to vote for mass transit and CARTA or Greenbelt without also voting for the Mark Clark.”
Voters Express Concerns
One local resident, Derek Wade, has also found the referendum language unrepresentative and believes that a majority of the funds will be allocated to the Mark Clark extension. Wade said, “The only priority project on that list is the Mark Clark and it’s going to eat up the vast majority of money that’s going to be collected over the next 25 years.”
Wade also analogized the current proposal to a previous Charleston County 2016 half-cent sales tax referendum in which some of the promised projects are yet to be completed.
In Support of the Mark Clark Extension
On the flip side, Bradley Taggart, a resident of Johns Island, has been advocating for the Mark Clark Extension project for almost 14 years. He wants to clarify that the proposed referendum is not a tax increase but rather a replacement of a current tax. Taggart highlighted the public comment process that took place across the county, during which the extension of I-526 was reportedly supported by the majority of respondents.
Taggart countered the critics by saying, “The ballot question seemed very clear to me. It was not confusing at all.” He believes that the controversy has been protracted due to the objections by the Coastal Conservation League and is confident that the voters will support the I-526 extension.
As the debate around this referendum continues to boil, interested parties can view the official ordinance, which includes the ballot question, for more comprehensive insight into the matter.
