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The city of Greenville is asking voters to approve adding one cent to the state’s sales tax to pay for a long list of delayed road projects and to reduce property taxes on owner-occupied houses.
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Greenville County Council also approved putting a cent sales tax on the Nov. 3 ballot.
The state levies a 6% tax on purchases, but until now cities have not been able to add its own tax. That changed when the General Assembly approved the Municipal Tax Relief Act, which was signed into law by Gov. Henry McMaster in May.
The act is in place for eight years.
Greenville projects more than $511 million will be collected over that period.
The law requires 20% to be used for property tax relief and the rest for capital improvement projects. That breaks down to $102 million in property tax relief and $409 million for improvements.
The city has a map and a 10-page list of the proposed 528 projects on its website.
The largest amount would go to repaving and reconstruction with 298 projects, 105 for sidewalks, 67 for congestion relief, sewer 25, 18 facilities, 12 stormwater and two for fire stations.
They are prioritized in three tiers.
Mayor Knox White said has been trying to get the ability to levy a sales tax for 10 years.
He said the most often complaints he hears involve neighborhood roads and safety.
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Council member Dorothy Dowe said the benefit of the new funding would be the ability to bundle projects for better prices and to manage the construction schedule to lessen the inconvenience factor.
Council member Tina Belge said a sales tax spreads the impact across tourists as well as residents.
VisitGreenvilleSC says 7 million people visit Greenville each year with an economic impact of about $2.5 billion.
Greenville City Council approved the measure unanimously.
Greenville County Council voted 8-4 to ask voters to approve the tax. The county intends to spend 89% for roads and bridges, 7% for green space preservation, 3% for public transit and 1% to the state.
Voters in Greenville County have twice turned down the additional tax.
Councilman Curt McGahhey said, “If we don’t pass this, there’s not $40, $50 million in the budget to get ahead on the roads. It’s just not there.”
Other Greenville County cities pushing for the tax are Mauldin, Simpsonville and Travelers Rest.
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