Berkeley County Council Approves One-Cent Sales Tax Referendum for Nov. 8 Ballot

By Press releases submission

Aug 16, 2022

MONCKS CORNER, S.C. – (Tuesday, August 9, 2022) – At the Berkeley County Council meeting on Monday, August 8, 2022, Council passed third and final reading of an ordinance to place a countywide referendum on the ballot for the General Election on Tuesday, November 8, 2022. View the full meeting HERE. If passed by voters, the referendum would impose a special one-percent sales and use tax in Berkeley County to help fund roadway and infrastructure projects throughout the County.

The ballot will contain two separate questions. Question 1 will ask voters if they wish to fund $587 million across seven years “for financing the costs of highways, roads, streets, bridges, and other transportation- related projects facilities, and drainage facilities related thereto, including but not limited to:

Capacity Projects
Major Resurfacing Projects
Local Street Resurfacing (Streets to be determined through input from SCDOT, County and Municipal officials, as well as the public)
Intersection Improvements
Other Transportation Projects
Paving Projects (Various dirt roads throughout the County as determined by the County governing body and staff)
Greenbelt Preservation Projects”

For more details on the these projects and more, go HERE.

Question 2 will ask voters if they are in favor of issuing $89 million in County Obligation Bonds from the special sales and use tax to fund the completion of such projects.

“Roads are a top priority among our citizens and the chief focus of County Council. For more than a decade, the One-Cent Sales Tax Program has been highly successful for our County. It gives us the ability to deliver quality of life roadway and infrastructure improvements across Berkeley County communities to ultimately improve citizens’ lives. The list of projects included in this new referendum is the result of input and months-long collaborations among the County, local municipalities, and our valued citizens. A vote for continuing this referendum will allow us to not only provide traffic and road condition solutions at a faster pace, but also allow the County to preserve, protect, and provide access to greenspace.” -Berkeley County Supervisor Johnny Cribb

Berkeley County’s One-Cent Sales Tax Program was established in the 2008 One-Cent Sales Tax referendum. Voters passed a separate but similar referendum in 2014.