By Lolita Huckaby
Two months-plus to read about sales tax plan
BEAUFORT
The November elections are fewer than 70 days away … as anyone not living on a deserted island would know.
Here on the local political scene things are, well, not as hot as the weather we’ve been experiencing. But there’s now a mayoral race, since Beaufort City Councilman Josh Scallate decided to jump into the race against Phil Cromer who opted to run for a second term since his first “half term.” (Remember, he filled the unexpired seat of Stephen Murray).
And there’s four candidates running for two at-large Beaufort City Council seats which means there are folks out there who care about how the city’s growing. Thus far, all these candidates have resorted pretty much to social media campaigns, primarily on Facebook but we know campaign signs will be coming as we get closer to November.
The real local contest is the proposed county-wide transportation sales tax referendum. Voters are going to vote for, or against a 1% additional sales tax projected to generate $950 million over a 10-year period.
For some, it appears the additional sales tax proposal is dead in the proverbial water. A lot has been said and written about the incomplete projects listed in the 2018 transportation sales tax which collected $120 million in less than four years. The largest project on that list – the $80 million established for the U.S. 278 Corrider to Hilton Head Island – was only recently able to move forward with approval by the Hilton Head Island Town Council of design plans.
Another sticking point is proposed revisions to the Lady’s Island business corridor for which $30 million had been allocated in the 2018 referendum but only produced a Sams Point Road turning lane and most recently, an extension of Airport Road plus a short frontage road off Sea Island Parkway.
There’s $60 million in this referendum for those corridor changes, some of which are to be determined.
(Remember in 2017, a detailed report on traffic conditions in the corridor area and down S.C. 802vwas completed by consultants working with county, city and state officials. But because the different parties couldn’t agree on which plan to proceed with, especially around the Beaufort High School area and the business corridor, the decision was made, at the time, to do nothing.
Some folks are still unhappy money for at least a study of a third-bridge option isn’t included in the proposed work list and it was until the County Council decided to cut the original referendum proposal from 15 years to generate $1.62 billion to 10 years, $950 million.)
The biggest stumbling block facing this referendum is a perceived lack of confidence in county leaders, i.e., the Beaufort County Council members and the administrators they employ. The Council members have gotten rid of one county administrator and brought in another, Michael Moore, who is still busy getting his feet wet, so to speak.
Several top administrators have moved on and while at least two others have been questioned about potential ethics violations, nothing has been proven.
The current “elephant in the room” (meaning the County Council chambers) is the Council’s failure to release the full 30-page Haynesworth Sinkler and Boyd management report, a document for which taxpayers paid $350,000 and which still has not been distributed to those curious to see what’s in it.
Even if the Council members opted to hand out the report, who knows whether it would have any impact on the sales tax referendum. After all, the referendum is about money for various projects, many of which citizens have said they wanted.
Paving more dirt roads is on the list, as well as improvements to the public transportation system and the emergency evacuation system.
There’s a lot of information about the proposed referendum on the Beaufort County government website at https://bit.ly/3WSotcX, which includes a FAQ section that answers a lot of questions.
At least two council members – York Glover and Gerald Dawson – have scheduled community meetings to discuss the referendum. “Discuss” is the operative word since elected officials can’t “lobby” for its passage but they can provide information.
At the same time Beaufort County voters will be considering the transportation sales tax, Jasper County voters will be doing the same, only their referendum calls for a 15-year, 1% sales tax expected to generate $470 million. Most of the Jasper projects are designed to be done in conjunction with Beaufort County, specifically, the “Triangle area” which includes U.S. 278/ SC 170 and Argent Boulevard, where homes are proverbially growing from the Great Swamp.
A recommendation for the involved citizen: while you wait to see if Beaufort County Council will indeed release the infamous Haynesworth, etc., report, spend some time at least reviewing the projects that are propose for the 2024 sales tax referendum. Ask questions about what those projects entail. Ask the Beaufort and Port Royal council members how they plan to spend the $10 million each municipality will receive if the referendum is passed.
Consider where the money for these projects is going to come from if NOT from sales taxes. As much as we might want this traffic to go away, it’s not.
Solicitors’ PIU produces indictments
HAMPTON – If you happen to think Beaufort County officials are the only ones being scrutinized, think again.
News came last week that former Hampton County Administrator who now serves as the Jasper County engineering director has been indicted by Solicitor Duffie Stone. She and a former Hampton County sheriff’s deputy have been charged with embezzling public funds.
In addition, two former Bluffton Police Department employees have also been indicted by the Solicitor on charges involving missing firearms.
The indictments, according to reports, come after investigations by the state’s Public Integrity Unit working with the S.C. Law Enforcement Division.
The Public Integrity Unit. If that organization sounds familiar, remember in May of last year, Stone and Sheriff P.J. Tanner asked the investigators to look into charges being brought against then-County Administrator Eric Greenway.
To date, there’s been no report of their findings in Beaufort county matters.
Lolita Huckaby Watson is a community volunteer and newspaper columnist. In her former role as a reporter with The Beaufort Gazette, The Savannah Morning News, Bluffton Today and Beaufort Today, she prided herself in trying to stay neutral and unbiased. As a columnist, these are her opinions. Her goal is to be factual but opinionated, based on her own observations. Feel free to contact her at bftbay@gmail.com.
