It’s official. Richland County will vote on penny tax in November. Five things to know

It’s official. If you live in Richland County, you’ll get to vote on adopting a new transportation penny tax come November.

The county’s current 1% transportation sales tax has paid for things like widening Clemson Road, making improvements around the Colonial Life Arena downtown, paving 85 dirt roads around the county and funding the COMET bus system, among many other transportation-related projects. But that tax is about to expire and voters will get to decide if they want to renew the tax or let it disappear.

Richland County Council approved sending the question to voters during the Nov. 5 general election.

Here are 5 things to know about the tax.

Will this be a tax increase?

• Voters are being asked to extend the current tax, not increase it. The current 1% transportation sales and use tax is expected to reach its collection limit of $1.07 billion by December 2026. Once that limit is reached, the tax will expire unless voters approve extending it. If approved, the new tax would be collected for 25 years or until the county collects $4.5 billion, whichever comes first. The tax that passed in 2012 was expected to last for 22 years or until it collected $1.07 billion.

What will the money pay for?

• The projects to be funded will cover things like road resurfacing, pedestrian improvements, road paving, adding bike lanes and greenways, widening roads, constructing new roads, and maintaining the COMET, but the exact projects that will be paid for are still being determined by the County Council. In 2023, the county conducted a wide-reaching needs assessment that identified $8 billion worth of projects in the county. The new tax would only be able to pay for just over half of those projects. The county will not prioritize those projects until after the November vote.

How will the money be divided?

• The exact breakdown of how much money each category of project will receive has been set.

• Community investment projects (48%)

• Road resurfacing and rebuilding: $690 million

• Pedestrian safety and access: $410 million

• Road paving: $165 million

• Multimodal transportation improvements (like bikeways and greenways): $200 million

• Traffic safety and congestion relief: $220 million

• Emerging community investment needs: $100 million

• County advancement projects (30%)

• Roadway widenings: $750 million

• Railroad projects: $30 million

• Construction of new roadways/extension of roadways: $35 million

• Traffic safety and congestion relief: $20 million

• Road resurfacing and rebuilding: $75 million

• Emerging county advancement needs: $250 million

• COMET bus system enhancements (22%) $990 million

Will the money be spent evenly across the county?

• Each of the 11 county council districts will be guaranteed at least $20 million for community investment projects in their districts paid for by the tax. County Council Chair Jesica Mackey said the county wants to ensure those community investment projects get funded, because some of the criticisms of the current penny are how it disproportionately benefits downtown and the University of South Carolina’s campus. A 2020 analysis by The State newspaper showed that nearly $1 out of every $6 the county planned to spend from the tax on roadway projects directly benefited the University of South Carolina and its sports facilities.

What specifically will the voters consider?

• Voters will be asked two questions in November. First, they will be asked to vote on enacting the tax for 25 years or until it reaches $4.5 billion in collections, with the breakdown of how much each project category is expected to receive. Voters will also be asked to vote on approving $950 million in general obligation bonds to help the county start work on projects, rather than waiting for the tax to collect money and then starting the projects.

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