CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) – The City of Charleston is revisiting a transportation sales tax referendum that voters rejected last year, with officials planning public meetings to detail potential funding allocation.
The proposed 25-year transportation sales tax would fund improvements and projects throughout Charleston County. City officials said the state lacks sufficient funding to initiate transportation projects for South Carolina’s various counties.
Mayor William Cogswell said the city has data to identify problem areas but also recognizes residents’ firsthand knowledge of traffic issues.
“We have traffic counts. We know where a lot of the congestion is. And so some of it’s pretty obvious. I mean, you don’t need you ask any resident and they’ll tell you where the traffic problems are,” Cogswell said. “But we also have to look at things like green belt funds, things like public transportation, things like zonings. It’s incumbent on the city.”
Leaders have planned a total of four meetings to discuss transportation priorities and funding allocation before any referendum appears on a future ballot. The first of those meetings took place on Tuesday afternoon and focused on streets on James and Johns Island, including Maybank Highway.
Last year, voters rejected a similar proposal that included a detailed list of planned projects funded by the tax revenue.