Transportation Penny Tax Public Hearing

(WOLO) COLUMBIA,S.C.,– Residents packed a public hearing to find out more about a proposal promising to bring money into the county to make needed road improvements, fix the underfunded transit system and provide new pedestrian greenway improvements. Council says the penny tax hike would generate billions of dollars over the next 22 years, but some residents say they’re not completely sold on the idea which is expected to appear on the November 6th ballot. “I wanted to be informed to understand what is going to happen with that penny and how it will be used…Is there a contingency plan, do they have one?” Not everyone was opposed to the idea of having a tax to help with critical maintenance. Local developer David Tuttle says the tax could be a win, win for everyone. “The County is woefully underfunded on road maintenance. This is an opportunity for us to take care of those needs in one fell swoop instead of hurting because we can’t raise the money the standard way.” If the proposal does pass, Richand county will not foot the bill alone. Some of those tax dollars will come from visitors who spend their money every time they shop in the county. To find time and locations of the next meeting visit: transportationpenny@rcgov.us