STATE OF THE PENNY: Richland County residents hear about transportation projects funded by tax

COLUMBIA, SC (WOLO) — After Richland County voters initially said no to a penny tax in 2010, residents eventually approved it in 2012.

The penny tax program goes towards transportation projects in the area.

Thursday night at the Richland County Administration Building, residents learned more about the program at the State of the Penny Address. 

County officials spoke about some of those projects that have been completed and those that are still under construction such as the work on Hard Scrabble Road.

County leaders pointed to the successes of the Penny Tax Program. One completed project is the extension of Shop Road which leads to Pine View Industrial Park.

However, there have been those who have questioned the Penny Tax Program in the past including the state department of revenue.

Now, those with the county say that the program is on good financial standing.

However now that the Penny Tax Program is set to raise its intended 1 billion dollars in revenue in the next few years, voters in Richland County will have to vote to extend the program to keep it going for years to come.

The Penny Tax program funds the COMET bus system, which means the transit service would be in jeopardy if the tax is not renewed upon expiring. For now, the COMET runs daily and reports 2 point 8 million passengers annually.