Greenville County seeking your input on proposed penny tax project list
Greenville County leaders want to put a penny sales tax on the ballot in November to fix roads. But first, they have to find which projects to fund. Tuesday the county held the first public meeting in Mauldin.
Residents Voice Concerns
“Terrible, terrible road, they will fix it and three months down the road they gotta fix it again,” said Simpsonville resident Salli Ann Mao. Mao wants to see Holland Road fixed, she and a few dozen other residents attended the public input meeting to see if their problem roadways made the list.
“A very nice lady came and took me and checked, the road is a tier one and they’re getting fixed first so I’m happy,” she said.
However, the list is just a proposed list made by county staff. The penny tax commissioners are the ones who must make the final list that will go on the ballot.
Commission Calls for Community Feedback
“It’s become a safety issue, it’s become an efficiency issue, it’s become an economic issue,” said Vice Chairman of the Commission, Hunter Howard.
The input meetings served as an opportunity for residents to learn about the process and also give feedback. The commission needs to know what the county missed on their proposed list.
“The public needs to look at what’s been recommended and then tell us if that’s correct or not and if not what needs to be done,” said Howard.
Penny Tax Overview
The penny tax is estimated to generate $131 million a year in Greenville, totaling just over $1 billion over 8 years. It wouldn’t tax groceries or prescriptions. Some residents are against the tax—saying the county could make more room in the budget for road maintenance. Others say paying an extra penny won’t hurt if it gets the job done.
“I was gonna vote ‘no’ but I think I’m changing it to ‘yes’ because they do need money to get the roads fixed, we have very bad roads,” said Mao.
Public Input Meetings Schedule
Public Input meetings— all meetings are from 5 pm to 7 pm:
- May 2, 2024 – 2nd public meeting, Greer Cannon Center
- May 6, 2024 – 3rd public meeting, Greenville County Administration
- May 9, 2024 – 4th public meeting, Travelers Rest City Hall
