BEAUFORT COUNTY, S.C. — With one week left before Election Day, leaders of three Lowcountry chambers of commerce are urging Beaufort County voters to back a one-cent transportation sales tax that would pay for road projects from Hilton Head Island to Lady’s Island.
Two related questions sit on every county ballot on Nov. 3. The first would add a penny to the sales tax for up to nine years, ending sooner if $780 million comes in first. County officials say that would lift the local rate from the state base of 6% to 7%. Rent, mortgage payments, gasoline, unprepared groceries and prescription medicine would not be taxed.
The second question would let the county sell as much as $450 million in bonds backed by the new tax, so design and construction could start before the full amount is collected. The chamber leaders note the bonds would not add a second tax.
On Hilton Head, the project list sets aside $14.4 million for the intersection of Squire Pope Road and William Hilton Parkway. Countywide, planners have split the money into $326 million for safety and intersection fixes, $205 million for widening and $249 million for resurfacing and dirt road paving.
The chamber leaders argue tourists would carry a large share of the cost, estimating visitors would cover roughly 40% to 60% of the program. The ordinance also creates a citizen-led oversight committee to track spending and project priorities.
Voters turned down a different transportation tax plan in 2024.
Filed under: Hilton Head Island SC Politics News
