Pickens County commissioners approve agreement and call Nov. 5 referendum for 1% transportation sales tax

Pickens County commissioners voted unanimously in a special‑call meeting to approve an intergovernmental agreement and to place a proposed 1% transportation special‑purpose local‑option sales tax on the Nov. 5, 2024 ballot.

Chairman (identified in the transcript as Speaker 2) told the board the agreement sets how proceeds from the proposed tax would be used and distributed among participating governments, and described project categories submitted for inclusion: road paving, patching and resurfacing, widening, intersection and crosswalk improvements, drainage work, guardrail replacement and airport infrastructure.

The chair said the package estimates $50,000,000 in revenue over a period not to exceed five years. He described planned allocations and line items, including $13,500,000 toward items tied to the statewide strategic transportation plan and roughly $24,295,000 earmarked for construction of roads and bridges in the county. The chair also stated that, as written, the percentage split in the agreement allocates 17% to the city of Jasper, 79.79% to Pickens County, 2.21% to Nelson and 1% to another participating jurisdiction; the transcript does not clearly name the recipient of the 1% share.

The board approved the intergovernmental agreement by voice vote, then passed a separate referendum resolution to send the ballot language to the superintendent of elections. The resolution’s ballot question as read by the chair calls: “Shall one special 1% sales tax/use tax be imposed in the special district consisting of Pickens County for a period of time not to exceed five years and for the raising of an estimated amount of $50,000,000 in revenue for the purposes of county and city road improvement projects consisting of road paving, patching, resurfacing, widening, and improvements to intersections, crosswalks, road drainage throughout Pickens County.”

The board also approved a resolution authorizing the chairman to sign the intergovernmental agreement; the chair then signed the document during the meeting.

Chairman (Speaker 2) opened the meeting with a prayer offering condolences to the family of a local firefighter, identified in the record as Mr. Bridal Button, whose daughter died in an accident; Speaker 3 recited the Pledge of Allegiance. No members of the public offered comments during the meeting’s public‑comment period.

Before adjourning the open session, the board voted to enter executive session to discuss acquisition of property. The board recessed into executive session at the close of the meeting; no further action was recorded in the public transcript.

Actions at a glance: • Approval of intergovernmental agreement on distribution of proposed transportation sales tax proceeds — motion approved by voice vote; mover/second not recorded in transcript. • Approval of referendum resolution to place a 1% transportation sales tax question on the Nov. 5, 2024 ballot — motion approved by voice vote; mover/second not recorded. • Approval of resolution authorizing the chairman to sign the intergovernmental agreement — motion approved by voice vote. • Motion to enter executive session to discuss property acquisition — motion approved by voice vote.

The board did not record roll‑call vote tallies or name movers and seconders in the publicly available transcript; recorded votes were verbal (“Aye”) and the chair pronounced each motion carried.