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Laurens County council rejects $5-per-vehicle bridge fee after debate over plan and timing
Summary
A proposal to add a $5 per-registered-vehicle bridge maintenance fee — estimated to raise about $350,000 a year — failed after council members and staff said the county lacks a detailed replacement plan; staff said the county has applied for a $26 million State Infrastructure Bank grant for six bridges.
An effort to add a $5-per-registered-vehicle bridge maintenance fee failed at a Laurens County council meeting after members raised questions about planning and how the money would be used.
An unidentified council member, during debate on the FY25–26 operating budget, proposed amending Section 2 to create the fee and said, “This $5 would generate $350,000 a year,” arguing the money would help repair bridges that have been out of service for years and reduce emergency-response delays. The amendment was moved by Councilman Yance and seconded and then taken up for discussion.
Opponents said the county does not yet have a bridge replacement plan and warned that collecting the fee without a clear scope could simply shift funding away from existing road maintenance. “We don’t have the plan yet,” one council member said, adding that simply collecting money without knowing when or how it could be applied was a concern.
County staff told the council the county is also pursuing grant funding for bridges. Miss Bergman, speaking for county staff, said the county has initiated an application to the State Infrastructure Bank for roughly $26,000,000 to address six identified bridges and noted the grant would require a county match. “We have initiated the application process to hopefully be awarded around $26,000,000,” she said.
Council voted on the amendment to add the $5 fee; the measure failed, with several members recorded in opposition. The council then approved the FY25–26 operating budget (Ordinance 9-83) on third reading by a 6–0 vote.
Why it matters: The vote leaves Laurens County relying on a combination of existing fees, general fund allocations and prospective grants to address a backlog of bridge repairs. Council members noted prior bridge studies that identified a significant county liability and cited repair costs that can approach seven figures per structure.
What’s next: County staff said grant applications are underway; council members said they expect further work on a bridge maintenance and replacement plan before pursuing new fees or reallocating existing road funds.
