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County outlines transportation penny transition, early projects and staffing plan
Summary
Officials said the 2012 transportation penny program is nearing its collections completion and the county plans staffing and project sequencing for the new penny program: resurfacing, Assembly Street and Divine Street phases, intersection safety and multimodal projects were identified for early funding.
Transportation staff briefed Richland County Council about the status of the transportation penny programs and early project priorities at the May 7 budget work session.
Greg Tibulloni said collections from the 2012 referendum (a one‑percent sales tax program not to exceed $1.07 billion or 22 years) are nearing completion and that the new penny referendum approved in 2024 will begin collections shortly thereafter, with initial receipts expected around December 2026. He said annual collections have grown significantly since the program’s first year and currently approach roughly $120 million per year in recent collections.
Tibulloni outlined staffing needs tied to program delivery and project development, including reclassifications and new positions for project development, project delivery, a superintendent of transportation and a bike‑pedestrian program manager. He said the proposed structure separates project development (scoring and concept work) from delivery and inspection so delivery staff can focus on construction oversight.
On the project list, staff identified near‑term uses for penny funds and carryover: a $4 million annual resurfacing program, Assembly Street Phase 2, Divine Street, four miles of dirt‑road work, multimodal/demonstration designs including Greenway pieces and several intersection safety projects (Broad River Road at River Hill and US 321/Winnsboro Road at US 21). Staff also noted the program will continue to use outside engineering teams and SLBE‑certified firms for property acquisition and complex tasks.
Tibulloni said the principles document and project‑ranking process will continue to guide annual project recommendations that will be presented to council for approval.
The presentation was informational; staff said proposed positions would be included in budget materials, and no final personnel or project approvals were made during the session.
