Colleton County Council approves sales-tax referendum; debates jail, youth facilities

Colleton County Council voted 4–1 on June 7 to approve first reading of an ordinance asking voters to impose a one-percent Capital Project Sales Tax (CPST) for up to seven years and to order a countywide referendum on the measure.

The council approved the CPST ordinance after a sustained debate over which projects should be prioritized if the referendum passes. Dr. Joseph Flowers moved the ordinance; the motion was seconded by Councilman Gene Whetsell and carried with Chairman Steven Murdaugh, Dr. Flowers, Phillip Taylor and Gene Whetsell voting yes and Councilman Art Williams voting no.

Why it matters: the CPST, if approved by voters, would provide a temporary, countywide sales-and-use tax intended to fund large capital projects. Council members spent much of the meeting reviewing a prioritized project list submitted by the county, which includes requests for a new detention center, emergency operations upgrades, parks and recreation facilities and other county needs.

Debate over the jail and youth projects Council members expressed divergent views about how the county should allocate potential CPST proceeds. Councilman Art Williams said many constituents oppose the measure and criticized the order of projects on the county’s list, arguing the list downplays youth and recreation needs and that appointments to the CPST committee lacked sufficient community diversity. "We are putting our young people and our families behind 8 Ball, last," Williams said during council time, and he announced his opposition to placing the tax on the ballot.

Councilman Phillip Taylor urged the council to consider rehabilitating or reconfiguring existing county facilities before investing in new construction, citing examples such as adding a covered walk to move inmates to court or expanding unused space within the current detention center to avoid building a new facility. "Maybe we can look at a way to massage the footprints that we have now instead of a brand-new development," Taylor said. Dr. Flowers said construction costs and declining student enrollment in the county counsel caution about new large-scale construction.

Chairman Murdaugh told colleagues the CPST committee is independent of the council and can reprioritize projects submitted by municipalities, including the county, the City of Walterboro and several towns. County Administrator Kevin Griffin explained that if a CPST-funded project were left unfinished for lack of funds, state law could require it to be carried forward onto a subsequent referendum until completed.

Other actions at the meeting In addition to the CPST ordinance, council unanimously approved on third reading a temporary lease with Causie Contracting, Inc. to stage personnel and equipment for the I‑95 repaving from St. George to Point South (Ordinance 22‑O‑02); ordinance updates aligning nuisance, littering, building-construction, flood-damage prevention, manufactured home rules and land-development regulations with the county’s comprehensive-plan update (Ordinances 22‑O‑03, 22‑O‑04 and 22‑O‑05); and a second-reading approval of the fiscal-year tax-levy ordinance for July 1, 2022–June 30, 2023 (22‑O‑06).

Council also approved rezoning of a 4.3-acre parcel at Bennett’s Point from Community Commercial to Rural Conservation‑2 (Ordinance 22‑O‑09), awarded a contract for fleet maintenance bay door replacement (Resolution 22‑R‑25), rescheduled July’s meeting and canceled August’s meeting (22‑R‑26), and filled multiple board vacancies, including appointing Jaqueline Harvey‑Brown to the Keep Colleton Beautiful board (22‑R‑28).

What’s next Under the procedure set out in the ordinance, the county will place the CPST question before voters in a countywide referendum if the ordinance survives subsequent readings and scheduling requirements. The council did not take final action to adopt the CPST tax at this meeting; the item passed first reading and moved forward through the process. The council entered executive session later in the evening to discuss airport matters and a legal matter involving the Lowcountry Community Action Agency and adjourned after returning to open session.