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Beaufort County penny committee unveils $780M project list, urges referendum and oversight
Summary
A 15-member Beaufort County advisory committee presented a $780 million, multi-category transportation project list and urged voters to approve a proposed penny referendum and a companion bond question; committee chair said projects were narrowed from an initial $1.47 billion list and recommended an oversight committee and municipal inclusion.
A Beaufort County Transportation Penny Advisory Committee representative told Bluffton's Town Council on Tuesday that the committee narrowed an initial $1.47 billion project list to roughly $780 million and recommended placing that list on a countywide transportation sales-tax referendum. The committee chair said the list covers intersection safety, widening, resurfacing and dirt-road paving and that projects were chosen to reach all parts of Beaufort County.
"We had to stop it," the committee chair said of the initial list and explained the process that yielded the smaller set of projects, noting the committee's goal was to present a vetted list to voters. She said the committee also recommended creating an oversight body to receive quarterly updates and involve municipalities in coordinating project timing and delivery.
County council has already acted on related ordinance language: an amendment was added at second reading to put the committee's project list on the ballot and to authorize a bond question of up to $450 million, the presenter said. The amendment and a nine-year term were offered after Department of Revenue guidance about the county's ability to tax certain items, including an initial decision not to tax unprepared food; planners extended the term to preserve the revenue estimate.
Supporters told Bluffton council the package would allow projects to begin sooner if the bond question is approved, noting that bonding accelerates construction and reduces long-term escalation risks. "If we don't bond, you pass it in November, start collecting in May and you're two years into it," the presenter said, arguing bonding makes it possible to begin resurfacing and priority widening on major corridors quickly.
Council members and attendees asked about the studies and local alignment. The presenter pointed council members to an interactive online map (bufortcountypenny.com) that shows projects, cost estimates with contingency and the studies supporting each item. She said many projects correspond to prior local or regional studies and that the committee engaged municipal staff, local law enforcement and the school district during its review.
What happens next: county council completed a second reading with amendments and scheduled third reading for June 22; the committee encouraged public education and an RFP for an education consultant to help explain the ballot questions to voters.
Speakers quoted in this article are drawn from the council meeting record and identified by their role: "We are not gonna catch up, but we are gonna make a huge impact," the committee chair said, describing the scale of the proposed work.
