Candidates split over transportation sales tax allocations and 25-year proposal

At the Town of Kiawah Island forum, county-council candidates discussed a draft transportation sales tax (TST) referendum that would allocate about 63.5% of proceeds to roads, 20% to public transportation and 16% to green-belt purchases and would run for 25 years.

Caroline Parker said she supports referendums and wants voters to decide but objected to including non-transportation projects in a transportation sales tax package. "A seawall is not transportation," she said, arguing that if the public wants seawall funding it should go on a separate ballot. Parker said she would expect to refine the draft if constituents want changes.

Adam Friend and several other candidates voiced skepticism rooted in public trust. Friend pointed to past referendums where promises did not match outcomes and said extending a TST for 25 years without strong, verifiable project delivery risks repeating that history. He suggested that shorter, single-project measures (citing Berkeley County’s more limited, term-limited referendums) are more likely to win voter support.

Supporters countered that the TST is necessary to fund large, shelf-ready transportation projects that county budgets alone cannot deliver. Several candidates noted that Seabrook and Kiawah have historically contributed to transportation tax pools yet received little return and said clearer project lists and accountability measures could strengthen public confidence.

The forum also named a nearby public hearing on the draft referendum: the moderator said a public hearing is scheduled for June 11. Candidates emphasized transparency, tighter project lists and possible tweaks to allocations as ways to improve voter trust and increase the likelihood the referendum would pass.

No formal vote or county decision took place at the forum; candidates urged voters to attend public hearings and to decide at the ballot box.