Beaufort County staff outline $950 million transportation sales-tax plan and bond proposal ahead of Nov. 5 vote

Beaufort County staff held a public, educational briefing to explain two November ballot questions: a proposed 10-year sales tax capped at $950 million for transportation projects and a companion proposal to authorize up to $515 million in bonds to start work while revenue is collected.

The assistant county administrator of infrastructure summarized the two questions and the limits built into state law, calling Question 1 “a 10-year, up to $950,000,000 sales tax for transportation and transportation use.” He said Question 2 would allow the county to issue bonds of up to $515 million to begin projects while tax receipts are collected, and stressed that the bond authorization would not create an additional tax or change property taxes: “It is only associated and paid for by the tax that’s collected in question number 1,” he said.

The presentation walked through the project list voters will not see in full on the ballot but which is available in the county’s pamphlet and on the county website. Staff highlighted three regional projects: the Triangle Project along SC 170, improvements to SC 46 (from the 170 traffic circle toward the Jasper County line) and a corridor project commonly discussed as Rebo or Bridal Road. The presenter said Beaufort and Jasper counties are coordinating segments that cross the county line.

Staff described programmatic and municipal funding in the proposed package. Municipal allocations include $30 million for Hilton Head and $30 million for Bluffton, while the county and towns agreed to divide one municipal allocation into $10 million each for Beaufort, Port Royal and unincorporated Beaufort County. The plan also dedicates funding for mass transit (including Palmetto Breeze bus operations and the county-owned ferry), aviation, safety and traffic-flow programs, dirt-road paving for publicly owned roads and additional pathways beyond projects funded by earlier sales-tax rounds.

On resiliency, staff said the proposal includes a $55 million set-aside for emergency-evacuation and resiliency work — such as raising low-lying roads and improving access where high tides or storms cut off island neighborhoods — citing recent storms as evidence of the need for such investments.

Staff addressed common questions from attendees. In response to concerns about “double-dipping,” the presenter said the 2018 sales-tax allocations remain and that those earlier programs have not been fully spent; the 2018 levy collected about $145 million and roughly $30 million has been expended to date, he said, and the current referendum is intended to cover inflation-driven shortfalls rather than repurpose or duplicate funds already appropriated.

When asked why rent, mortgages and fuel are not included in the tax base, the assistant county administrator said the tax base is defined by state statute and generally applies to retail sales; motor fuel is covered by a separate gas tax and statutes constrain what can be added to this particular sales tax. He also said that if the referendum fails, options include doing nothing (projects would be delayed), funding projects via property-tax changes if County Council chose, or returning the question to voters at a future general election.

A representative of the Board of Voter Registration and Elections reminded attendees that early voting begins Monday, Oct. 21, and listed the county’s four early-voting sites and extended weekday hours to make voting more accessible. Residents asked specific design and right-of-way questions about sidewalk and pathway projects; staff recommended submitting contact information so county engineers can supply parcel-level details.

The session was explicitly framed as informational and non-advocative. The presenter said attendees should use the county materials and website for full project lists, financials and timeline information, and noted a citizens-led oversight committee would be formed to monitor implementation if the referendum passes.

The briefing closed with staff offering further follow-up and contact information for residents seeking project-level details.