Opponents of the half-percent sales tax referendum approved by Charleston voters in November 2002 initially contended that they merely wanted a neutral question on the ballot. But now that County Council is proceeding toward a rerun of the election with the question rephrased in neutral language, some opponents are raising a variety of new objections. They should be satisfied that council is giving them what they asked for, and allow the matter to be decided on its merits.
This week, four county councilmen were sharply criticized by some at a county Republican Party Executive Committee meeting for proceeding with another election. Council is simply doing what the law requires when an election is voided by the courts.
In this case, the S.C. Supreme Court ruled that the ballot question was flawed because it editorialized in support of the tax, which would provide $1.2 billion over 25 years for transportation projects, mass transit and the preservation of green space. Council is in the process of writing new, neutral language for the ballot, and is expected to ask Gov. Mark Sanford to order a rerun of the original election in April.
An early date on the election is important because the Charleston Area Regional Transportation Authority is running out of funding, and needs a local source of revenue to keep the system in operation.
Council Chairman Barrett Lawrimore says he believes council is firm in its intent to proceed with the new election, recognizing the time issue for CARTA, and acknowledging that the voters endorsed the half-percent tax in 2002. He had sharp words for some Republican legislators, in particular, who complain that council simply intends to raise taxes.
"We haven't raised taxes in eight years," Chairman Lawrimore observed, adding that the local sales tax increase would provide revenue for road projects that more properly should come from the state. The county is having to pay $3 million a year, for example, to help build the new Cooper River bridge, a state transportation project.
Councilman Ed Fava, who also attended the meeting, agreed with Mr. Lawrimore's assessment: "We wouldn't have to do this if the General Assembly had not forgone its responsibility over the years" on road and bridge funding. Those projects would receive about 65 percent of the revenue from the sales tax.
In seeking the expedited rerun election, council is simply attempting to correct its own error on the ballot language, and give the voters the opportunity again to decide whether they support a sales tax increase for the projects it has outlined, Mr. Fava said.
Council would be irresponsible to do otherwise. The vote on the half-percent tax should be debated and decided on its merits, and not muddied by new objections to the referendum, which is in the process of being corrected as opponents originally sought in their court challenge.
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