On Election Day, November 8, 2022, under LOCAL QUESTIONS on your ballot, please VOTE YES for the continuation of the one percent sales tax!!
If we fail to pass this continuation of the one cent tax, the burden of completing the eleven projects could fall solely on the property owners of our county, since the many visitors to our county would NOT be contributing. It will certainly cost more than the one cent tax that is presented for your approval.
If you VOTE NO:
•The Veterans who served our country MAY NOT get their Veterans Park!
•The Colleton County Animal Shelter MAY NOT get the new facilities or the
Spay-Neuter clinic and MAY NOT be able to effectively serve the community with its responsibility of providing litter enforcement and mosquito abatement!
•The town of Williams MAY NOT have their water infrastructure improved!
•The town of Smoaks MAY NOT have their Johnsville/Smoaks community center!
•Our critical Colleton County Emergency Operations Center MAY NOT be completed!
•The town of Cottageville MAY NOT have the expansion of their park!
•Edisto Beach MAY NOT have an Emergency Operations Complex and Town Hall (Phase 1)!
•The Colleton County Recreation Center MAY NOT add a new gym, pool, or activity rooms!
•The City of Walterboro MAY NOT be able to complete the Ireland Creek Stream Restoration and Greenway Park or phase 3 of the I-95 Business Loop project!
These projects will bring more businesses and tourists to our county which will certainly help with employment and our tax base. A large portion of the revenue generated by this tax will be paid by tourists and visitors.
There is no increase in your cost for the new projects. Misinformed citizens are incorrectly stating that this referendum will amount to a 2 cents tax. This is not so! The previous 1 cent tax will expire to be replaced by the new 1 cent tax.
On April 6, 2021, Colleton County Council approved the resolution to create the Capital Projects Sales Tax (CPST) Commission to consider proposals for funding capital projects within the County for not more than seven years. Holland Maness, Spencer Witkin, Clarence Wiggins, Jimmy Syfrett, Mark Walling and Bill Houston were chosen to serve on the Commission. Six public meetings were held. On May 3, 2022, County Council held the first reading on the referendum. Different entities prioritized lists of projects to be presented to the CPST Commission for approval. Those entities such as Colleton County Council and various municipal councils voted on the projects they would submit. It should be noted that all members of County Council voted to approve the projects the County submitted to the commission.
VOTE YES FOR LONG-RANGE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
Janice M. Young, Walterboro
Jean F. Harrigal, Green Pond
