Where Richland penny tax support was weakest, what that means for upcoming Lexington vote
Richland County voted earlier this month to keep its 1% transportation tax. The extension of the often controversial penny tax passed with more than 60% of the vote, but not every part of the county felt the same about it.
Almost every precinct in Richland County supported keeping the tax, with at least 50% voting in favor, except for seven precincts in the northwest corner of the county, where the Chapin and Irmo communities are split by the county line.
In those precincts, less than 50% of voters supported keeping the penny. The Spring Hill precinct near Chapin had the lowest degree of support, with just under 42% voting in favor of keeping the tax.
Across the county line from these areas dominated by penny tax skeptics, Lexington leaders continue to advocate adding their own penny tax to keep up with maintenance on deteriorating and overtaxed roads. The measure has been put before voters twice in the last decade, failing both times.
Leaders said they weren’t necessarily surprised by the diverging takes on the penny shown by voters around Chapin, Irmo and parts of the Blythewood area. But given these areas’ closeness and similarity to much of Lexington County, could they be an indicator for how their neighbors across the county line will vote should it be back on the ballot in 2026 as it’s expected to be?
Fiscally conservative area
“Fiscal conservatives don’t vote themselves taxes,” said Richland County Councilman Don Weaver, agreeing that the areas of the county that showed the least amount of support for the penny tax are ideologically closer to most of Lexington than the majority of Richland County.
Weaver, a Republican, is one of two county council members who was vocally reluctant to support Richland County’s penny tax extension, in part because he disagreed with establishing the tax for 25 years, which is what voters approved this year.
But he ultimately chose to back the tax because he has seen it make an impact for residents through projects like widening Clemson Road and paying for the COMET bus system.
For Lexington County residents to support a similar tax, he said he thinks leaders there need to give specific examples of what the tax will improve.
He thinks county leaders could accomplish this by starting with a shorter time frame.
“I certainly wouldn’t go for 25 years,” Weaver said, adding he thinks Lexington County should ask voters to support the tax for five years so residents can see results sooner, and then they may be more likely to support a longer tax in the future.
Jason Branham, the Richland County Councilman who represents the Chapin and Irmo area, said he understands why his constituents were less supportive of the tax.
“The most noteworthy project of the 2012 penny tax [for my district] was the widening of Broad River Road. And while that is in the works, it has not yet occurred,” Branham said.
Another major project on Broad River was cut, though it’s now been added back to the county’s list of projects they will likely begin in 2027. His district also does not get COMET bus service, which is paid for with the transportation tax dollars, and he said his constituents aren’t looking to add that service.
“I am however happy to note that my area has a relatively high household income and is a major payer into the transportation tax program.” he added.
Past problems
The county has also gotten into trouble in the past for mismanaging tax dollars, leading to a years-long legal battle with the state’s Department of Revenue. At one point, Richland faced a $154 million deficit in getting all of its $1 billion transportation improvement program completed. The state Department of Revenue also challenged $40 million in county spending as improper, leading to a 2021 settlement agreement that required Richland County to pay $15.5 million back into the roads program.
Branham said the combination of paying for a bus system they don’t use, being promised work that hasn’t happened and the county’s past mishandling of the tax dollars is why he thinks his district was the least supportive.
Beth Carrigg, chair of Lexington County Council, said she’s not sure if Richland’s recent penny tax push has many lessons for her county.
“Richland County has been much more aggressive in their development,” she said. “It’s a larger county, about 250,000 more people than us. I can’t imagine how much mileage that means. They get lots of visitors coming to the university, for football games, for concerts, and that’s different from our needs.
She agreed the Richland precincts neighboring Chapin would vote similarly to their Chapin neighbors, but that more urbanized areas like West Columbia might vote more closely to their neighbors right across the Congaree River, who mostly voted in favor of Richland’s penny tax.
“Chapin, like all municipalities, they want to grow,” Carrigg said. “We’ve talked about that significantly, and spent more money for projects they would like to see happen. [But] I think outside that, they don’t want to be like Richland County … [like] out in Lower Richland, they’re growing by leaps and bounds, but some would like to maintain their rural characteristics.”
Greg Brewer, a Lexington County Republican who previously ran for Lexington Town Council, thinks his county could make the case to voters for why the transportation tax is needed – but he worries about how that case will be presented.
“You have to meet [voters] on their own terms, in … the ways you keep them informed. And I just don’t feel like there’s a concerted effort and energy to pull that off,” Brewer said.
Show the work
Lexington County Councilman Darrell Hudson said the best argument for a penny tax is the work that’s already been done on Richland’s roadways. He noted that the latest penny tax vote in Richland County passed by a wider margin than the controversial 2012 referendum that initially put the tax in place.
“The reason is that people saw that the penny tax was working,” Hudson said. “I voted against before I became a county councilman, and now as the chair of public works, I see the numbers, I see the reality of what we need.”
At some point, Hudson said, “either we pass the penny tax or people stop complaining about the roads.”
Brewer agreed with Weaver that the county should consider a tax with a shorter time horizon, which he thinks could help earn the public’s trust as well.
Other neighboring counties also have road-improvement taxes, Hudson said, and their advantage is not just that those taxes raise more money than others council could impose – almost $500 million over eight years according to 2022 estimates, versus $8 million a year if Lexington County had passed a since-abandoned road user fee. It’s also that many of those who will end up paying a sales tax will not be Lexington County residents – as many as 40%, Hudson estimates.
“If someone offers to make 40% of your house payment, why would you say no?” he added.
For her part, Carrigg stressed the county tried to focus the 2022 project list solely on road-related repairs, but voters still rejected that proposal. Lexington County is in the process of appointing the commission to draw up a new list of projects for potential placement on the 2026 ballot.
Carrigg said she hoped any future penny tax referendum in Lexington County ballot will generate similar levels of support from community leaders that the Richland County effort did.
“A lot of municipalities were behind us, the Chamber [of Commerce] was behind us, but our [legislative] delegation was not behind it, and until they do get behind it, I don’t think it will ever happen.”
Community support
Angelle LaBorde, president and CEO of the Lexington Chamber and Visitors Center, told The State her organization is still supportive of a penny tax.
“In 2022, the Lexington Chamber led the charge in trying to share facts and educate voters on the proposed projects,” LaBorde said in a statement. “Looking towards the possibility of a penny tax being on the ballot in 2026, we are cautiously optimistic that Lexington voters, like Richland County voters, will see the benefits of the penny. All of our neighboring counties utilize a 1% sales tax to fund critical needs, community projects, infrastructure and road maintenance.”
As it stands now, “Lexington County now shoulders the burden and with limited resources,” she said.
“Should a 1% sales tax pass in the future, this burden could be shifted to visitors and those traveling through our county to generate funds to help with critical infrastructure and road maintenance needs.”
Brewer said he would like to see the county work harder to speak directly with residents about what they want the tax to accomplish and how it can happen, more than just the communication that’s given at official council meetings. He added that from attending Lexington County Council meetings, he has “gotten a much more favorable impression that they have a greater handle on how they manage their finances.”
Carrigg expressed a similar sentiment, saying Lexington County leaders will need to reach more voters with information about a potential penny tax if they hope to get it passed this time around.
“It’s harder to get the world out, short of doing commercials,” Carrigg said. “And God forbid we spend taxpayer dollars on commercials.”
.jpg)
