Appetite for meal tax grows among Lexington County communities

The meal tax is being added to the menu in more Lexington County communities.

Officials in West Columbia and Springdale are starting to explore addition of a tax of up to two pennies on the dollar on restaurant dining, take-out food, some snacks and bar tabs.

As it has elsewhere, the prospect of paying a little bit extra encounters mixed reaction.

“I’m not a fan of paying more, but that’s the way it goes,” said Donna Lorick of West Columbia as she headed to lunch Thursday at Zesto.

Other diners at the restaurant shrugged off the tax as inconsequential.

“It’s part of the price of going out,” Eric Mendenhall of Columbia said.

If the tax is adopted by both communities, the number of municipalities in a county known for financial conservatism would double to four of 14.

Use of what’s officially known as a hospitality tax is limited to promoting tourism, but local leaders have wide discretion in defining that.

It can be adopted by local officials without voter approval.

Interest in the tax is growing among West Columbia officials mainly to pay for additional public parking and upkeep of the trail along the Congaree River, both popular gathering spots for visitors. The tax could produce up to $1 million a year, according to preliminary estimates.

“We’re going to take a look at it,” Mayor Bobby Horton said.

The move comes after the Greater Cayce-West Columbia Chamber of Commerce recommended adoption of the tax as a way to enhance local recreation and beautification.

In a letter to West Columbia officials, chamber president Gregg Pinner said the tax would help “develop a stronger, vibrant business community.”

Officials in adjoining Springdale are exploring the tax as a way to pay for a proposed walking and bicycling path along Wattling Road and landscaping on major streets.

“We need to start thinking about it,” Mayor Michael Bishop said.

No estimate on what the tax would produce for the town has been made yet.

Leaders in both communities emphasize they will consider public reaction before proceeding. Two discussion sessions on the tax are planned in West Columbia during the next two weeks.

There’s no interest among county leaders in adopting the tax despite a suggestion from Pinner that it may be on their table soon.

“I don’t believe there’s any appetite for that,” County Council chairman Todd Cullum of Cayce said. “It’s not applicable to what we focus on.”

County leaders concentrate on improving roads and adding deputies, firefighters and ambulance crews to keep pace with steady growth.

Meanwhile, some Zesto customers are dismayed at paying a bit more for fried chicken and ice cream that attracts diners across the Midlands.

“We pay enough in taxes as it is,” said Don Fouche of Irmo, who occasionally comes to events on the riverfront. “For me, it’s not worth what they say it would do.”

But like others, Fouche won’t end his habit to dining there if the tax is adopted.

Other diners want leaders of both communities to develop a plan on use of the tax and guarantee it will be followed.

Lack of that “would bother me more than the tax itself,” said Susan Buchanan of Blythewood, a town that has it already. “I would want accountability.”