$17.8 million projected for penny sales tax renewal

*Editor's note: Alexandra Whitbeck is a member of the Barnwell County Animal Shelter board and the Animal Advocates board of directors. Reporter Eljiah deCastro wrote the section under the subheader ‘Animal Shelter.’ Whitbeck wrote the other portions of the article.

Voters will see a referendum on the November ballot to continue the 1 percent capital projects sales tax (CPST), or penny sales tax, in Barnwell County.

If approved, an estimated $17,780,062.25 will be available to be used for capital projects, according to the S.C. Revenue and Fiscal Affairs Office (SCRFAO).

This total allotment will be split between the county and municipalities based on population determined in the 2020 census.

Although $17.8 million will be flowing into the county throughout the duration of the seven-year tax period, the county and municipalities can receive a large portion of this money upfront to begin projects through bonding.

The total estimated bond amount available is $13,138,125, according to SCRFAO – meaning this money will be received upon the bond’s issuance. The remainder of the allotment will be issued to the respective county or municipality during the tax period.

SCRFAO estimated a total $19.7 million to be yielded by the county through CPST. However, this figure represents the allotment before deducting the costs associated with issuing a bond totaling $1,935,423.75, leaving a usable $17.8 million with $13.1 million to be bonded out.

The county, city, and each town took part in appointing a six-person commission, per state law, to consider proposals for funding projects, formulate a referendum question to appear on the ballot, and submit the proposed question to the county council with enough time for them to approve it. Individual projects are determined by the respective council.

“Ultimately, the projects and the CPST’s referendum will be determined by the CPST Commission, which has six members, three appointed by county council, one appointed by the City of Barnwell via a state-statute population formula, and two selected by Williston, Blackville, Elko, Hilda, Kline, and Snelling,” said Barnwell County administrator Tim Bennett.

Barnwell County Council appointed local businessman Don Alexander, Town of Blackville administrator Fonda Patrick, and retired law enforcement officer David Deering. First Baptist Church of Blackville Reverend Ken Frederick, former City of Barnwell councilman Jimbo Moody, and retired county coroner Lloyd Ward have been appointed by the municipalities in the county. Patrick was appointed as chairperson of the commission.

The last time voters saw this referendum on the ballot was in 2016. It passed and funded projects such as the town hall building in Kline and the City of Barnwell’s splash pad in Fuller Park. If passed in November 2024, the CPST will not act as an additional tax, but a continuation of the tax passed by voters in 2016.

In 2016, the county received a total bonded allotment of $13,971,328 – $833,203 more than the 2024 estimated allotment. This is reflective of a decrease in overall population in the past eight years.

The county attempted to pass a referendum in 2014, however, it was struck down by voters.

The county and each municipality have crafted a list of projects to allocate CPST funding to if the referendum passes.

BARNWELL COUNTY

Barnwell County will receive the largest portion of the CPST, if passed, with 49.4 percent of the total allotment. This percentage is based on the population of the county, which totaled 10,177 at the 2020 census.

The county will receive $8,790,462.78 in total with an initial bonded amount of $6,495,489.

The county received roughly $6.9 million from the 2016 CPST. The county used $200,000 toward a transfer station renovation, $3.6 million in courthouse repairs, $2 million in water/sewer improvements, $1 million to purchase the Southern Carolina Alliance building on Irving Street, and $125,0000 to replace the landfill scale house.

2024 projects include a redesign of the county landfill, purchasing a new animal shelter facility, finalizing courthouse repairs, constructing an amphitheater, and renovating the agricultural building.

Landfill:

Improvements to the landfill include designing and relocating the entrance to the C&D landfill, purchasing a modular scalehouse, installing new scales, refurbishing the cardboard building along with a new bailer, and various equipment; totaling roughly $1.9 million requested in CPST funding.

Equipment includes an articulated/off road dump truck for roughly $436,000, an excavator/track hoe for $217,000, a front load truck for $385,844, and a roll off truck of $300,000.

An additional $35,000 will be requested to make improvements to convenience sites with new sheds and restrooms. Sheds will be installed at sites in Snelling, on Highway 3, on Reedy Branch Road, on Spur Branch Road in Williston, and in the Healing Springs region.

This project was proposed in conjunction with LaBella Associates, an engineering firm partnered with the county to address issues like landfill lifespan – something that has been a topic among county council in recent months.

The lack of reliable equipment at the landfill has trickled down to issues at convenience sites across the county with receptacles being overfilled because the truck to empty it is in the shop.

Animal Shelter:

A $1.5 million proposal by Vikki Scott, founder of Barnwell non-profit organization Animal Advocates, would involve a buyout of their rescue facility as well as other resources.

Animal Advocates' facility, the Friends for Life Center (F4LC), has an estimated value of $2.5 million; Animal Advocates is asking the county for $1.5 million to purchase the facility. The building, which is 5,000+ square feet and is in move-in condition, would serve as the county's new animal shelter.

Animal Advocates' proposal also includes paying the county $115,000 a year to continue the employment of five of their current employees, and a $30,000 request for purchasing their cargo van.

The county would also pay for several necessary changes to the facility with CPST funding, like dishwashers, uniforms and larger lockers, as well as an additional kennel building. These costs are included in the $2 million that the project requests.

Courthouse:

Finalizing courthouse renovations and increasing security measures is included in the $1.25 million CPST request.

Finishing the installation of an elevator, creating an ADA compliant upstairs bathroom, implementing security checks, and adding a holding cell are all included.

Sheriff Steve Griffith and Clerk of Court/Register of Deeds Rhonda McElveen explained to the council that incarcerated individuals can only be brought from the detention center to appear in court in pairs. This slows the court process as time is lost in transit. A holding cell would alleviate this issue.

Additionally, when the courthouse is closed due to continual repairs, incarcerated individuals are held at the detention center longer, slowing the judicial process.

Further security checks would ensure the safety of the public and the courthouse staff.

Sheriff Griffith and McElveen explained numerous issues prevented the projects from being completed with the allotment of funding from the 2016 CPST funding such as increased costs and unforeseen complications.

Amphitheater:

A $4.5 million project to build an amphitheater at Lake Edgar Brown was proposed to the council. $3 million is asked to be funded with CPST revenue, and the remaining $1.5 million from funds previously reallocated from the state.

An amphitheater would serve as a location for large and medium sized events and aid in the recent recreation efforts made by the county and municipalities.

Land acquisition is included in this cost. The amphitheater would potentially be located on currently wooded land surrounding the lake.

Agricultural Building:

The county-owned agricultural building located at 34 Pechman Street is in need of repair. It currently houses the county’s Veteran Affairs office and Clemson Extension office.

Repairs include replacing shingles, patching the stucco exterior, installing vinyl soffit in the porch, new floor coverings, replacing interior lighting, updating a restroom to be ADA compliant, and more for an estimated cost of $213,000 including materials and labor.

CITY OF BARNWELL

The City of Barnwell has a total population of 4,652, meaning the city will receive 22.6 percent of the total CPST allotment. This equates to $4,018,294.07 with a bonded amount of $2,969,216.25.

The city is considering numerous projects including using part of the funding to finish building the firehouse. This would prevent the city from having to seek other ways to pay the general obligation bond such as raising property taxes.

Other projects include purchasing a street sweeper, continuing blight programs to address dilapidated buildings, updating police vehicles, and water infrastructure improvements.

In 2016, the city received roughly $2.9 million in CPST revenue: $1.8 million built the new police department, $350,000 built the splash pad in Fuller Park, $650,000 was used to make sewer improvements, and $133,979 built restrooms at Fuller Park.

TOWN OF WILLISTON

The Town of Williston is set to receive 13.98 percent of the allotment totaling $2,485,652.70 and an initial bonded amount of $1,836,709.88.

The town prioritizing CPST allocations towards water and sewer improvements, updates for equipment, infrastructure, and operations, as well as police equipment and software, fire department equipment, and recreational and beautification projects.

With the 2016 CPST funding, the town purchased a $35,000 backhoe, put $375,00 into upgrading town parks, spent $1.4 million on water system improvements, and $100,000 on sewer system improvements.

TOWN OF BLACKVILLE

The Town of Blackville makes up 9.34 percent of the county in population. The town will be receiving $1,660,657.81 and a bonded amount of $1,227,100.88.

The town is considering allotting the funding to create walking trails, re-stripe the town’s parking areas and roadways, repair the water fountain, and enhance recreation.

The town was allotted a total of $1.4 million from the 2016 vote. $900,000 of this was used for water/sewer system improvements, $500,000 to remediate blighted areas, and $75,000 for a police substation.

At a CPST workshop held by and for members of the Blackville Town Council, Mayor Ronnie Pernell explained the town was still in the process of using funding allotted for a police substation from the 2016 tax.

The town is considering spending the remaining funding to install cameras around town and equipment in patrol units.

HILDA

The Town of Hilda is set to receive a total of $360,935.26, with an initial bonded amount of $266,703.94.

With their roughly $115,000 allotment in 2016, the Town of Hilda purchased a town shed and equipment, renovated the railroad depot, and repaired the town hall.

SNELLING

A total of $215,138.75 is allotted for the Town of Snelling, with an initial bonded amount of $158,971.31.

In the 2016 tax, the Town of Snelling received $100,000 to construct a picnic shelter at their town park and $60,000 for general park improvements.

KLINE

The Town of Kline has 148 residents and will receive a total of $128,016.45 from CPST revenue. The initial bonded amount the town will receive is $94,594.50.

The town received $180,000 in the 2016 allotment to construct the current town hall/community center building on Kings Street.

ELKO

The Town of Elko will receive an initial bonded amount of $89,339.25 with the town’s total revenue from the tax being 120,904.42. Elko has a population of 140 making it the smallest in the county.

The Town of Elko received $44,000 for water system improvements, $12,000 for replacing fire hydrants, and $28,000 to construct a farmer’s market structure – totaling $84,000 for the 2016 CPST revenue.