What's a penny worth?: Barnwell County approves penny sales tax project list

*Editor's note: Alexandra Whitbeck is a member of the Barnwell County Animal Shelter board and the Animal Advocates board of directors. 

The Capital Project Sales Tax (CPST) referendum voters will see on the November ballot is a continuation of the penny tax that Barnwell County voters passed in 2016. 

When the 2016 CPST was passed, numerous capital projects were funded in each municipality and in the county, such as the Splash Pad and restroom at Fuller Park in the City of Barnwell and the town hall in Kline. 

According to the CPST Act, a county governing body is authorized to create a six-member CPST commission made of three appointees from the county and three from the municipalities. 

The Barnwell County CPST Commission was created in December 2023 consisting of Fonda Patrick, Don Alexander, David Deering, Jimbo Moody, Lloyd Ward, and Ken Frederick. 

These commission members were responsible for selecting the priority in which the projects will be seen on the ballot and formulates the actual question for the Nov. ballot. The final list was approved by Barnwell County Council on June 13. 

If passed, the projected total collection county-wide would be $17,780,062. This total will be allocated between the county and municipalities based on population. Much of the funding will be bonded to the county and municipalities, allowing multiple projects in each area to begin simultaneously and mitigating the future costs of inflation. 

Here is a look at what the county and each municipality will allocate funding toward if the CPST referendum is passed by voters in November. These projects will be started and funded in the order in which they appear. A ‘yes’ vote approves the entirety of the projects listed below. 

BARNWELL COUNTY

Barnwell County will receive 49.44% of the total funding, equaling $8,790,465. 

1. Animal Shelter Acquisition and Construction Project: $1.8 million 
• This project consists of the county purchasing the Animal Advocate’s Friends 4 Life animal rescue facility on Marlboro Avenue in addition to construction of an intake building. Animal Advocates founder and director Vikki Scott proposed the sale of her rescue facility to the county earlier this year. 
2. Landfill Equipment and Vehicle Acquisition Project: $900,000 
• This project would purchase new equipment to be used at the county’s landfill on Reynolds Road including vehicles like an off road dump truck, an excavator, a front load truck, or a roll off truck. 
3. Courthouse Improvements Project: $1.095 million 
1. This project includes finalizing courthouse renovations such as the elevator and restrooms, and increasing security measures such as implementing more security checks and holding cells.
4. Amphitheater Acquisition and Construction Project: $2.6 million 
• This project includes acquiring land and constructing an amphitheater which would serve as a location for events. Land acquisition is included in this cost, and the county has previously reallocated state recreation-based funding to also put toward this project. 
5. Agricultural Building Improvements Project: $100,000 
• The building located at 34 Pechman Street would undergo maintenance and repairs such as replacing shingles, patching the stucco exterior, repairing lighting and more. 
6. Landfill Redesign and Improvements Project: $1 million 
• This project would redesign the layout of the landfill including the entrance to the C&D portion of the landfill, purchasing a modular scalehouse and new scales, and other improvements to convenience sites. 
7. Water and Sewer Improvement Projects: $1,295,463 
• This project would further improve the water and sewer infrastructure across the county. This could potentially include rural regions as well as increased supply to industrial parks. 

CITY OF BARNWELL 

The City of Barnwell will receive 22.6% of the total CPST funding, equaling $4,018,294. 

1. Fire Station Construction Reimbursement Project: $900,00
2. Police Vehicle Acquisition Project: $350,000
3. Police Department Security Equipment Improvements Project: $50,000
4. Public Works Vehicle and Equipment Acquisition Project: $300,000
5. Parks and Downtown Revitalization Project: $350,000 
6. Fire Department Vehicle Acquisition Project: $700,000
7. Blight Remediation Project: $200,000
8. Water System Improvements and Water Meter Project: $600,000
9. Water Department Building Construction Project: $568,294 

WILLISTON

The Town of Williston will receive 13.98%, totaling $2,485,653. 

1. Public Works and Maintenance Equipment Acquisition Project: $250,000
2. Police Equipment Acquisition Project: $150,000 
3. Fire Equipment Acquisition Project: $150,000
4. Recreation Facilities Improvements and Equipment Acquisition Project: $50,000
5. Town Beautification and Enhancement Project: $236,000
6. Water and Sewer System Improvements Project: $1,649,652 

BLACKVILLE

The Town of Blackville will receive 9.34%, totaling $1,660,657. 

1. Water and Sewer System Improvements: $400,000
2. Blight Remediation Project: $400,000
3. Police Station Improvements Project: $225,000
4. Recreational Facilities Acquisition and Construction Project: $635,657 

HILDA

The Town of Hilda will receive 2.03%, totaling $360,935. 

1. Depot and Caboose Improvement Project: $81,000
2. Storage and Multipurpose Building Construction Project: $76,000 
3. Recreational Facilities Improvements and Equipment Acquisition Project: $78,000 
4. Water System and Storage Improvements Project: $125,935 

SNELLING

The Town of Snelling will receive 1.21%, totaling $215,000.

1. Recreational Facilities and Equipment Improvement Projects: $215,000

KLINE

The Town of Kline will receive 0.72%, totaling $122,586. 

1. Concession Building Improvements Project: $55,430 
2. Town Hall Facility and Equipment Improvement Project: $37,378
3. Small Town Hall Improvements Project: $6,800
4. Fire Station Improvements Project: $11,800
5. Storage Building Acquisition and Construction Project: $8,866
6. Public Works Equipment Acquisition Project: $7,742

ELKO 

The Town of Elko will receive 0.68%, totaling $89,329. 

1. Town Hall Parking Lot Pavement Repair and Drainage Improvement Project: $35,000
2. Parks and Recreation Equipment Acquisition Project: 54,329. 

For more information on the use of the 2016 CPST funding, visit the April 9, 2024 article in The People-Sentinel titled ‘$17.8 million projected for penny sales tax renewal.’