County Council will be lending some help to towns wanting to submit new projects for consideration under the capital penny sales tax.

To be eligible for consideration to be put on the list of penny tax projects, proposals must first be sponsored by the county, be from a town, or through the Newberry County Water and Sewer Authority.

The county will then fund engineering and construction professionals to assist the entities in preparing the project proposals.

The council hopes the engineering and construction expertise will help ensure accurate bids and construction estimates for the projects.

The council is also encouraging the Capital Sales Tax Commission not to put any project on the ballot which has not had the expert review.

However, those proposing the projects may contract with their own firms.

Entities requesting the expert advice at the cost of the county must do so by Jan. 11 at 5 p.m.

Individuals and organizations asking sponsorship of the county must submit requests by Feb. 9 at noon.

The deadline for all penny tax project submissions for consideration to the commission is March 10.

The commission will make its recommendations to council on which projects to include on the referendum list May 17.

Once the Capital Penny Sales Tax Commission has finalized its list of projects, the contracted engineers and construction professionals will compile a uniformly formatted catalogue of all the projects.

This catalogue will be available for the public’s review on the county’s Web site, at the libraries, and available by request at the county administrator’s office.

Residents will vote on the proposed penny tax project list Nov. 2, 2010.

Questions about the penny tax, or the submission of forms, can be made to County Administrator Wayne Adams by phone at 321-2100; mail 1309 College St., Newberry, SC 29145 or via e-mail at wadams@newberrycounty.net or to lrenwick@newberrycounty.net.

Forms are available at the Adams’ office or at NewberryCounty.net.