The first choice of the Capital Projects Sales Tax Commission was to decide if the projects should be funded through a bond, or on a pay-as-the-money-comes-in basis.
The commission chose the bond method, which will let all of the projects begin at the same time. The ballot will give the county the authorization to issue bonds for the project not to exceed $15.625 million.
After having listened to presentations about all 32 projects, the commission members previously graded the merit of each project. The grades were added together and ranked.
With an estimated $15.6 million in tax revenue, the commission then decided to choose the top 10 projects with the exception of the second-ranked project, the Mid-Carolina Commerce Park being excluded.
The commission then decided to add $930,000 of the $2.5 million requested by the Mid-Carolina Commerce Park back to the project list in a second-tier list.
This will pay for 90 feet of roadway and extend sewer lines for the second phase of the industrial park development.
Also on the second-tier list are fire substations at Highway 156 and Old Whitmire Road, Belfast and Brehmer roads and Leitzsey and New Hope roads.
The $2 million in the second tier of projects will be funded through interest on bond revenues and taxes, an increase in tax revenue and money left over from other projects.
However, all 13 projects will simply appear in one list on the ballot.
After the commission gave unanimous approval of the ballot, Pomaria Mayor Darryl Hentz voiced his displeasure of the ballot.
Hentz said he was disappointed about how the projects were “railroaded through” the process.
“Some of these are no more than pet projects,” said Hentz, adding he has received and made calls about not supporting the tax since Pomaria does not have a project on the list.
Pomaria submitted projects for community center renovations and creek stabilization.
“One community submitted six projects and five of those are ahead of mine,” he added.
County Council Clerk Laurie Renwick stated the community Hentz was referring to was Prosperity, and only five points on the grading scale separated a Pomaria project from two of the Prosperity projects.
Hentz also told the commission that their work was no more than “collusion voting.” Collusion is defined as an agreement, usually illegal and secretive, that occurs between two of more people.
Hentz urged the commission to put together a “better” list.
CPST Chair Dave Waldrop said the job of choosing projects was difficult—pointing out that he lived in the Silverstreet community which did not submit any projects, but he would support the ballot.
He also added the commission did a “heck of a job” and the work was all done in public view and “above board.”
“We did the best we could,” said commissioner Jimmie Coggins.
Commissioners added all of the projects were valid, but there is simply not enough money to do them all.
With the commission signing off on the ballot, the decision-making now shifts to County Council which has responsibility to give the referendum either an up or down vote for inclusion on the ballot in November.
The council has no authority to change which projects are on the list, but simply OK it or reject it.
The proposed ballot
Number Project Description Cost
1 Piedmont Technical College $5,783,100
2 City of Newberry water main replacement $3,570,000
3 Water and Sewer Authority water plant upgrades $2,747,700
4 Prosperity sewer system upgrades, repairs $889,000
5 Whitmire Town Annex renovations $489,260
6 Little Mountain Rocky Branch Creek Trail Head $163,151
7 Opera House renovations and repairs $656,991
8 Council on Aging Senior Center expansion $1,112,707
9 Prosperity Depot relocation and renovations $124,000
10 Mid-Carolina Commerce Park $930,000
11 Fire substation: Highway 176 at Old Whitmire $571,725
12 Fire substation: Belfast at Brehmer roads $216,450
13 Fire substation: Leitzsey at New Hope roads $255,450
Total $17,509,534
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