SWANSEA, S.C. — Lexington County is planning to use community feedback from surveys to create possible penny tax projects that will be voted on in November of 2022.
This tax is being considered by Lexington County council members, like Scott Whetstone, who represents district one, which includes Pelion, Gaston, Swansea, Sandy Run, parts of Edmund and Fairview.
"We are surrounded by counties that already have a penny tax to fund their roads," Whetstone said. "Lexington County does not have one. Our school systems get that, so the majority of the taxes in Lexington County go to the school system, not to the county." said Whetstone,
The tax, if approved, would mean you’d have to pay an additional penny on every dollar of a taxable item’s purchase price in Lexington County.
Whetstone said he’d only vote for a penny tax that would focus on roads and storm drainage.
"We do not need this tax going for sidewalks or street signs or new buildings. We need it for infrastructure and infrastructure only," Whetstone said.
Residents we spoke with feel the same way. They want their roads paved and cleared of potholes, but some are not too happy with how things are now.
"Why is paying taxes they want to enact right now going to do something different? Why is it going to do something different?" Swansea resident Hector Torres said. "They’ve had a long time to do something about this town and everything’s been sitting the same way since I got here."
Torres has lived in Swansea with his wife Esmeralda for 14 years, since 2008.
"We don’t have a problem when they increase taxes if they put into our neighborhoods,: Torres said. "But, if they’re going to increase taxes to put it someplace else or not do that much about our neighborhood, it hurts the people that live here,"
If you're looking to give feedback and live in Swansea or Lexington County, email or call the county council representative for your district. You can find that contact information here.
You can email the Swansea mayor at vmcdaniel@comporium.net or call 803- 568-2835.
Lastly, you can comment on their Facebook post here.