Aiken County government, school officials promote penny tax in North Augusta (2024)

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Thursday morning was a big push for the renewal of both Aiken County’s and the Aiken County Public School District's one-cent sales taxes, with area leaders one by one promoting the power of the penny before a packed North Augusta Chamber of Commerce.

North Augusta Mayor Briton Williams; Aiken County Council Chairman Gary Bunker; and Dr. Corey Murphy, Aiken County Public School District’s new superintendent, were three quarters of the Chamber’s panel Sept. 12. The other fourth being Mike Budney, who heads up Savannah River Operations at Savannah River Site.

But even if Budney had no sales tax to promote, he did outline the economic impact that SRS, even as its missions have changed over the decades, continues to have on the region– including the population growth here that has been met with those very projects the others touted as having been funded by the penny sales tax.

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Aiken County government, school officials promote penny tax in North Augusta (10)

It was the Chamber’s annual “state of our community” session, and it gave those present a wide-ranging update that started with one of the area’s largest employers (expect SRS to add in the next five years some 9,200 workers to its current on-site workforce of 13,400) and ended with the city of North Augusta’s hope for voters to approve a projected $48.9 million in penny sales tax collections at the ballot box this November – that’s the city’s cut of the full $264 million that this renewal of Aiken County’s Capital Projects Sales Tax is expected to generate between 2026 and 2033.

Aiken County’s Bunker credited the penny tax with keeping the county’s millage rates level over the past decade by bringing in revenues that, as a sales tax, are in part generated by those living outside the county.

North Augusta’s Williams recapped how the city has expended its penny tax collections since its inception in 2000, including those projects funded by the current cycle – approaching $37 million generated since 2018 and that has gone or will go toward the city’s new Public Safety headquarters and the recently completed first phase in the downtown Greeneway connector, among other things.

The city’s wish list for the next cycle, if that renewal is approved, includes several million dollars for park improvements, infrastructure investments and Public Safety needs.

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But this November’s ballot isn’t limited to Aiken County’s ask – Aiken County Public School District is also asking for a renewal of its own one-cent sales tax, the current round of which expires in February.

Should voters give their approval to the school district’s renewal, projected at $398 million over the next 10 years, with as much as 90% of this bonded out for immediate use (should the voters also say “yes” to this ballot question), the top priorities are big refurbishments of four existing Aiken County schools, including North Augusta Middle School, plus the construction of another elementary school for Area Three.

Neither state nor federal dollars are usually viable sources of funding new buildings, Murphy said, and districts are heavily reliant on local funding to keep up with building maintenance and, confronted with growth, building construction.

Aiken County grew by almost 5.5% between 2010 and 2020, and current estimates put the county at having grown another 4.9% since then.

In North Augusta, these numbers are even more pronounced: census data reveal the city grew by more than 14% between 2010 and 2020. The current estimate is that city grew another 6% in just three years.

So, population has gone up. So has cost of construction.

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A decade ago, the cost to build North Augusta High School was about $72 million, Murphy said. Today, it would be about twice that. For an elementary school built to standard in 2014, it was $8 million. Today, with rising construction costs coupled with security updates, it’s more like $40 million to $50 million, he said.

Highland Springs Middle School, completed in time to open for the previous school year, cost $51 million to build.

The ideal, he added, also acknowledging the impracticality of it, would be a lump sum $1.8 billion to have new buildings districtwide.

Aiken County government, school officials promote penny tax in North Augusta (14)

“When you start looking at numbers like that and looking at the fact we’ve refurbished all or replaced all the high schools except for two in the community, then you definitely need to be looking at compromise,” Murphy said.

Without state and federal funding to help with buildings, the district has had to balance routine maintenance with the need for more – or even just new versions of the existing – schools, all of this with what’s typically been a $20 million annual maintenance budget.

Which has led the district to accrue nearly $230 million in deferred maintenance costs, Murphy said. “That is a path that, you can do it for a while, but eventually you need to collect money.”

Aiken County Public School District is hosting an information meeting on the sales tax renewal at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 15 at North Augusta Middle School.

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Elizabeth Hustad covers politics, government and business forThe Post and Courier North Augusta. Follow her on Twitter at @ElizabethHustad.

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Elizabeth Hustad is a reporter with The Post and Courier North Augusta. She covers government, growth and development, and business.

Elizabeth is a graduate of the University of Minnesota and previously worked with a Twin Cities weekly. Her work has appeared in the Minneapolis Star Tribune and MinnPost.

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Aiken County government, school officials promote penny tax in North Augusta (2024)

FAQs

Aiken County government, school officials promote penny tax in North Augusta? ›

Thursday morning was a big push for the renewal of both Aiken County's and the Aiken County Public School District's one-cent sales taxes, with area leaders one by one promoting the power of the penny before a packed North Augusta Chamber of Commerce.

What is the sales tax in Aiken County, South Carolina? ›

What is the sales tax rate in Aiken County? The minimum combined 2024 sales tax rate for Aiken County, South Carolina is 8%. This is the total of state and county sales tax rates. The South Carolina state sales tax rate is currently 6%.

How do local governments get the money to pay for public schools a through sales taxes b through income taxes c through import taxes d through property taxes? ›

Final answer:

Local governments primarily fund public schools through property taxes, which are based on real estate value. Sales taxes also contribute to funding, but property taxes are the most significant revenue source. As property values rise, so does the funding available for public education.

What county has the highest taxes in South Carolina? ›

Richland County has one of the highest average property tax rates in South Carolina, as its effective rate stands at 0.87%. In Columbia, the total mill rate is more 500 mills.

What is exempt from sales tax in South Carolina? ›

Tax-exempt goods

Examples include most non-prepared food items, prescription drugs, and medical supplies. We recommend businesses review the laws and rules put forth by the South Carolina Department of Revenue to stay up to date on which goods are taxable and which are exempt, and under what conditions.

What is the 80 80 rule? ›

The “80/80 rule” applies when more than 80 percent of your sales are food and more than 80 percent of the food you sell is taxable. If the 80/80 rule applies and you do not separately track sales of cold food products sold to-go, you are responsible for tax on 100 percent of your sales.

Are public schools funded by local property taxes? ›

The Connection Between Property Taxes and Education Funding

A significant portion of property taxes are allocated to public schools. The exact percentage can vary depending on the municipality and the community's needs. Generally, these funds are used to cover expenses such as: Teacher salaries.

What tax provides most funding for public schools? ›

Today, local property taxes account for only about 21% of school funding in California. State income taxes make up the bulk of the funding.

What is the sales tax in Easley SC? ›

Easley sales tax details

The minimum combined 2024 sales tax rate for Easley, South Carolina is 7.0%. This is the total of state, county, and city sales tax rates. The South Carolina sales tax rate is currently 6.0%.

What is current SC sales tax? ›

Sales Tax is imposed on the sale of goods and certain services in South Carolina. The statewide Sales &​ Use Tax rate is six percent (6%). Counties may impose an additional one percent (1%) local sales tax if voters in that county approve the tax. Generally, all retail sales are subject to the Sales Tax.

Is there tax on food in Aiken SC? ›

The Hospitality Tax is a 1% sales tax on all prepared food and beverage that the business collects and remits back to the City of Aiken.

What is the tax on cars in Aiken County? ›

Personal property: 10.5% Railroads, airlines, pipelines (real and personal property): 9.5% Personal passenger motor vehicles: 6.0%

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