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NORTH CHARLESTON — A last-minute change to Charleston County’s transportation sales tax project list could fund a sound wall the Northwood Estates neighborhood has been seeking for at least 15 years but at the cost of several plans for the city’s South End.
Charleston County Council is scheduled for a final vote July 21 on the transportation sales tax referendum planned for the November ballot which will ask voters to support a 25-year half-percent sales tax to raise $4.25 billion, primarily for transportation projects.
County Councilman Teddie Pryor previously said he would seek to amend the plan to include the sound wall sought along Interstate 26. Council Chairman Joe Boykin said North Charleston’s Mayor Reggie Burgess has been driving the push for the sound wall and obtained an opinion from the state Attorney General that sales tax money could be used for the work.
“It really wasn’t Teddie (Pryor) wanting the money, it’s Mayor Burgess,” said Boykin.
The county has made a point of including projects supported by mayors of the county’s largest cities in order to build support for the referendum.
If changed, the sound wall money — an estimated $20 million — would have to come from other North Charleston projects that have been on the county’s list for months.
The projects that potentially would be defunded include $10 million for “last mile” connections to the planned Lowcountry Rapid Transit line, $5 million for Reynolds Avenue improvements and $5 million for preliminary engineering for overpasses over rail lines.
“They are important to the South End,” said the area’s city councilman, Michael Brown.
North Charleston Councilman Brandon Hudson, who represents the neighboring Park Circle area, said last-minute changes to the sales tax project list “seem to undermine months of work.”
“These projects were vetted and prioritized by staff,” Hudson said. He said City Council was not involved in potential changes to the project list.
Through a city spokesman, Burgess declined to comment.
“The Mayor does want it to be included, however the ultimate decision lies with County Council,” spokesman Tony Tassarotti wrote in a text.
Boykin said any changes would depend on the planned County Council vote.
“Which projects get cut are still in the air right now,” said Boykin.
North Charleston Councilwoman Stephanie Ganaway-Pasley, whose district includes Northwoods Estates, said she has participated in discussions with county officials, but she has not been assured a sound barrier will be built if the sales tax passes.
“I believe it should be at the top of the list,” she said. “Residents that live adjacent to I-26 continue to experience this excessive traffic noise that directly affects quality of life.”
The County Council meeting is scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. at 4045 Bridge View Dr., North Charleston.
