Tuesday poses decisions beyond candidates
Constitutional Amendment 1
What it says:
“Beginning with the general election of 2018, must Section 8 of Article IV of the Constitution of this State be amended to provide that the Lieutenant Governor must be elected jointly with the Governor in a manner prescribed by law; and upon the joint election to add Section 37 to Article III of the Constitution of this State to provide that the Senate shall elect from among the members thereof a President to preside over the Senate and to perform other duties as provided by law; to delete Sections 9 and 10 of Article IV of the Constitution of this State containing inconsistent provisions providing that the Lieutenant Governor is President of the Senate, ex officio, and while presiding in the Senate, has no vote, unless the Senate is equally divided; to amend Section 11 to provide that the Governor shall fi ll a vacancy in the Office of Lieutenant Governor by appointing a successor with the advice and consent of the Senate; and to amend Section 12 of Article IV of the Constitution of this State to conform appropriate references?”
What it means:
Voting yes: Starting in 2018, the governor and lieutenant governor would run on the same ticket, and the lieutenant governor wouldn’t preside over the state Senate. Instead, the Senate would elect its own top officer.
Voting no: The governor and lieutenant governor would still run separate campaigns and be elected independently, and the lieutenant governor would still preside over the Senate.
Richland County Sales Tax
What it says:
“I approve a special sales and use tax in the amount of one percent (1 percent) to be imposed in Richland County, South Carolina (the “County”) for not more than twenty-two (22) years, or until a total of $1,070,000,000 in sales tax revenue has been collected, whichever occurs first. The sales tax revenue will be used to pay the costs of administrative expenses and the following projects:
Project 1: Improvements to highways, roads (paved and unpaved), streets, intersections, and bridges including related drainage system improvements. Amount: $656,020,644
Project 2: Continued operation of mass transit services provided by Central Midlands Regional Transit Authority including implementation of near, mid and long-term service improvements. Amount: $300,991,000
Project 3: Improvements to pedestrian sidewalks, bike paths, intersections and greenways. Amount: $80,888,356”
What it means:
Voting yes: In Richland County, the sales tax would increase by 1 cent per dollar, to 8 cents per dollar for most purchases or to 2 cents per dollar on groceries over the next 22 years. The tax would raise $1.07 billion to carry out infrastructure projects, including roads, bridges, bike paths and greenways, and to fund the Midlands’ bus system.
Voting no: The sales tax would remain 7 cents per dollar for most purchases or 1 cent per dollar for groceries.
Sales Tax, part 2
What it says:
“I approve t he issuance of not exceeding $450,000,000 of general obligation bonds of Richland County, payable from the special sales and use tax described in Question 1 above, maturing over a period not to exceed twenty-two (22) years, to fund projects from among the categories described in Question 1 above.”
What it means:
Voting yes: Richland County would issue bonds to raise money for the projects listed in the sales tax proposal. They would be paid off with the tax’s revenue.
Voting no: The county wouldn’t be allowed to issue bonds for the projects in the tax proposal.