Charleston County Council approves third and final reading of 2026 Transportation Sales Tax ordinance

Proposed Transportation Sales Tax referendum will go before voters on November 3, 2026.

Charleston County Council voted on July 21 to approve the third and final reading of the 2026 Transportation Sales Tax (TST) program ordinance, finalizing ballot language to be placed before voters on November 3, 2026.

County staff will submit the approved ballot language to the South Carolina Election Commission by the August 17, 2026, deadline.

The allocation amounts and projects approved by Council tonight are attached.

If approved by voters, the measure would continue the existing 2004 half-cent Transportation Sales Tax when the program completes collections, which is projected to occur in 2027. The 2026 program is expected to generate approximately $4.25 billion over 25 years.

The final program approved by County Council includes:

• $2.7 billion (63.57%) to Roadway Infrastructure
• $858 million (20.19%) to Public Transit
• $690 million (16.24%) to the Greenbelt Program

Following second reading, County Council made final adjustments to the proposed project list based on requests from municipalities and their constituents. Those changes include:

• Within the Roadway Infrastructure category, add $17 million for Palmetto Commerce Interchange noise wall
• Within the Roadway Infrastructure category, remove $12 million for Ladson Rd at Miles Jamison Rd
• Within the Roadway Infrastructure category remove $5 million for RR Overpass Preliminary Engineering – Azalea / Stromboli and Noisette / Virgina Ave
• Within the Public Transit category, reduce the Downtown Route Study by $2 million
• Within the Bike and Pedestrian category (Roadway Infrastructure), add $2 million for Huger St Bike/Ped Improvements

Additionally, Council voted to include the following sentence to the updated ballot language: “All featured projects, intersection projects, pavement management projects, and all other projects shall consider the inclusion of bicycle, pedestrian, and public transit access in the design process, as contextually appropriate.”

Residents are encouraged to review the final Transportation Sales Tax program, project information, and additional educational materials at CharlestonTransportation.com.