Citizens demand right to decide roads future
May 7, 2014
GREENVILLE, SC – A group of Greenville residents from all parts of the county have joined together to form Citizens for a Better Greenville County – a community effort to let voters decide this November whether to repair local infrastructure.
“It is time to stop letting politics be a roadblock to road repair,” said Bob Knight, a group spokesman. “This is the best opportunity in a generation to take action repair our roadways.”
The group was formed in response to a report created by Greenville County Citizens Roads Advisory Commission, whose goal was to engage the community on what needs to be done with infrastructure in our county. That included finding the best long-term solution to highways, roads, streets, bridges and sidewalks in Greenville.
As part of the announcement of its creation, Citizens for a Better Greenville County listed several of the key community groups that already are showing support for letting residents vote this November. This includes The Home Builders Association of Greenville, the Greater Greenville Association of Realtors, the Greer Chamber of Commerce, the Greenville Chamber of Commerce, the Mauldin Chamber, and City Councils in Mauldin, Greer, Greenville and Travelers Rest.
The group also unveiled a slogan of “My Roads, My Vote” – showing it wants local voters to make the decision this November.
“If we want Greenville to be one of the premier places to live and work then we need to look at our infrastructure,” said Mike Freeman, president of the Home Builders Association of Greenville. “And it needs to be the people of Greenville who need to make the decision. Let the voters decide.”
The Citizens for a Better Greenville County stated that it wants to see a referendum on the Greenville County Citizens Roads Advisory Commission’s plan and believes it needs to be passed for several reasons.
Safety: Better roads means safety. They cut down on vehicle damage, make getting to schools safer, allow emergency vehicles better and quicker access. Many EMS and fire routes are extended because their vehicles cannot cross these structures during emergencies. Over time this will raise homeowner insurance rates and will especially be impactful in rural areas.
Economic development: Improved infrastructure will improve business efficiency and low costs, ensures the roads infrastructure can support the growing population, and the funding of infrastructure projects will itself create jobs and support the local economy.
Quality of Life: Improved roadways help reduce sprawl by making residential and commercial infill projects more viable. Greenville County has doubled its population size in 20 years, but the roads have not kept up.
Monetary control: The plan calls for broad based contributions from everyone. It is the only viable revenue option to fix our roads. An estimated 30 percent of taxes will be paid by non-Greenville County citizens. There will be almost no impact on the tax base as many consumer items are exempt such as groceries and medicine. More importantly there is no tax on mortgage/rent payments, utility payments, gas, all services, property taxes, income taxes – zero sales tax. For the average household in Greenville earning $47,500 per year, the sales tax will be less than the cost of one car repair.
If County Council members stall the vote, the alternative is state Transportation Department roads are currently on 83-year repaving cycle. Greenville County Roads care on a 51-year repaving cycle. A large percentage of roads and bridges are rated as substandard or deficient. There is no legitimate funding plan being discussed at the state level.
“Our roads are in dire need of repair and the longer we push off these repairs, the more it will cost,” Knight said. “It is time for Greenville County to be proactive instead of reactive. Let the people vote. Fix our roads. We can’t wait.”
About The Citizens for a Better Greenville County
The Citizens for a Better Greenville County is a local initiative to allow all Greenville residents the opportunity to decide the best way to fund infrastructure improvements county wide.
