OUR VIEW: ‘Yes’ vote invests in now, our future

Come Tuesday, if you’re a voter in Greenwood County, you might find yourself in a quandary as you try to decide how to cast your ballot in the presidential election. There’s one vote, however, that should already be cemented in your mind, and that’s the decision to vote yes for the capital project sales tax.

Specifically, the referendum on the ballot reads: “Must a special one percent (1%) sales and use tax be imposed in Greenwood County for not more than eight (8) years to raise the amounts specified for the following purposes?”

Yes. Yes it must be imposed if Greenwood County is going to continue its upward trek in terms of economic development and quality of life. Just this past week a project that was years in the making is finally coming to fruition as it was announced that a second Japanese company, Teijin, is investing $600 million to build and operate a high-tech carbon fiber manufacturing plant that will initially employee 220 people. Note the word “initially” as that number represents a minimum figure for the plant’s startup. It will have as its neighbor another newcomer to Greenwood County, Portucel Sporcel Group’s energy wood pellet plant. And across the county, off Highway 25, Colgate Palmolive will soon begin manufacturing its toiletries products.

Greenwood County has undergone tremendous change and growth since the early years when it essentially was a mill town. Greenwood Mills provided a tremendous foundation and backbone, providing thousands of residents jobs and the ways and means to raise a family. But mills alone could not and, as evidenced in the 1970s’ migration of textiles overseas, would not sustain the county’s population and fully meet its job needs.

Greenwood County’s ability to attract the Fujifilms, the Veluxes, the Eatons and Teijins of the world must be met by its ability to provide the proper education and skills for its residents to fill the jobs provided. It must also be met by outstanding quality of life improvements as provided by parks, the arts, a lake master plan and other related facilities and venues. It must be met by the county’s ability to ensure the safety of its residents and industrial sites with state-of-the-art communications systems and a comprehensive fire protection plan. It certainly must be met by the county’s ability to provide the best infrastructure it can, certainly to include the roadways that serve the industrial corridor.

These are all part of the 27 items the penny sales tax will address, as are the planned Upstate Center for Manufacturing Excellence on the campus of Piedmont Technical College, which will meet the needs of Teijin and future industrial partners that locate here, and the spec building planned for the industrial park, which will serve as a beacon to attract additional new industries that are scouting new locations.

Is every line item on the list of capital projects for every Greenwood County resident? Arguably, no. But that’s flying at too low an altitude when considering the penny sales tax. Far better is to fly at 5,000 or so feet and get the fuller picture of what can be, what will be. What benefits Ninety Six, Ware Shoals and Promised Land actually benefits the county as a whole.

With upwards of 40 percent of tax revenue pouring into our county’s coffers from visitors, tourists and those in neighboring counties in the eight-year lifespan of the tax, we are poised for a win-win with a “yes” vote on Tuesday. With the help of others, we can better position Greenwood County for today, for tomorrow and for many more years to come.

A penny for our thoughts? We think of the capital project sales tax as a form of caring for our neighbors, even if we don’t visit them that often. We think of it as an investment in our future, our children’s future, our grandchildren’s future.

Originally Published by Index-Journal on: Nov 6, 2016

Article Link: https://www.indexjournal.com/opinion/editorials/our-view-yes-vote-invests-in-now-our-future/article_9e491090-e226-59e4-9c72-565842138ab7.html