Wedding & Event Venue Near York, SC

York County voters Tuesday passed a $90 million bond referendum to build a new middle school and perform upgrades to a learning center in York County School District 1, in York.

The bond, which is expected to add $36 per $100,000 of assessed primary home value per year, was the smallest of three bond measures on the ballots in York, Lancaster, and Chester counties.

Voters in York County ultimately sided with the project, voting 10,508 to 5,875 in favor of the bond, according to unofficial results posted by the South Carolina Election Commission.

County voters also passed a 1-cent sales tax referendum to fund road and infrastructure projects, with 71 percent of voters saying yes.

Lancaster

Lancaster County residents voted on the largest of the referendums on the region’s ballots -- a $588.15 million package that would have funded four new schools, plus repairs and upgrades at others in the Lancaster County School District.

Two of the schools – and the bulk of the overall referendum allotment, $315.6 million – was earmarked to Indian Land, the fastest growing section of the county school district. Support was high in precincts in Indian Land, particularly the Harrisburg precinct, which voted 2-to-1 in favor of the referendum.

But voters in most of the county’s 36 precincts denied the measure. Opposition in the southern end of Lancaster County, where many voters said the school district’s plans unfairly overlooked schools there in favor of wealthier Indian Land, was especially strong. Facebook user Sharon Morris Stacks posted that schools in the southern part of Lancaster “don’t get what they need or deserve.”

Overall, the measure failed 30,759 to 20,869, according to unofficial results posted by the South Carolina Election Commission.

County voters also, but more narrowly, said no to a 1-cent sales tax bond measure that would have funded local roads and infrastructure projects.

Chester

Chester County voters, for the fourth consecutive time, voted against a Chester County School District bond referendum, -- this time a $227 million package that would have paid for the construction of two new high schools and repairs to a third.

As it was in Lancaster County, support for the project was high in areas where the new buildings would go – in this case, Chester and Lewisville – but fell off sharply in other parts of the county.

Overall, Chester voters rejected the measure 7,999 to 6,798, according to unofficial results posted by the South Carolina Election Commission.

School District spokesman Chris Christoff said last week that if the bond measure were to fail at the polls, the district would still replace the roofs at Lewisville High School – one of the provisions of the bond measure – and at Chester High School, but the district would pay for it with its own capital funds. Christoff said the projects are likely to total approximately $20 million.

Growth and Upgrades

Two of the school bond referendums were aimed at addressing growth in the South Carolina communities that are part of the Charlotte metro region. In September, the Charlotte Observer calculated that 117 people moved to the region every day between July 2022 and July 2023. That’s roughly one new person moving to the region every five minutes.

According to the U.S. Census, approximately 16,000 people moved to York County and approximately 12,000 people moved to Lancaster County between April 2020 and July 2023.

Chester County saw its population flatten over that same time period, but the district’s bond measure was less about growth and more about upgrades. Christoff said that Chester High School, for example, is a badly outdated building with far too many entrances – there are at least 70 – to meet contemporary school security needs.

But the building is also struggling with capacity, as is Lewisville, which would have received one of the two newly built high schools had the bond passed.

Christoff said part of the district’s plans, now that the bond measure has been defeated, will be to buy new modular classroom structures to ease capacity issues in Lewisville, which is the district’s fastest growing area.

This story has been corrected to state that the high schools in Chester and Lewisville are identified for roof repairs.

Lancaster County and Chester County voters chose not to approve massive school bonds, unofficial election results show.

Almost 60% of voters picked “no” on the school bond in Lancaster County, with all precincts reporting. Results won’t be official until they’re certified later this week. The bond would’ve built new Indian Land schools and renovate facilities elsewhere. The five northernmost precincts supported the bond and everything farther south opposed it, among posted results.

The Lancaster County School District asked voters to approve what may be a state record $588 million school bond.

The proposal included a new high school and elementary school in Indian Land. Two more new elementary schools would consolidate four facilities in Lancaster, Kershaw and Heath Springs. The bond included renovations and upgrades throughout the district.

The South Carolina School Boards Association tracks referendum results back to 1978.

Only two votes put more money to schools than the one voters saw on Election Day in Lancaster County. Neither of them were true bond votes. Each was a sales tax to fund schools.

The Lancaster school bond was debated in numerous school district and community forums. Groups like Vote Yes Lancaster School Bond and Lancaster Vote No School Bond formed online.

Support came from parents concerned with school overcrowding, particularly in Indian Land. Opposition focused on the high price, the amount of resources devoted solely to the county’s panhandle and the need for a new high school.

More than than half of the registered voters in Lancaster County cast ballots before Tuesday. More than 38,000 early and absentee ballots make up 54% of all voters. York County had 53% of its registered voters participate early. Chester County was at 45%.

The York School District asked voters for $90 million to pay for a new middle school, expansion and renovation of district facilities. The plan included the conversion of the district’s alternative learning school, York One Academy, into an early childhood learning center.

More than 64% of the votes in York supported the bond, with all precincts reported.

The Chester County School District asked for $227 million to replace Chester and Lewisville high schools with new facilities. The bond also included money to upgrade classrooms, security, gym and fine arts space.

Like the even larger amount in Lancaster County, the bond request in Chester County is higher than any approved school bond amount on record in the Rock Hill region. A $226 million bond approved by Fort Mill voters in 2015 was the highest heading into Election Day.

Chester County voters did see the only one larger, when they turned down a $263 million bond two years ago.

About 54% of votes were against the school bond once all precincts reported.

A Flourish chart

Coming into election day, six school districts across the three-county Rock Hill region had a 71% passage rate for 38 bonds all-time.

Lancaster County (67%) and Chester County (17%) fell below that mark. York (80%) passed bonds at a higher rate.

The Lancaster County bond Tuesday was more than twice the amount of all three of its prior referendum questions combined. Voters turned down a $30 million school bond in 1991 and a $37 million bond in 1999.

The school district went the other way in 2016. That’s when 74% of voters approved a $199 million bond for a new high school in Indian Land, an elementary school and other upgrades.

York approved four bonds from 1985 to 2007, combining for $119 million. Voters there voted against a $69 million bond in 2003.

Chester County last passed a bond in 1996.

Since 1989 there were five failed bonds, including three in the last six years. Before Tuesday’s decision, Chester County voters turned down $482 million worth of bonds while passing only the $19 million vote almost three decades ago.

This is a developing story.

This story was originally published November 5, 2024, 8:29 PM.

As road construction prices soar, York County wants to reroute funds from the busiest traffic spot in South Carolina to help in the most congested part of Rock Hill.

The county asked the South Carolina Transportation Infrastructure Bank to take road upgrade funds from the Carowinds Boulevard interchange on Interstate 77 and move them to the Exit 82 interchange. That’s where Cherry and Celanese roads meet the interstate in Rock Hill.

The state infrastructure bank is a public financing agency that tackles some of the largest transportation projects in South Carolina. The infrastructure bank has $64 million tied into the Carowinds Boulevard project.

“Having this additional funding and allowing that transfer of funding is critical to that (Exit 82) project getting done,” said York County Council chairwoman Christi Cox.

The interstate averages more than 170,000 vehicle trips per day where it crosses Carowinds Boulevard. That’s the highest traffic count in the state.

The interstate between Cherry and Celanese roads averages less than half those vehicles, but transportation leaders see that area as a safety concern with the coming together of several major roads. Celriver and Riverview roads also arrive at the interstate there.

Area road experts say both interchange upgrades, with widening or traffic reconfiguration, are at risk of extensive delays without a funding change.

Moving money from Fort Mill to Rock Hill would put off the Carowinds work indefinitely. But, it could bring Exit 82 to completion.

Since 1997, the infrastructure bank has pumped about $6 billion into road and infrastructure jobs.

York County submitted funding applications in 2016 and 2019 for interchange work at Exit 90 (Carowinds Boulevard), Exit 85 (Baxter and Kingsley area of Fort Mill) and Exit 82. The state bank announced about $75 million for Exit 85 and Exit 82 in 2020.

Two years later, York County reapplied with an $85.8 million plan for Exit 90 that included $63.4 million from the bank. York County would pay the rest.

The infrastructure bank approved that money in mid-2022. The Exit 85 work in Fort Mill is ongoing.

Planners with the South Carolina Department of Transportation are still working on new road configurations at Exit 82. Design plans aren’t that far along for the Carowinds Boulevard exit.

Early last year, area road planners learned the Exit 85 improvements in Fort Mill would cost more than $115 million.

It was the second time in less than two years the project had jumped by $20 million or more. Four months ago, a state transportation department update put the job somewhere between $90 million and $200 million, depending on the new traffic configuration.

Construction started this year and isn’t expected to finish until late 2027.

Cost increases come from material cost and worker pay increases since the COVID pandemic, area road experts say. There’s also the influx of public road funding that followed the pandemic, a limited number of contractors who can take on large jobs and overall inflation costs across the economy.

Pennies for Progress, the one-cent sale tax program for roads that’s on the ballot again this fall in York County, has more than half of its $410 million campaign dedicated to unfinished road jobs from prior referendum votes.

A $405 million transportation tax vote in Lancaster County includes includes $35 million for items like land purchase, matching funds and inflation.

Large road jobs take years or even decades from when they’re first planned to completion, which can make funding projections a challenge.

“Project increases are not a surprise to us, unfortunately, after the fact,” said David Hooper, administrator with the Rock Hill-Fort Mill Area Transportation Study that allocates federal transportation money in the region.

Costs across all major projects have risen significantly the past couple of years, he said. Without an alignment picked it’s unclear what costs will be for Exit 82 in Rock Hill, but Hooper expects similar cost creep ups similar to Exit 85.

“That’s still an evolving picture as well,” Hooper said.

Cox asked Hooper’s area transportation study group for help making the money switch case.

The transportation group’s policy committee is made up of mayors, council members and other public officials from across the Rock Hill region. That group agreed on Friday to send a letter to the state infrastructure bank and state transportation department supporting York County.

The York County projects were some of many approved across the state in recent years. Many of them are facing similar funding shortfalls.

“A lot of folks are asking for that additional funding,” Cox said. “And it’s unlikely from what we’re hearing that it’s going to be there.”

This story was originally published October 29, 2024, 6:00 AM.

The Herald

803-329-4076

John Marks graduated from Furman University in 2004 and joined the Herald in 2005. He covers community growth, municipalities, transportation and education mainly in York County and Lancaster County. The Fort Mill native earned dozens of South Carolina Press Association awards and multiple McClatchy President’s Awards for news coverage in Fort Mill and Lake Wylie.

The longest, most expensive question on York County ballots this year asks about money for roads.

But the tax revenue and construction price tags are estimates, not guarantees. So, how confident should voters be in their decision?

Previous projects offers reasons both for optimism and concern on whether Pennies for Progress can deliver its latest road list on time and on budget.

A record $410.7 million bond vote on Nov. 5 includes $225 million for projects that appeared in prior Pennies campaigns, but weren’t finished. Yet road jobs were ahead of schedule and often under cost until a global pandemic changed everything.

First approved in 1997, Pennies is a one-cent sales tax program that’s been approved by voters four times. It’s responsible for hundreds of miles of road widening and resurfacing in the county.

With a fifth Pennies campaign on the ballot, The Herald asked program manager Patrick Hamilton for details on what voters should expect:

More than half of the Pennies 5 funding would go toward projects that were approved in prior Pennies campaigns, but weren’t done. Why weren’t they?

Due to the drastic inflation that has occurred post-COVID, there was not enough funding to complete all of the previously approved projects.

How much confidence do you have that all the projects on Pennies 5 will be completed if voters approve it? Are there certain roads or projects more likely to go unfunded than others?

The county made a significant investment into the development of detailed cost estimates for these projects. We used the same method on Pennies 4, and the first five projects that were completed all came in under budget. Once the massive inflation hit, the remaining projects became well over budget.

The largest single new project is U.S. 21 work in Fort Mill at almost $45 million, nearly four times as much as the next biggest. Two of eight carryover projects would widen U.S. 21 in Fort Mill, finishing jobs estimated at $150 million. Another carryover widening job connects to U.S. 21.

How would you explain to people in other parts of the county why so much money is going to the U.S. 21 corridor in Fort Mill?

The commission (that developed the Pennies 5 list) had this discussion during the project selection process. Their thoughts on this is the U.S. 21 is a regional project, not a Fort Mill project. There are people from Rock Hill and western York County that often use U.S. 21, especially if there is an accident on I-77.

Hurricane Helene wiped out roads, even interstates, throughout the Southeast that will have to be rebuilt. Are there large issues out there that could impact the costs of road jobs here due to availability of work crews, material prices, etc.?

We have not seen any negative impacts from the hurricane at this time.

How confident are you that the cost estimates for Pennies 5 projects are and will remain on target when the time comes to put them out for construction bids?

Based on the process that was used, we are confident that all projects can be completed on the Pennies 5 referendum. Looking back at Pennies 4, the first five projects that were completed, all came in under budget, which shows the process was working. Once the inflation hit, the remaining projects became well over budget.

What are the stakes for this Pennies vote? Do any of the listed roads get resurfaced or widened without it? When? How would you explain to someone in York County how important this decision is?

If Pennies 5 is not approved, it is very likely none of the projects on the referendum will be completed. There may be a few resurfacing roads that eventually get paved, but very unlikely any of the widening or intersection improvements get completed.

I will point out that this is not a new tax, but a continuation of a tax that has been in place since 1997. It is not a property tax or income tax, which means people who visit York county and don’t live here contribute to the program.

A Flourish chart

? $410.7 million

The total cost of Pennies 5 is about $130 million more than any prior campaign. All four prior Pennies ballot questions combined for about $710 million. Higher projections come from population and business growth.

? $225 million

Carryover projects on Pennies 5, that weren’t done from prior votes, include widening U.S. 21 from Springfield Parkway to Carowinds Boulevard in Fort Mill, S.C. 51 from U.S. 21 to the North Carolina line, Sutton Road from Interstate-77 to a bridge on Fort Mill Parkway, U.S. 21 from Springfield Parkway to S.C. 160 and S.C. 557 from Kingsburry Road to S.C. 55 in Lake Wylie. There are three other intersection improvements and one drainage project.

? $80 million

The cost of resurfacing about 77 miles of road across the county. There are 48 roads listed on the ballot to be prioritized for surfacing based on available funds.

? 3

The number of new road projects priced at $10 million or more, down noticeably from past Pennies campaigns. More money goes to carryover jobs and smaller new jobs that spread work across more of the county. A nearly $45 million widening of part of U.S. 21 in Fort Mill, almost $13 million for Neely Road improvements in Rock Hill and $9 million for design work to later widen Fort Mill Parkway are the largest new jobs.

? 70%

In four Pennies campaigns to date, York County residents cast more than 61,017 votes. The 70% overall approval rate includes passage at 51% in 1997, 73% in 2003, 82% in 2011 and 78% in 2017.

? 195,289

More than 195,000 registered voters live in York County.

? 2024

This year is the first when Pennies coincides with a presidential election, meaning far more votes are likely to be cast for Pennies 5 than in any prior referendum. There’s never been an even-year Pennies, and it hasn’t always been in November (2011 was in August). Voter turnout was 23% in 1997, 16% in 2003, 9% in 2011 and 10% in 2017.

Reality Check reflects the Rock Hill Herald’s commitment to holding those in power to account, shining a light on public issues that affect our local readers and illuminating the stories that sets the Rock Hill region apart. Email realitycheck@heraldonline.com

This story was originally published October 23, 2024, 5:50 AM.

The Herald

803-329-4076

John Marks graduated from Furman University in 2004 and joined the Herald in 2005. He covers community growth, municipalities, transportation and education mainly in York County and Lancaster County. The Fort Mill native earned dozens of South Carolina Press Association awards and multiple McClatchy President’s Awards for news coverage in Fort Mill and Lake Wylie.