Tonight, Charleston County Council took the next step in shaping a potential 2026 Transportation Sales Tax (TST) program, conducting their first detailed review of a staff-recommended draft, and directing staff to make preliminary adjustments to funding categories and allocation percentages.
Under the draft program advanced tonight, funding would be allocated as follows:
- 60% – Roadway Infrastructure
- 20% – Public Transit
- 15% – Greenbelt
- 5% – Bicycle and Pedestrian Improvements
Additionally, tonight’s council action moves forward $225 million for the City of Charleston’s Battery Extension project, including the requested Calhoun Street Improvements, and redirects the remaining $75 million to the Roadway Infrastructure funding category.
Staff will return to County Council at next Tuesday’s meeting with a revised working draft incorporating feedback received tonight. Following council’s review, and further discussion regarding specific featured projects, staff will initiate a second phase of outreach to collect public input on the updated program.
“This working draft reflects what we’ve heard from residents and our municipal partners so far, with the understanding this this is a starting point, not a final product,” said Charleston County Council Chairman Joe Boykin. “We’re committed to keeping the public engaged, gathering more input in the next phase, and making sure the final program is balanced, thoughtful, and truly reflects the priorities and needs of residents across Charleston County.”
Tonight’s work follows a February 4 County Council workshop, where councilmembers received presentations from the mayors of the county’s three largest municipalities—Mayor Reggie Burgess of North Charleston, Mayor William Cogswell of Charleston, and Mayor Will Haynie of Mount Pleasant—on their priorities for a potential extension of the existing Transportation Sales Tax.
Council also received briefings from City of Charleston Councilmember Mike Seekings, chairman of the Charleston Area Regional Transportation Authority (CARTA) Board of Directors, on regional public transit needs, as well as from Greenbelt Program Director Eric Davis.
Following the presentations, county staff presented an initial working draft of a potential 2026 TST program, which is projected to generate approximately $4.25 billion over 25 years.
The draft was developed based on extensive public and municipal input, including more than 29,000 individual public comments, more than 600 suggested projects, and approximately $68 billion in identified needs, as well as guiding principles adopted on January 13.
In addition to proposed funding categories, county staff’s presentation included recommended projects drawn from public and municipal submissions.
Projects were evaluated using a 100-point scoring rubric based on:
- Public and municipal support (up to 50 points)
- Congestion relief (up to 30 points)
- Safety improvements (up to 20 points)
Presentation materials from yesterday’s workshop, including funding charts, project lists, and related documents, are available here.