The Opinion Blog

Hard times cut cities' services, too

Wednesday's editorial examines how the falloff in tax revenue will affect local governmental services.

As local governments along the Grand Strand tighten their budgetary belts, reduce overall spending and hold the line on taxes, residents should brace themselves for cuts in services.

Horry voters wisely approve school sales tax

Today's editorial cheers local voters' overwhelming approval Tuesday of the alternative taxation plan to pay for school buildings:

Demonstrating once again their distaste for property taxes and their taste for top-notch school buildings, Horry County voters approved their school board's 1 percent local-option sales tax on Tuesday.

In return, everyone who pays property taxes in the county - real and personal - will see a generous tax cut, though the full effect of that cut won't be felt until the end of 2010. Because the current tax year is nearly over, the near-term property-tax reduction will be slight. The county will begin collecting the new sales tax in January.

Trade sales-tax increase for property-tax cut

Today's editorial extols the best feature of the Horry County school board's local-option sales-tax proposal:

"All revenue received by the School District from the sales and use tax will be used to reduce property taxes needed to pay debt service on School District bonds and to directly pay costs of education capital improvements projects ... ." - from the sales tax ballot question

Here's the first thing Horry County voters need to know about the 1 percent 15-year local-option sales tax proposed by their school board on Monday: Everyone who owns taxable property in Horry County would see a substantial property-tax reduction.

A tax-swap plus school construction money

Here is the full text of the sales-tax ballot initiative approved Monday by the Horry County Board of Education:

EDUCATION CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS SALES AND USE TAX ACT REFERENDUM FOR HORRY COUNTY

Must a special one percent sales and use tax be imposed in Horry County for not more than 15 years with the revenue of the tax used to pay, directly or indirectly, the cost of the following education capital improvement projects in Horry County: (1) 80% of the revenue of the tax shall be used for the following projects of the School District of Horry County:

State shortchanges HGTC, CCU; now it's our problem

Today's editorial notes that once again, Horry taxpayers are to be asked to meet responsibilities that belong to the state:

The newspaper will probably support the much discussed 15-year 1-cent local option sales tax for school construction, once the Horry County Board of Education proposes it. The board began work on the plan this week.

This idea appeals to us because 20 percent of the proceeds would support construction projects at Horry-Georgetown Technical College and Coastal Carolina University. But in noting that both institutions need and deserve our financial support because the state hasn't provided it, we confess a certain weariness. Local leaders have made this argument before. Here we go again.

It's a bad time to bring up the 'T' word

Today editorial notes that the Horry County school board will be pitching its 1-cent sales tax for school construction (with shares going to CCU and HGTC) to seriously stressed-out voters:

Technically speaking, the Horry County school board's 15-year 1-cent local-option sales tax for school construction should be a slam dunk. If the voters pass it Nov. 4, the school board would lop off a big chunk of the property tax for school construction. That's a trade some voters will love.

Emotionally speaking, however, the proposal, which is under construction, could be in trouble. That the board would dare to ask the voters for another tax increase - in this down economy - angers some local folks.