Penny for Progress: 3rd round penny sales tax schedule set A quick guide to recent community projects funded by voter-approved sales tax referendums.
Photos by Joe Perry/ Sumter County Government
BY SHELBIE GOULDING
22 |
Sumter County officials and residents are preparing for a third round of their Penny for Progress initiative, and the result may bring benefits to the whole community. Penny for Progress is a capital projects sales tax referendum that Sumter voters approved first in 2008 and again in 2014 to fund infrastructure, construction and renovation projects by raising the sales tax in the county by 1 cent and funneling those pennies to the initiative. The first referendum in 2008 funded 16 projects and ushered in a $75 million boost to the regional economy. The second, which is ongoing, began in 2014 with 28 projects and costs $75.6 million. "In total, over a 14-year period – which each penny series is seven years – it'd be roughly $154 million invested in the Sumter community, which is huge," Sumter County Administrator Gary Mixon said at a community meeting in December 2021. The sales tax is on gas, retail and other sales in the community. Mixon said one-third of the revenue generated from the tax comes from non-residents.
2022-20 2 3 L I F E I S G O O D IN S U M TER
