1 week Ago
Lexington County has abandoned plans to charge vehicle owners an annual vehicle fee and expand trash services after both proposals were met with pushback from residents. County Council voted Nov. 12 to postpone both ordinances indefinitely.
Both measures were intended to help the county address issuing stemming from population growth in recent years. With over 290,000 vehicles in the county, the $30 vehicle fee would have brought in $8.7 million annually to pay for road maintenance.
“The money that it is going to bring in is really not enough to make any significant difference," District One Councilman Scott Whetstone said during the Nov. 12 meeting. "I think the only plan, and the only option you really have, is the penny (tax) if you want to keep up.
” The county is considering placing a penny tax on the ballot in 2026, which would increase the county's sales tax by 1 percent. It's a measure that voters have struck down twice before — in 2014 and 2022. The 2022 penny tax would have generated more than $500 million in revenue, according to estimates, and the money would have been used to fund infrastructure improvements.
A public hearing was held Oct. 22 to discuss the vehicle fee, and residents pleaded with councilmembers to come up with an alternative solution to funding road improvements. This ordinance would have made trash collection mandatory countywide .
As of June, nearly 39,200 out of roughly 110,400 households in the county subscribed to the pickup service. Councilmembers in the more rural parts of the county have cited constituent concerns as their reason for not supporting the fee. Many rural residents have long driveways and dirt roads, and instead choose to haul their trash to one of the county's 11 waste collection centers that can be used for free.
“Operationally, I think it's almost impossible for you to do it in the rural areas," Councilmember Todd Cullum said..
