Advocates on both sides are ramping up campaign efforts to win votes as the date draws near for residents to decide on a controversial 1% sales tax increase referendum.

Greenville County Council voted 8-3 in June to include the tax referendum on the November ballot. If approved, the sales tax increase would fund a $650 million list of infrastructure improvement projects, including road resurfacing and bridge-, intersection- and pedestrian-related projects designed to alleviate congestion, account for population growth and improve the safety of the county’s infrastructure grid.

“This is going to cost taxpayers at least $65 million a year by the revenue projections of the county. That’s going to take $65 million out of the economy. It’s going to hurt small businesses,” said Americans for Prosperity South Carolina  State Director Dave Schwartz at a rally on Tuesday. “Our strategy is going to be making sure we go out and educate Greenville Countians and what this tax is going to mean for them.”

On the other side, Citizens for a Better Greenville has argued that poor county infrastructure directly affects businesses, causing them to be less efficient and possibly causing them to relocate elsewhere. The group says infrastructure also affects residents’ quality of life.

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