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LEXINGTON, S.C. (WIS) - On Tuesday, Lexington County Council discussed the possibility of a vehicle tax, or road user fee as an alternative way to pay for road maintenance.

The conversation came five months after a penny sales tax, targeting road improvements, was rejected by 54% of county voters in November.

“It could be five dollars. We may not do it at all. It could be $50. It might be $100 for a semi [truck]. I just have no idea at this moment,” said Beth Carrigg, Chairwoman of Lexington County Council.

If the idea comes to fruition, the tax would target every registered vehicle in Lexington County.

Chairwoman Carrigg told WIS that every collected dollar would go towards a growing list of county road and traffic improvement projects.

“The penny [sales tax] didn’t pass last year and we were very clear that if that were to occur, then we would have to find other avenues to fix our roads,” continued Carrigg.

At this time, county staff is investigating how other local governments handle their vehicle tax.

Simultaneously, we’re told the county attorney is researching statutes on whether or not collected money can go toward state roads, as well.

“It’s really just a fact-finding discussion, at the moment. We’re hoping in a couple of weeks that we can get everybody back together. Staff will have some information for us. Our county attorney will have some statutory information for us, and at that time I think the discussion will be a little more in-depth,” concluded Carrigg.

Lexington County Council said more research is needed before the conversation can continue

Carrigg told WIS she doesn’t imagine the county returning to the topic until sometime in late June or early July.

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A morning full of strong winds and a reported tornado had home in Lexington County facing damage.

LEXINGTON, S.C. — The National Weather Service has confirmed at least two tornadoes touched down in the Midlands during Wednesday's severe storms.

The agency said Wednesday night said the two confirmed twisters were both in Lexington County: one in South Congaree and Red Bank, with the other striking near Gilbert. Both were weak, rating an EF-0, the lowest level on the Enhanced Fujita scale that measures tornado intensity.

The first tornado spun up at 10:44 a.m. around three miles southeast of Red Bank and had winds of 75 miles an hour. The weather service says the tornado likely began in a wooded area between Cathy Lane and Old Orangeburg Road. The tornado then continued east-southeast crossing Beckman Road then into an inaccessible field. Then farther southeast the tornado crossed Norman Drive and Highway 302 near Gator Drive, before dissipating near Greenwood Drive.

The tornado traveled a total of 2.9 miles and caused minor damage, snapping and uprooting trees.

The other was near Gilbert and produced damage along Calks Ferry Road and Nazareth Road, mainly downing trees and power lines, the weather service said. Additional information on the wind speed and path of the storm is expected Thursday or Friday.

The weather service will also be surveying other sites in the Midlands that may have seen tornadoes, including in Calhoun, Lexington, and Orangeburg Counties. They'll also be out in Barnwell and Aiken Counties.

Roy Ferrell lives just off of South Lake Drive in Lexington County. He says he was just a few hundred yards from his home when the sky turned dark and rain began to kick up.

"[I] was in the middle of some turbulent wind, turbulent rain coming down horizontally, and a lot of the warnings coming over the radio as I turned in. It was very challenging to say the least, I didn't know what was going to happen next."

He says he was able to get into his house and no damage was done to him or his home.

The same can't be said for an area just a short drive down Old Orangeburg Road Cecil Creech and his family were hoping to wait out the storm in their den.

"the storm came up and got worse and worse, the wind really starting howling and whaling and all of the sudden we heard a sound just like a train whistle the hail started hitting the side of the house, my daughter and my wife were in the den with me, they got up and ran to the hallway."

He says once the storm passed he went outside to a yard full of damage.

"Blew my flag pole down, blew one of the supports that hold up my car port down." He says, the surge, "Went back to where my pole building is and my man cave, ripped the roof off of it, and took everything that was under it and through it all over the yard."

Members of his family and church and other families came by to check on him and lend some help. He thanks God that no one was hurt.

"That's the main thing, no one was hurt and all this other stuff can be replaced or repaired."

Voters in Lexington County on Tuesday rejected a 1% sales tax increase to repair and improve roads.

The Capital Project Sales Tax, or CPST, failed to pass, with 45.35% of residents voting for the increase and 54.65% voting against.

If passed, the penny-on-the-dollar tax would have raised an estimated $535 million dollars to be used exclusively to fix roads.

“We’re disappointed,” said Leigh Lowry, membership director for the Lexington Chamber and Visitors Center. “But, you know, the voters have spoken.”

She said County Council now has to figure out how it wants to move forward. But the chamber will continue to support initiatives that will benefit the community and businesses in Lexington County, she said.

Despite the setback, Lowry said “the needle has moved a bit.” The last time the tax was proposed, in 2014, it failed, with 69.61% voting against it.

“It certainly was closer than it was eight years ago,” Lowry said.

“The CPST is a proven method of improving infrastructure in many counties across South Carolina,” Lexington County Administrator Lynn Sturkie told a reporter. “At this time, Lexington County voters have decided not to proceed with the CPST option. Thank you to all of the Lexington County voters who participated.”

So who voted for it?

Most of the West Columbia and Cayce precincts near the Saluda and Congaree rivers cast a “yes” vote, along with the majority of voters in the towns of Lexington and Batesburg portion of Batesburg-Leesville.

The highest percentage in favor of the increase came from the West Columbia No.11 precinct, with 60.92% of voters approving it.

Voters in the more rural parts of the county mostly voted against the measure. In the Edmund 2 precinct, in the southern part of the county, only 33.52% of voters wanted the increase.

Jim Mockridge, 35, agreed with the proposed penny tax, calling it a good idea. He voted at the Edenwood precinct at Broadacres Baptist Church.

“I don’t like the idea of more taxes,” Mockridge said. “But I think definitely anything going directly to the roads I use every day — something that I can see a direct improvement on — (is) something I can support.”

Lucien LaPierre, 34, also voted at Edenwood’s polling location. He disagreed with the proposal, though.

“I think the focus should be more on cutting wasteful spending than necessarily adding (a) tax,” LaPierre said. “So (I’m) more interested in seeing people go back and see where we’re wasting money than putting more taxes on people.”

At the Cayce 2A precinct, at New Bridge Academy, Shakaera Dickson, 27, said she disagreed with the proposed penny tax.

“I don’t think this really should happen, because no matter how much you’re fixing, our tires are still getting messed up,” Dickson said. “You still have potholes opening up, metal plate system. … So if you’re not going to really fix them like how you are supposed to, I suggest you not raise taxes to benefit yourself.”

Margie Hoffman, 65, also voted at New Bridge. She approved of the penny tax referendum, saying she initially thought COVID-19 relief money was going to cover the roads but that she agreed they needed to be fixed regardless of what is paying for it.

Michael Sauls contributed to this report.

WEST COLUMBIA — Three large companies announced plans to open distribution centers in West Columbia in one week, continuing what looks to be an industrial growth spurt for Lexington County.

Between March 14 and March 21, Gov. Henry McMaster’s office announced incoming distribution centers for Cooperative Electric Energy Utility Supply (CEEUS), Southern Glazer’s Wine and Spirits and Mattress Warehouse.

Lexington-based CEEUS is investing $52 million in expansion with a 247,000-square foot facility at 1029 Colite Ave., creating up to 61 new jobs, while the Columbia-based Southern Glazer’s is investing $80 million in a new facility at West Columbia’s Saxe Gotha Industrial Park. The distribution center for Maryland-based Mattress Warehouse, planned for 803 Industrial Park near Columbia Metropolitan Airport, will be the company’s first in South Carolina and create up to 108 new jobs over the next year.

The three announcements are the latest in a slew of announced economic investments for the West Columbia area, including a Chick-fil-A distribution center and the Kansas City-based Smart Warehousing, which leased half a million square feet of space in Sandy Run Industrial Park along Interstate 26, just south of Saxe Gotha.

“We are excited to be expanding in South Carolina and remaining in Lexington County,” CEEUS President Chad Capps said in a statement. “The purchase of this new warehouse and move for our corporate headquarters is a big step in the future of CEEUS and our customers.”

An electric materials supplier to utility companies and contractors, CEEUS also offers testing for personal protective equipment and a tool repair service. Plans for the new facility include a test lab and a tool repair shop, Capps said.

One of the largest beverage alcohol distributors in the country, Southern Glazer’s operates in 44 states, Washington, D.C., and Canada. The $80 million relocation to Saxe Gotha Industrial Park will make it a neighbor to Amazon and to Nephron Pharmaceuticals, which also expanded recently to a new distribution center there to the tune of $215 million.

“Lexington County is honored to announce the addition of Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits of South Carolina to our growing portfolio of companies located in the Saxe Gotha Industrial Park,” Lexington County Council Chairwoman Beth Carrigg said in a statement. “With its new, state-of-the-art distribution center, the company will not only be delivering products to its customers but also opportunities for our skilled workers.”

Magnus Development and Columbia Metropolitan Airport broke ground on the four-building, 1 million-square-foot 803 Industrial Park in November 2022. The park was poised to land its first two tenants that same month.

Gov. McMaster’s office announced that Mattress Warehouse will be one of those tenants on March 14. The other tenant will be the Virginia-based warehousing and shipment logistics company Givens, which has leased an entire 252,000-square-foot building at the industrial park. Mattress Warehouse will take up 56,160 square feet of space in another one of the park’s buildings.

The mattress retailer distributes products to 250 locations across the country.

Matthew Shaffer, chairman of the nonprofit Central SC Alliance, said the Mattress Warehouse distribution center is a “perfect match” for the company and the county because the central location in the state can allow for more efficient shipping and commutes.

Shaffer also said Southern Glazer is joining “an elite group of businesses” that have grown in Saxe Gotha, and that CEEUS provides “an invaluable service to help meet a critical need for communities.”

New restaurants, businesses, and development coming to the Town of Lexington in the new year.

LEXINGTON, S.C. — The Town of Lexington is one of the fastest-growing cities in the Midlands, and they have even more growth planned for the new year.

In the last year, Mayor Steve MacDougall says he and the town council have made a lot of changes they are proud of.

"Instead of pointing everyone outside of town, we are now able to put up Wayfinding signage that shows everyone where things are located in Lexington," MacDougall explained. "We finished the North Lake and Harmon Street extension which was our third really big traffic improvement plan. We rewrote... the COMPP, the Comprehensive Plan for the Town of Lexington so that's what kind of businesses you allow to go in certain areas of the town."

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Growth can already be seen on Main Street, which will be a big part of what is to come.

"We've got some announced businesses that are coming to an old carpet store that we had over there," MacDougall said.

A hotel is expected to break ground in the first quarter of the new year.

MacDougall adds many new stores and restaurants will be located at the end of Main Street across from Alodia's.

Virginia Hylton Park will also see some expansion, including a new adaptive playground, and a walking trail that will connect it to the local dog park.

The Mayor and small business owners, like Misty Burton, hope all of these additions will have a positive impact on Lexington's downtown.

"I'm just really grateful that our town is putting their resources to work and including small business in that growth," the small business owner said.

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Burton owns an artisan and clothing store called Tenfold Collective and has been in the Town of Lexington's downtown since August.

"I think that growth for any small business is just really welcomed and the more people that are coming here for different reasons, the better their chances are of finding us and shopping with us."

The Town of Lexington plans to give a year-end update on all they were able to accomplish in 2022, in February.