Community Forum on the 1% Sales Tax - September 24, 2026 - City of Mauldin, SC

The City of Mauldin, South Carolina, held a community forum on September 24, 2026, to explain a proposed temporary 1% sales tax that voters will consider in November. If approved, the tax would run from May 1, 2027, through April 30, 2035, and is projected to generate about $24.5 million. The proposal dedicates at least 20% of revenue to property-tax relief for owner-occupied homes; about $15.6 million is planned for repaving roughly 20 miles of city-owned roads, with $4 million for construction of Fire Station 5 after the road priority is completed. The tax would apply to most taxable purchases, with exemptions including groceries and prescription medicines, and would require voter approval to extend beyond eight years.

Officials discussed safeguards requiring revenue to be spent only on voter-authorized purposes, quarterly public reporting, and the possibility of borrowing to accelerate projects; any bond issuance would also require voter approval. The city said it would continue using existing road funds and pursuing county and regional funding. The forum involved no contract awards, vendor selections, procurement votes, or spending motions; it focused on a proposed funding measure and capital-project priorities.