Before Asking Taxpayers for More, Government Must Prove It Isn’t Wasting What It Already Has

by Jennifer Jordan

Charleston County voters will soon decide whether to continue two existing sales taxes—one to fund transportation projects and another to modernize public schools. Supporters correctly point out that these measures would extend existing taxes rather than increase the overall sales tax rate.

But for many taxpayers, that isn’t the central question.

The real question is far simpler:

Has government demonstrated that it spends public money wisely?

Across Charleston County, residents aren’t simply asking for new roads, better schools or safer intersections. They’re asking whether every available dollar is being used as efficiently as possible before billions more are committed over the next two decades.

That concern isn’t anti-tax.

It’s anti-waste.

Charleston County’s proposed transportation referendum would generate an estimated $4.25 billion over approximately 25 years, with funding allocated among roadway infrastructure, transit and Greenbelt projects. County leaders say the proposal was shaped by one of the largest public outreach efforts in county history, including thousands of participants and tens of thousands of comments.

Yet many residents continue asking the same question they asked during previous transportation debates:

Where is the independent analysis showing taxpayers are receiving the greatest value for every dollar spent?

The concern extends well beyond any single project.

Whether discussing Highway 41, transit investments, resiliency projects or school construction, citizens increasingly want measurable outcomes instead of broad promises. How much congestion will actually be reduced? How many years of useful capacity will a project provide? Could a different design deliver better results for less money? How will success be measured once construction is complete?

Those are not political questions.

They’re management questions.

Good government should welcome them.

Large infrastructure programs succeed when they maximize public benefit while minimizing unnecessary spending. That requires transparent project scoring, clear performance metrics, independent oversight and the willingness to revisit decisions when better alternatives emerge.

Waste isn’t always fraud or abuse. More often, it takes the form of projects that cost more than necessary, duplicate existing efforts, deliver less than promised or fail to solve the problems they were intended to address.

Taxpayers understand that roads, schools and public facilities require investment. They also understand that inflation has increased construction costs and that delaying needed projects often makes them more expensive.

But they expect government to apply the same financial discipline they apply in their own homes and businesses.

If a family were preparing to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars renovating a home, they would likely compare multiple bids, evaluate alternatives and ask difficult questions before signing a contract.

Government should be held to at least that same standard.

As Charleston County voters prepare to cast their ballots, the conversation should be larger than whether to continue a tax.

It should focus on whether every public dollar is being invested in the projects that deliver the greatest long-term value.

Because public trust isn’t built by asking taxpayers to spend more.

It’s built by proving that government wastes less.