2026 Charleston County Transportation Sales Tax: How The Upper Peninsula Neighborhood Presidents Coordinated Efforts to Advocate For Our Communities in City Hall and Charleston County

As far as neighborhood business goes, the end of 2025 and the start of 2026 have been quite busy for the Upper Peninsula associations.

This update outlines how the Upper Peninsula neighborhood presidents of North Central, Westside, Hampton Park Terrace, and Wagener Terrace worked together to ensure community priorities were clearly represented as related to proposed improvements should the TST referendum pass.

As you may be aware, Charleston County is considering placing a new half-penny Transportation Sales Tax (TST) referendum on the ballot in 2026, following the overwhelming rejection of a similar measure by voters in 2024.

If approved, the TST would raise an estimated $2.25 billion over 25 years for roads, bridges, transit, and green spaces.

The City of Charleston supports approving the tax and has outlined a general list of priorities. Mayor Cogswell estimates the Peninsula’s share could be $500 million, an amount he wants to divide between a seawall and other Peninsula infrastructure projects.

Background Context

In early December, the Mayor requested the presidents of neighborhood associations on the Peninsula sign a letter endorsing the use of TST funds to finance the Extended Battery project. In effect, a seawall around a large portion of the peninsula.

Though my fellow Upper Peninsula presidents and I, in principle, support an extended seawall to help protect Charleston for future generations, we were concerned that a lack of detail meant most or even all of any TST funds allocated to the peninsula would go towards the seawall, leaving other important and longstanding priorities elsewhere on the peninsula neglected.

The Mayor’s request—and our response—kick-started a process that culminated in perhaps the first-ever coordinated effort by Peninsula presidents to directly petition the County for TST funds for area improvements.

A Timeline

City Publicizes Transportation Sales Tax (TST) Priorities

(November 18, 2025)

*Image thumbnails are links.

Mayor Requests Upper Peninsula Presidents Sign His Letter to the County Chairman In Support Of Using TST Funds For Seawall Construction

(December 4, 2025)

Upper Peninsula Neighborhood Presidents Respond With Concerns

December 15, 2025

The Upper Peninsula neighborhood presidents agreed we could not sign a letter that left open the possibility that all funds allocated to Peninsula-area improvements could be directed solely to a seawall. Our response:

Mayor Commits to Funding Balance and Community Input

December 17, 2025

In response to our letter, the Mayor invited Peninsula presidents to meet and discuss TST priorities, and committed to ensuring $200 million of the estimated $500 million in TST funds would be reserved for non-seawall infrastructure priorities on the peninsula, and to backing an open process whereby improvement projects would be selected and prioritized with community input.

As a result, the Upper Peninsula neighborhood presidents withdrew their letter of opposition to the TST projects priority list. That evening, the City Council voted to approve the TST priority list.

Presidents Clarify Position in Letter to the Editor

December 21, 2025

The Upper Peninsula presidents appreciated Mayor Cogswell listening to our concerns and committing to working together in the community moving forward.

Upper Peninsula Neighborhood Presidents Schedule Public Meeting at Burke High School on 1/22 to Discuss TST With Mayor Cogswell

(Upcoming: January 22, 2026)

Upper Peninsula Presidents Organize Priority List, Submit Directly to County

January 11, 2026

In consultation with Charleston Moves, the neighborhood association presidents of Westside, North Central, Hampton Park Terrace, and Wagener Terrace submitted to Charleston County a list of shared priorities and specific projects for each neighborhood.

Official Request to the County From Upper Peninsula Neighborhood Associations

Our common goal is in “Building a Safer, More Resilient Upper Peninsula.” You can see our complete official request with appendices here:

Next Steps

Will the referendum go before voters? Will it pass? Will the City’s extension request be granted? Will our priorities get funded? Who knows! Stay tuned. In the meantime, your neighborhood associations will continue to work together for stronger, safer, more resilient, and ever more beautiful Downtown Charleston Peninsula communities.