Camden County homeowners will pay a little more in county property taxes beginning in 2027.
Voters overwhelmingly approved increasing the county's Open Space Trust Fund tax from 2 cents to 3 cents per $100 of assessed value.
For the average Camden County homeowner, the increase is estimated at approximately $1.83 per month.
But this isn't simply another open-space program.
The money is expected to help support a roughly $400 million county initiative aimed at improving water quality, repairing aging sewer infrastructure, reducing flooding, protecting drinking-water sources and wetlands, and improving waterways and recreation areas.
Why should a Realtor care about sewers and stormwater?
Because buyers do.
Maybe they don't ask about them during the first showing, but they certainly care when a street floods, a basement takes on water or a neighborhood has drainage problems.
Flood risk is also more complicated than simply asking whether a house sits beside a river.
Drainage, stormwater systems, elevation, nearby creeks, aging infrastructure and development upstream can all matter.
Parks and waterways matter too.
Cooper River, Newton Lake and other recreational areas are part of the lifestyle buyers associate with many Camden County communities.
Does paying another $1.83 per month automatically increase anyone's home value?
No.
But improving infrastructure, reducing flooding and maintaining public spaces are legitimate pieces of what makes communities desirable places to live.
For homeowners, the important thing isn't simply knowing that a tax went up.
It's understanding what you're supposed to be getting for the money.
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