Camden County voters approve tax hike to pay for flood mitigation, stormwater infrastructure upgrades

Camden County voters have approved a tax hike that would help fund a $400 million infrastructure plan to improve water quality and prevent millions of gallons of sewage from entering the county's waterways each year.The plan, supported by environmental groups, would re-engineer local water systems to prevent stormwater and wastewater from something the current system allows. During heavy rainfall, the system can overflow, sending raw sewage into streams and even the Cooper River.The project could also reduce floodwaters that could contain sewage on local streets and in homes. Other goals include restoring wetlands to help prevent flooding and financing loans for related projects.Residents were asked to raise their open-space tax from 2 cents per $100 of assessed property value to 3 cents per $100. A homeowner with a home assessed at $220,000 would pay an additional $22 a year.With all precincts reporting, unofficial results showed the measure passed with over 91,000 votes in favor out