Kiawah Island Mayor Bill Wert said property owners in his resort town already pay a large chunk of Charleston County's total property tax bill, though its relative population is less than 1 percent. That's one reason why, two years ago, the town didn't support Charleston County's plan to raise its sales tax by half a percent.

"Now we do," Wert said Friday, joining six other mayors in urging county voters to approve the sales tax on Nov. 2.

Wert said the town's change of heart stemmed from a recognition of what the tax would do, including relieving congested highways, preserving open space and saving local bus service.

The group of mayors backing the tax included those of Charleston, North Charleston, Mount Pleasant, the Isle of Palms, Seabrook Island and Folly Beach. The towns of Awendaw and Sullivan's Island also sent representatives.

"What's in it for Folly Beach?" Mayor Vernon Knox asked. "It's quite simple. Folly Road is about as bad as any major thoroughfare in our community." About $10 million is earmarked for James Island improvements.

The mayors said if the tax fails, the only way local governments will be able to address road and park issues is by raising property taxes, putting the burden on county property owners. With a sales tax, about 30 percent of the money collected would come from visitors and others who shop in Charleston County.

"This is your leadership's answer to the problems, the answer that puts the least burden on the back of the taxpayer," North Charleston Mayor Keith Summey said. "These issues are not going away."

The mayors also said they were confident that the ballot language would hold up this time, unlike in 2002, when the S.C. Supreme Court voided the result. "We're supremely confident that the wording of the sales tax is correct," Charleston Mayor Joe Riley said.

Opponents not only have questioned the ballot wording, but they also say County Council has not done enough to specify where the money would go.

While County Council has supported putting the half-cent referendum before the voters, council members have been less visible on the campaign trail. That's partly because supporters haven't asked them to play a visible role, and it's partly because council, which has prided itself on not raising taxes in a decade, seems less excited about the tax than the mayors.

Only one member, Leon Stavrinakis, showed up for Friday's event.

Acting chairman Curtis Bostic has said he supports putting the half-cent sales tax before the voters but that he has not been an advocate of the tax itself.

Stavrinakis touted council's recent ordinance that requires council to undertake new master plans and form new citizens advisory groups before deciding how to spend the bulk of the road and open space money. The ordinance also includes a long list of road projects, though there's no guarantee which ones will be built.

"County Council has heard your concerns about accountability and specificity in the half-cent sales tax," Stavrinakis said.