Will SPLOST Win the Hearts of Voters?

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During a meeting last week to discuss the special option sales tax (SPLOST), Jasper Mayor John Weaver cast a dark cloud over the topic.

“Not everyone’s excited about passing the new SPLOST,”

he said. Weaver went on to say the county and cities will have to be more clear in what the entities intend to do with the money. If not, he said, they will be in danger of losing the SPLOST referendum, meaning voters will vote against it.

The notion, here, also is that the spirit of voters lately has been one of anti-tax. Last year, with the exception of three regions, Georgians aggressively voted against the controversial Transportation Special Option Sales Tax (TSPLOST).

Over the years, SPLOST has been an entrenched part of the governments, creating a deepening dependency on the money. The reality of this has become more visceral in the last five years as the economy maintains recessional levels. During a meeting last month in Gilmer County, Commission Chair J.C. Sanford said if SPLOST doesn’t pass, the county will have to raise taxes. In Gilmer, SPLOST revenue is used to pay bond payments. Although, Pickens has a different situation, the result could be the same if SPLOST gets a no-vote next November.

Commission Chair Robert Jones explained yesterday that road projects will be a priority for SPLOST revenue. The reason, he said, is because DOT (department of transportation) funding is dwindling and expected to decrease in the next few years.

“The county has gotten approximately $360,000 this year (in road funding); the City of Jasper’s got about $40,000,”

Jones said. In the face of these cuts, Jones said there’s only two ways to maintain roads, either through SPLOST revenue or raising property taxes.

Similarly, another issue facing the county is dirt and unfinished roads where residents are paying county road taxes, while their roads remain in need of repair. In some cases, Jones explained that people bought houses in new subdivisions, but then the developers of the subdivisions went bankrupt, at which point the bank took ownership of the roads. In other cases, like in the case of Bullgap Road, the residents of the road pay county taxes, but the road is dirt and not maintained. However, to pave a dirt road, the chairman said, the county is now required by the EPD (Environmental Protection Department) to conduct an environmental study before paving, which he said cost money. Here, Weaver commented it was time to re-address the county’s paving policies.

“You’re not dealing with the developers anymore,”

Weaver said,

“you’re dealing with the taxpayers.”

Reiterating his point of the importance of SPLOST, Weaver said the only way to win the hearts and minds of voters is to be specific when outlining SPLOST projects

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