Citizens to Decide SPLOST Ballot Issue at Town Hall Meeting

Citizens to Decide SPLOST Ballot Issue at Town Hall Meeting

Commissioner Bill Kendall will abide by the will of the people by delegating  authority to Towns County citizens to decide whether or not a 1% Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) will be placed on the ballot of the July 20, 2010 General Primary.  A decision must be made before May 3, 2010 in order to meet the deadline if the issue is to be placed on the ballot.  A Town Hall style meeting will be held at a time to be announced, at which time citizens will be given an opportunity to speak in favor of or opposed to allowing citizens a vote on this issue.

During the past four years citizens representing various groups and organizations have requested that voters be given an opportunity to decide this issue, and that the proceeds of a SPLOST be used to upgrade the infrastructure and other needs facing the county and cities.

The City has had a moratorium in place for over two years on sewer hook-ups outside the city limits.  If a SPLOST is approved the county will contribute $400,000 of SPLOST funds to upgrade the city’s waste water treatment plant.  Without a SPLOST the sewer problem, the sewer moratorium and economic development in the county is without a solution.

Acquiring property and developing park and recreational fields is a great need and a top priority for Commissioner Kendall.  In some instances our children have to leave the county to find practice fields.  Roads and bridges are high on the list of needs.  Kendall stated since the economic downturn the county has reduced the number of Road Department employees from 16 to the present 9 workers who maintain approximately 400 miles of county roads.  This includes mowing right of ways, cleaning ditches, clearing fallen trees, graveling and scraping gravel roads,  re-capping and patching pavement, and removing ice and snow.  The SPLOST would help provide equipment and materials for repairing and upgrading the road system.

Other needs to be covered by the SPLOST are Fire Dept. equipment and fire hydrants.  One fire hydrant will cover 2000 ft., 1000 ft. in each direction and homes owners will save a substantial amount on their fire insurance.  Ambulances for the Emergency Medical Services would be purchased by SPLOST instead of with property tax.  We must have good dependable ambulances stated Kendall –

a breakdown in a faulty ambulance could cost a life in delaying time getting to the hospital.  Minutes and seconds save lives in some emergencies.

The county has committed $100,000 funding from property tax to match a $900,000 State grant applied for to upgrade the library in Hiawassee.  This $100,000 from property tax would be replaced by SPLOST with some funding going to upgrade the equipment and Young Harris library.  The remaining payments on the jail of $488,478 and $40,000 fencing request would be paid from SPLOST instead of property tax.  Creation of jobs through Infrastructure, sewer and expansion of Industrial Park is a much needed project.

If there is no SPLOST some of the projects would have to be funded by property tax and some would have to remain on hold.  Kendall stated another property tax savings of over 2 million dollars through a property tax cut could be made over the life of the SPLOST.  The SPLOST would not be a tax increase but a tax shift from what would have to be paid by property tax to being paid by the SPLOST.

A high percentage of the SPLOST would be paid by non residents and tourist visiting our county.  When Towns County citizens go to other counties such as Clayton in Rabun County, Cleveland in White County, Blairsville in Union
County as well as most other counties and cities, we help fund their city and county projects, but those coming to Towns County do not help with Towns County, Hiawassee and Young Harris needy projects.