Few Advocates for T-SPLOST Vote in August Coming Forward in Oconee County

Oconee County Board of Commissioners Chairman Melvin Davis stands alone at present among county governmental and business leaders in his stated support for the Transportation Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax to be voted on July 31.

Davis, in the April 5 edition of The Oconee Enterprise, wrote that “It is my belief that this 1-cent additional sales tax will be a wise investment and improve our transportation issues for the future.”

County Public Works Director Emil Beshara said he “would not push one way or the other” on the tax.

He made that comment when he met with the Citizen Advisory Committee on Land Use and Transportation Planning at its regular meeting on April 10.

“You can’t use any tax dollars” to promote T-SPLOST, Commissioner Chuck Horton said at that meeting.

The Oconee County Chamber of Commerce also is not taking a side, at least at present.

For now, all it is committed to do is "educate" its members about the tax.

The Land Use Committee spent much of its time at the April 10 meeting debating the meaning of "education" regarding the tax and the implications of the tax itself.

For additional information on the discussion and the tax, go to Oconee County Observations.