The following is a news release from the
The Oconee County Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors has voted to endorse the proposed (T-SPLOST), which will appear on statewide ballots July 31. The Chamber is encouraging all of its nearly 450 members, plus community and business leaders to support the one-percent sales tax initiative that will help fund millions of dollars of road improvements throughout the 12-county Northeast Georgia Region over the next 10 years.
At its monthly meeting on June 12, the chamber board voted to approve the following motion: "The Oconee County Chamber of Commerce, although generally opposed to tax increases, publicly supports the upcoming T-SPLOST vote as vital for future economic development and the funding of future transportation projects in such a manner that Oconee County and our region remains competitive with other communities, counties and regions across the state of Georgia."
Chamber Chairman Mack Guest said the projects in Oconee County total more than $75 million. "These road improvements are much-needed if our area is to grow and thrive," he said. "A yes vote on the T-SPLOST is a vote for jobs and better infrastructure for the county, region and state."
http://www.it3.ga.gov/Documents/FinalList/Northeast-FinalInvestmentList.pdf This Fact Sheet link also answers some questions. http://www.t-splost.com/connectgeorgia.pdf
Thank you for posting those links. You may have already found this on your own, but there are more links to additional information here: http://t-splost.com/ (The website states it is paid for the by Yancey Bros. Co.) Also, at 6 p.m. at NOHS Thursday night, there will be an informational session about TSPLOST before the candidates forum gets under way. http://patch.com/A-tLYS
I knew about the candidates forum (Go TREY!!!) but not about the TSPLOST info part. I would like more info on how they prioritize the projects within the county. For instance, if only a portion of the projected revenues come in, then do they cut a project or what? Generally I have mixed feelings about self-imposed taxes. The only plus I see to them is that those who otherwise don't pay taxes (illegals, cash workers who don't report income, teenagers who work but generally don't owe tax, etc) have a share in paying sales tax at least. The negative I see is a lot of Clarke Co projects to add bike lanes and I think the Mars Hill projects include bike lanes, too.