Dade County to put T-SPLOST on ballot

Dade County and Trenton, Ga., residents will vote this year on whether to add a sales tax for transportation improvements.

The county commission voted Thursday to put a referendum on the ballot asking voters if they want to add a 1 percent sales tax from 201823. Dade County Executive Ted Rumley said the money would help pave roads, stripe roads, add sidewalks and replace guardrails.

The county would receive 75 percent of the revenue, according to an intergovernmental agreement, and Trenton would take 25 percent. The item will not go on the ballot unless the Trenton City Commission approves. The city’s elected officials will vote on the issue Monday.

The local governments and the county school board already implement those kind of taxes for capital projects, each bringing in about $2 million per year, according to audits.

“It would be one of the best things for our county,” Rumley said, “as far as roads go.”

With the extra money, he said the county could pave: Hales Gap Road, a 10-mile stretch that winds through Sand Mountain

Brow Road, which is about 12 miles and connects to Hales Gap Road

Burkhalter Gap Road, a 2 1/2-mile street that runs up to Scenic Highway

Cloverdale Road, a 3 1/2mile stretch in Rising Fawn that goes to the Alabama state line

The county usually patches holes in the roads, Rumley said. But every winter, water seeps into the roads and freezes, causing further cracking.

Trenton Mayor Alex Case, meanwhile, said he hopes to add sidewalks along Georgia Highway 136. Right now, he said, there are no sidewalks running east and only a short stretch running west.

“We’d like to be able to take it all the way to Cloudland Canyon State Park,” Case said. “You could almost have a walking path all the way up there.”

He said city leaders also would like to resurface some roads and grind them down. Right now, some streets are taller than their sidewalks. The city commission might also be able to use the extra funding to apply for grants that would create a more historic look in the center of Trenton.

Case said he and other city officials would like to replace the light poles with lighted stoops that look older. They also would like to add more benches and widen the sidewalks by about a foot, bringing them into compliance with Americans with Disabilities Act standards.

NEW ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT POSITION

The county also voted Thursday to re-work its economic recruiting position. Right now, Peter Cervelli serves as the county’s Industrial Development Authority executive director, charged with attracting manufacturing businesses to the town.

But he may soon wear a second hat as the head of Trenton’s Downtown Development Authority. He would have an added responsibility to bring retail businesses to the city. His pay would almost double.

Now, he said, the Industrial Development Authority pays him $40,000 annually. The authority is largely self-funded, making money through buying, selling and renting property. It also gets money through some grants.

Under the new arrangement, Cervelli would receive about $70,000. The IDA will pay $30,000, the county will pay $15,000 and the city will pay $15,000. The Dade County Chamber of Commerce also will re-route $10,000 from the county to Cervelli.

He said $50,000 would come in the form of salary. The rest of the money would go toward benefits. He said he and an ad hoc board already were trying to recruit retail businesses and restaurants to the city. Under this plan, he would work with a formal Downtown Development Authority.

Case said the city used to have a development board years ago, but at some point it folded. The city commission will vote during a meeting Monday to revive the board. Members already held work sessions on the plan, and Case expects them to approve the intergovernmental agreement.

The city commission then will appoint five members to the Downtown Development Authority, which will work with developers and retail consultants to recruit businesses.

“We’re going to see if it works,” Cervelli said. “In some ways, it’s something different. We’ll adjust as it makes sense.”