No speakers at SPLOST sessions
A pair of what was dubbed town hall meetings gave local residents interested in the forthcoming Special Purpose, Local Option Sales Tax fund extension a chance to learn more about the projects up on the ballot this year.
Originally called town hall meetings, County Manager Matt Denton said briefly during the Monday gathering that no one was scheduled to speak on behalf of the SPLOST 2020 packages, but instead that information printed on poster boards was available within Cedartown City Hall and that anyone who wanted to leave written comments could do so, and repeated that procedure at Rockmart City Hall the following night.
It was the only two information sessions scheduled as of press time over the weekend ahead of the November vote during midterms to determine whether SPLOST will get another six years once the current fund runs out in a year and a half.
The trio of cities and county all have approved resolutions agreeing to a $32 million, six year extension of SPLOST after it runs out in 2020. Voters are getting a chance to decide whether the fund will stay in place or not. The current SPLOST was approved in 2014.
The fund is split four ways between the county and the cities, with the county getting the largest portion followed by Cedartown, Rockmart and Aragon with the smallest.
Revenues from an extension of the one-cent sales tax in 2020 seek to generate $17,190,400, or 53.72 percent of the total amount being sought would go to the county.
In their resolution, they programmed the funds for countywide recreation, public infrastructure improvements, Public Safety facilities, equipment and vehicles, the same for Public Works, Transportation equipment and vehicles, county buildings, facilities and equipment and economic development. 6
The fund also seeks to generate $7,948,800 or 24.84 percent for the City of Cedartown, who wants to use the money for recreation and parks improvements, municipal infrastructure improvements, municipal equipment a2nd vehicles, technology infrastructure and improvements, public land, building and facilities improvements and municipal debt service.
If approved, Rockmart will receive 20.03 percent of the fund or $6,409,600 of the money being sought. The city looks to use their portion of the 2020 SPLOST for municipal infrastructure improvements to water, sewer, collection and distribution systems, municipal buildings, facilities and public use or recreation area improvements, for public safety facilities and equipment improvements, transportation and pedestrian infrastructure improvements and for downtown and small business corridor development and improvements.
The City of Aragon’s portion of the 2020 SPLOST is the smallest and only makes up 1.41 percent of the fund according to the county’s resolution approved in early August. The $451,200 approved for Aragon will seek to use the money for Public Safety and Public Works equipment, along with municipal infrastructure and technology improvements.
The one-penny sales tax would extend the fund through 2026 after it runs out in June 2020, at the end of the FY 2020 fiscal year.