The Hall County Board of Commissioners approved a resolution calling for a Transportation Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (TSPLOST) to be placed on the Nov. 5 General Election ballot.
A Transportation SPLOST is a one percent sales tax collected on the sales of specific goods and services over a six-year period for a specific program of transportation projects. Monies collected from this tax may only be used on transportation purposes, including roads, bridges, bicycle paths, sidewalks, and accompanying infrastructure and services necessary to access such facilities.
“Hall County has grown significantly at a rapid rate throughout the last several years, and if you frequent the County, you know that the traffic reflects that growth,” Commissioner Kathy Cooper said. “As long as this community continues to expand, we will need to ensure our roads and infrastructure are maintained and improved in order to ease congestion, improve traffic flow, and make sure our citizens and visitors are as safe as possible when choosing to drive or walk to their destinations.”
In addition to the resolution, District 49 Sen. Shelley Echols and District 27 Rep. Lee Hawkins were recognized by the Association of County Commissioners of Georgia (ACCG) at Thursday’s meeting for their contributions to the newly passed Transportation SPLOST legislation, Senate Bill 383 and House Bill 946, respectively. The new legislation now requires only municipalities representing more than 50% of a county’s municipal population to sign an Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) to levy the Transportation SPLOST at a full penny. Additionally, the legislation allows for a six-year program if a county and all its municipalities sign the IGA.
The local IGA was agreed to at an earlier meeting between commissioners and representatives of the cities and towns in the county: TSPLOST referendum one step closer (wgtjradio.com)
If Hall County voters vote in favor of the Transportation SPLOST in the General Election, it will go into effect in April 2025.
For more information about the proposed Transportation SPLOST program and for a list of proposed projects, visit www.hallcounty.org.