Wednesday, January 21, 2004
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Wednesday, January 21, 2004 |
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Taxing times face Fayette By JOHN THOMPSON By April, residents should know whether they will be going to the polls in November to approve a special purpose local option sales tax to build more than $400 million worth of transportation projects in the county over the next two decades. During last week’s meeting of the Association of Fayette County Governments, the county’s leaders addressed a variety of issues from electing new officers to golf cart regulations. But the issue that was bandied around the most was funding the county’s ambitious transportation plan. Late last year, the county unveiled a transportation plan enumerating nearly $400 million in projects to keep the traffic snarls at a minimum over the next 20 years. Included in the plan is 20 intersection or traffic signal improvements, 28 road upgrades, 10 bridge projects and seven street beautification projects. County Commissioner Herb Frady explained the commission was planning to discuss the idea of calling for a SPLOST at its Jan. 29 retreat, and said the county would need all the cities’ help in getting the measure passed. He said it’s estimated the one penny sales tax would generate nearly $121 million a year in revenue, and would allow those who live outside the county but shop here to pay for transportation upgrades. “Just go out to the Pavilion and look at the license plates out there,” he said. Another wrinkle in the vote could be the addition of adding construction of a senior center to the proposal. Commissioner A.G. VanLandingham said the center is more than $1 million short of the estimated $3.2 million it will take to build the new facility. “Those folks have worked too hard out there to continue to wait,” he said. The county has already acquired a site near the judicial complex for the center, and much of the engineering work has already been completed, he added. Peachtree City Mayor Steve Brown urged the county to be very careful about how they worded a possible SPLOST resolution. “I’d like to see a proposal. I’m not sure you want to muddy it up by adding other things to it,” he said. But Fayette County Board of Education member Janet Smola heartily endorsed the idea of adding the senior center to the transportation projects’ SPLOST. “We need to make the SPLOST something for everyone,” she said. Another factor that could cause dissent among the voters is the Fayette County Board of Education is also looking at a proposal to ask voters for money for new construction projects. (See related story.) Frady said he should have many questions answered by the time the group’s next meeting occurs April 13 in Tyrone. In other business, the leaders: • Elected new officers for the organization. Fayetteville City Councilman Larry Dell is chairman this year, while Janet Smola is vice chairman and Brown is secretary-treasurer. • Heard Brown discuss an effort to coordinate golf cart path ordinances among Peachtree City, Fayette County and Tyrone. The other members of the group urged Brown to work with Fayette County and Tyrone in ironing out the details.
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