We will go to the polls Sept. 21 to decide whether or not to approve a one-cent local option sales tax to fund additions and modifications to our schools.

The items to be funded by the SPLOST are all necessary if we are to maintain a high quality education for our youth. This is important not only to those of us who have or will have children attending Fayette County schools, but to maintain the property values of those who don't.

Ask your neighbors why they moved to Fayette County and I'll wager that the vast majority will say the schools were the primary reason. Those who don't answer first with schools will no doubt reply about the quality of life here, a quality that is greatly enhanced by the school system.

The list of items to be funded by the SPLOST was determined by the school system in concert with a committee of parents, and will do much to equalize the facilities provided to the various schools in the county. If you doubt the validity of the needs, visit the schools, talk to the administrators and let them show you around their facilities. You will find that the dollars will be well spent.

The question then becomes how to fund these items, by property or sales tax. I think we will all agree that there is no good tax, so it comes down to the lesser of the evils.

I believe the sales tax is the better answer for several reasons.

1. The sales tax is for a set period of time and a specific amount of money. When the five years elapse or the dollar amount is raised, whichever comes first, the tax goes away. If our property taxes are raised to pay for these items, and these projects will have to be covered sooner or later, what do you figure the odds are of the tax ever dropping again?

2. Any logical person can see that the high rate of growth in the county is going to continue for many years to come. The projects to be funded by this SPLOST will go a long way toward bringing us up to date, but they will not end the needs of the school system.

What happens in a few years when we have to build more schools and add to the existing buildings? If we go with the SPLOST, the tax will be ending and we can then decide whether or not to approve another sales tax or property tax. If we decide now to go with a property tax increase, it will still be on our bills for many years to come and we will be forced to add ever-increasing amounts to our property tax bills.

Plus, it is as simple as deciding how long to finance a car. The shorter the loan, the better off you are financially.

3. Most of the arguments in favor of property tax funding of these needs base their comparisons on a $100,000 selling price of a home. The average price of a house in Fayette County is now about $190,000. This significantly increases the property tax bite.

4. The next time you are shopping at the Fayette Pavilion or eating out in Peachtree City, take notice of how many cars in the parking lot are from outside the county. Why not let these visitors help pay for these improvements?

Every county surrounding us is at 7 percent sales tax. Even with the increase, we will still be below our neighbors.

5. Based on a very conservative estimate of our growth rate, the sales tax will fund all the specified items on the list. Taking into account the more likely larger rate of growth, we will begin to build a “nest egg” toward funding future schools for the system. It will have to be done, so advance funds would be a huge help.

6. We have already had to account for a major increase in the price of many of the improvements since the last vote. The longer we wait, the more it will cost.

We need to keep our school system first rate for the youth of this county. All in all, I believe the SPLOST is the least painful way to pay for the needed improvements to the schools.

Tom Dunn
Peachtree City

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