Proposal includes street and path repair

The Peachtree City Council is officially backing the need for a new six-year one percent sales tax to fund a variety of projects from street resurfacing to debt retirement.

Council unanimously passed a resolution supporting the Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax being placed for voters’ consideration on the ballot this November when municipal elections are held. The power to put a SPLOST referendum on the ballot rests exclusively with the Fayette County Commission, which has indicated it would be receptive to doing so.

Because this is an “off year” for county elections, the county would have to hold a special election to open the polls for residents of unincorporated areas to vote on the SPLOST, which would be enacted county-wide if it passes.

Fayette’s transportation SPLOST is due to expire in April.

Councilman Steve Boone said he is hoping Peachtree City residents have a good turnout at the voting booth this year to support the SPLOST.

Without the SPLOST, the city will have to find approximately $1 million in its 2010-2011 budget to pay for street and cart path maintenance, city officials have said.

At a meeting Monday between Fayette’s city and county officials, preferences were indicated to have the new SPLOST levied for six years instead of the typical five.

At that meeting, Peachtree City Mayor Harold Logsdon identified potential SPLOST projects for the city as follows:

• $5.4 million for debt retirement;

• $6 million for street resurfacing;

• $2.4 million for multi-use path resurfacing; and

• The remaining balance going for multiple smaller projects related to the extension and upgrading of multi-use paths, tunnel work and erosion control.

The county's potential SPLOST projects include:

• $50 million to pay off the county’s Justice Center;

• $2 million for an emergency operations center;

• $5 million to establish a university campus; and

• $15 million for transportation projects.