COLUMBUS, Ga. (WRBL) – Voters hit the polls for early voting the first week of May. State primaries and local candidates are on the ballot for the May 24th election.
After 10 years the Transportation Special Local Option Sales Tax (T-SPLOST) is back on the ballot.
Voters in Muscogee County and 15 other counties in the Chattahoochee Valley could impact funding for the city’s infrastructure over the next 10 years. This 1% tax for residents, if approved, is allocated strictly to transportation. The city’s planning map breaks down the proposed projects in 3-year increments.
The majority of the proposed projects are in Muscogee County.
Over the 10-year period the tax is expected to raise over 500 million dollars and over 150 million would be contributed by The Georgia Department of Transportation. Whether the T-SPLOST passes relies on a majority vote of the entire Valley, not each individual county.
The last T-SPLOST was voted on and passed back in 2012. That made improvements to the Riverwalk, Follow Me Trail and the US 27, Custer interchange possible. 6 of the 9 projects impacted by that tax are still underway.
