Fire station No. 7 on Enterprise Drive was funded with SPLOST money. Under the 2014 SPLOST budget, two additional fire stations are slated for construction — one at Yates Springs and the other on Ga. 151 north. (Catoosa News photo/Dennis Norwood)
The 1-percent (penny-on-a-dollar) sales tax runs in five-year cycles. The tax cannot be renewed unless approved by voters.
The current SPLOST began in July 2009 and ends June 2014. If, on March 19, voters approve another five-year cycle, it would begin July 2014 and end June 2019. The tax is expected to generate up to $60 million.
The money will be divided up: Catoosa County, 80.1 percent ($48.06 million); Fort Oglethorpe, 11.9 percent ($7.14 million); Ringgold, 4.2 percent ($2.52 milliion); and Catoosa Utility District Authority, 3.8 percent ($2.28 million).
The money must be used for capital outlay projects, which means the building of parks, schools, roads, and other public facilities. The revenue cannot be used towards operating expenses or most maintenance projects. Capital outlay projects are defined as major projects of a permanent, long-lived nature, such as land and structures. Among the projects included are roads, streets, bridges, police cars, fire trucks, ambulances and garbage trucks. While funds cannot be used for most maintenance, SPLOST law allows the expenditure of funds for maintenance and repair of roads, streets and bridges.
Before a vote is held, the county and cities must decide on the projects (hence “special purpose”) and those projects must be presented to voters on the ballots.
Here is a look at the projects.
-- SPLOST funding will ensure many new enhancements for Catoosa County.
-- Fort Oglethorpe‘s plans for 2014 SPLOST.
-- Ringgold prepares for SPLOST projects
If you want to shop in 6% Sales Tax Whitfield County, go for it. But I wouldn’t want to live in Whitfield County; they are having greater problems than Catoosa. Unemployment, school budgets, etc.
Fort Oglethorpe projects are needed and wouldn’t get done without the SPLOST. I don’t begrudge spending money to improve the sewer systems to get sewage out of front yards.
Ringgold projects and Catoosa County project lists look OK also.
I-75 is open for moving vans 24/7 going to Tennessee; they may welcome you back home.
Me. I’ll stay in Catoosa County and vote for SPLOST
Why would property taxes need to increase? Catoosa County residents already pay more in property taxes than a resident of Hamilton County (county resident to county resident comparison). Somehow the fallacy still exists that Catoosa County residents pay less in property taxes than those across the state line. Also, Georgia residents pay a huge 6% income tax which doesn't even exist in Tennessee. Where is that 6% going and why can't it be used more efficiently to fund needed capital projects?
Generally I am in favor of a higher sales tax and no income tax. If Georgia reduces my income tax or even property taxes, I'd glady vote "Yes" for this SPLOST. However, I will vote "No" for the reasons stated above.
By way of reference, Whitfield County has a lower sales tax because they chose to vote "No" We should do the same. If the politicians decide to increase property taxes, we should vote for politicians willing to run government more efficiently and ones that are willing to spur growth.
This SPLOST vote is to keep the Catoosa Sales Tax the same as it has been for years.
This just renews the current tax and it should be voted for to keep it the same.
If Catoosa County doesn't keep the 1% SPLOST the same they lose the sales tax money being paid by all the out of County shoppers and travelers.
If it were not for SPLOST those needed expenses would be paid by increasing Catoosa property tax.
Increase property tax or keep SPLOST, I chose keeping SPLOST.
Handing more money to politicians is like handing whiskey and car keys to teenage boys.
Brother Snarky here is preaching to the choir!!
Who needs roads, bridges, fire houses, police cars that run?? Give all the politicians a shovel and a pile of asphalt, sheets of steel and a hammer. We'll have solid infrastructure in no time! Guvmint should not in the business of building roads or buying police cars and fire trucks or picking up our refuse!! What kind of socialist crap is all this anyway?? Damn Obummer!
Umm...Not true and not true.
The ESPLOST has been around for many years. (They're building a new gymnasium for L-F-O with it as I type this. You can see it from Battlefield Parkway.)It was the wasteful,boondoggle T-SPLOST that went down the flusher last summer.
And if that money is just going to stay here anyway,then why just move it around from pocket A (the taxpayers) to pocket B (the politicians that will use it to buy your vote in the next election)
The truth is, this money will fly out of Catoosa County at Star Fleet Warp Speed.
Those squad cars that the sheriffs office wants? Built God-Knows-Where and probably purchased from the low bid out of town dealer. Whoosh!
Paving? Astec (just across the line in Hamilton County) is one of the biggest paving equipment makers in America. Whoosh!
$300,000 for "flyover survey mapping? You can bet that the money won't be spent here. Whoosh!
Let's call this what it is: A $60 million transfer of wealth from people that pay taxes to people that spend them.They are going to buy your votes in their next election by putting pictures of themselves in color flyers in front of these projects that YOU will be paying for and taking the credit themselves.
And that "small 1%" ? Well, when your taxes went up 2% in January,did that seem "small" ? If so, then vote yourself another tax increase and feel even better.
The good thing about this is that its consumption based. They can pass taxes like this till they are blue in the face,but they can't make us buy our items here.And if this passes,I'll be buying less and less.