CAMILLA, GA. --
In July, southwest Georgia voters will go to the polls to vote on a 1 cent Transportation Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (TSPLOST).
Thursday afternoon officials attended a meeting in Camilla, Georgia to find out what the tax means for the area.
Presenters from Connect Georgia, a group under the umbrella of the Georgia Transportation Alliance, relayed to the crowd that voting in favor of the 1 cent sales tax means more than $53 million for southwest Georgia.
“These funds will not be siphoned off by Washington, not siphoned off by Atlanta, but spent 100 percent in the southwest Georgia region,” says Chris Carpenter, a representative for Connect Georgia.
If the tax passes, Lee County will be the beneficiary of over $26 million to use on roads and other engineering projects. Dougherty County stands to receive over $90 million.
This money will be accumulated over a ten year span. Supporters of the bill say it will generate over 14 thousand jobs within that 10 year period.
While some officials who attended the meeting were on board, some were just learning about the referendum.
Albany Mayor Dorothy Hubbard says in the months leading up to the sales tax vote, the tax payers will have to be convinced and the short timing may be a disadvantage.
“They're going to have to be sold. I think they’re going to be just like I am. They're going to have to be diligent about going out and seeking the information,” says Dorothy Hubbard, Albany Mayor.
Hubbard says she intends to bring knowledge of the TSPLOST to the Albany community so that voters will be informed when they go to the polls in July.
To find more information on the 2012 TSPLOST referendum, follow the link to ConnectGeorgia2012.com.
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