A briefing on a plan to implement a regional 1 percent sales tax for transportation projects will be presented to the Fayette County Commission Wednesday (Sept. 1) at 3:30 p.m. The information will be presented by the Atlanta Regional Commission, which plays the role of principal regional planner for the 10-county metro Atlanta region which includes Fayette County.
This year the Georgia legislature approved putting the regional sales tax up for a region-wide vote for voters to consider in July 2012. In that referendum, as long as the SPLOST is approved by a majority of voters in the entire region, Fayette and other counties will be forced to participate in the SPLOST even if Fayette votes the initiative down.
Peachtree City Mayor Don Haddix will serve as Fayette’s representative on the “regional roundtable,” which is a collaboration of local governments in the region that will devise the priority projects to be funded with the SPLOST revenue should the measure be approved by voters.
Haddix said he will seek input on the projects from the mayors of each municipality in Fayette County along with the county commission.
In addition to working through Haddix, Fayette’s municipalities and the county, along with state legislators, will be able to submit regional transportation projects for consideration by the state’s transportation planning director.
The final list of regional SPLOST projects to be voted on will be finished by an executive committee of the regional roundtable.
Funding for the projects will be contingent upon voter approval in a referendum in July 2012.
In that referendum, as long as the SPLOST is approved by a majority of voters in the entire region, Fayette and other counties will be forced to participate in the SPLOST even if the entire county votes the initiative down.
Any potential regional project with Coweta won’t be eligible for the funding because Coweta and Fayette are in different regions, Haddix said.
Fayette County is part of the Atlanta Regional Commission while Coweta County is part of the Three Rivers Regional Commission.
