The Newnan-Coweta Chamber of Commerce has signed off on the county’s March 2012 vote to extend the one-cent Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST). If approved, the initiative would run for six years and carry a maximum collection ceiling of $120 million. The funds going to the county and the cities would be designated for a wide range of infrastructure needs and those designated for parks and recreation, public safety and other projects.
Giving the March 2012 vote its endorsement, the chamber said it is estimated that about 90 percent of projects identified by the county and cities will be spent on infrastructure such as streets, roads and bridges.
Chamber president Candace Boothby said the chamber recognizes that transportation is one of the most important economic development functions for a successful community and is committed to ensuring that Coweta’s transportation infrastructure continues to meet the community’s needs.
“The combined effect of aging infrastructure and the pressures of growth have continued here in spite of the recession. Coweta simply must seek fair ways to pay for improvements. Since the funding will be for specific projects and not for the general fund, we feel that the community will benefit directly from these targeted improvements,” Boothby said.
Chamber Chair Vicki Kaiser in addressing the upcoming SPLOST vote said it is important for voters to understand that the extension is needed for Coweta to retain its place as one of Georgia’s premier counties.
“After careful and thoughtful examination of the effect of extending the county’s SPLOST, the Board of Directors of the Chamber decided that there were so many projects and improvements remaining to be done that we must continue to fund these by extending the local sales tax,” said Kaiser. “Our purpose in advocating and endorsing the extension is educational. We want the Coweta voters to know exactly what improvements will be made and how they will affect Coweta County. We are one of the premier counties in Georgia and we cannot rest on past achievements if we expect to remain a top-tier community.”
The current SPLOST expires in December of 2012. Approval by voters in March would extend the collection period until December 2018.
