The six-year Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) will be up for vote in March 2017. The county is expected to take in over $140 million. Peachtree City’s share will be over $45 million.
The PTC City Council is desperately depending on SPLOST to pass. They’ve been busy planning how to spend a windfall of $45 million. But what if it doesn’t pass? I have seen no plans and no legitimate ideas about what they’ll do if SPLOST doesn’t pass.
Once again we see a commitment to poor fiscal policy. Council has already saddled us with higher taxes. They are using a million dollars in reserves to balance the budget. They have put us in line for massive tax increases should SPLOST fail.
A significant factor in this potential debacle was the outrageous 2014 pay raise. Salary increases for the already best-paid employees were more important than fiscal responsibility. Council was told this would be a problem in the future but they didn’t listen.
If SPLOST fails one council member has already talked about increasing the millage rate three mills to pay for things council failed to plan for. This kind of fiscal mismanagement is outrageous. The thought of a three-mill increase is frightening. Imagine the exodus of businesses. Do we want our city to be known as “Peachtax City”?
Seven years ago, when the economy tanked, we went into survival mode for maintaining city services, especially road and cart path maintenance and landscaping services. The 2010 SPLOST had just failed. The previous council failed to plan for that. Taxes were increased by 1.25 mills not only because the SPLOST failed, but also because the next council had to deal with over $20 million in unfunded requirements. Here we are again with no plan other than raising taxes.
I hope the SPLOST passes. Further, I hope council has the good sense to then reduce the city’s millage rate by at least one mill. I’ve been advocating this approach for over a year. The net impact for the average citizen of a one-cent sales tax and a one-mill reduction in property tax would be nearly zero.
Read that again. For the same amount of tax, Peachtree City would net over $5 million in revenue for each of the six years of the SPLOST. This is huge. Any arguments for voting No to the SPLOST are trivial in comparison.
Further, this would tell businesses they could trust that the city’s economic environment was managed by a competent council and staff. This would be essential in drawing new businesses to PTC. This too is huge.
Reducing the tax rate by at least one mill is a key point in my platform as your candidate for mayor. It is time for new leadership — leadership who understands budgets and who has the knowledge and confidence to move us and our city into the future.
Eric Imker
Candidate for mayor
Peachtree City, Ga.
