Special election for TSPLOST referendum proceeds forward

BLAIRSVILLE, Ga – TSPLOST (Transportation Special Purpose Local Option Sales and Use Tax) will appear on the ballot this November.

At the August County Meeting, Sole Commissioner Lamar Paris approved Resolution (R-2021-09) requesting the calling of an election to impose one percent TSPLOST within Union County.

TSPLOST would raise the total sales tax from 7 to 8 cents on the dollar. The state allows a county up to 9 cents in sales taxes. The state levies the first 4 cents.

The election will take place on Tuesday, November 2, 2021.

“This is very important to our community and for the purpose of improving the safety and infrastructure of our highway, signs and roads but also, necessary to help further reduce of property taxes of our Union County Citizens. We already anticipate our millage rate will be reduced because of the countywide revaluation. In addition, should our TSPLOST election be successful and be passed in November, we estimate our property taxes could be further reduced $1 million,” Paris explained.

The savings would come from “the shift” from the general fund that “will be exchanged through the TSPLOST program federal and equipment fund that is now funded through property taxes.”

TSPLOST, along with SPLOST, ESPLOST, and LOST is a one percent sales tax on purchases within a designated county. However, TSPLOST applies solely to transportation-related projects, such as

• ‘Transportation purposes’ includes roads, bridges, public transit, rails, airports, buses, and all accompanying infrastructure and services necessary to provide access to these facilities.
• Roads, streets, sidewalks, bicycle paths, and bridge purposes such as:
• acquisition of rights of way;
• construction;
• renovation and improvement, including resurfacing;
• relocation of utilities;
• improvement of surface-water drainage; and/or
• patching, leveling, milling, widening, shoulder preparation, culvert repair, and other repairs necessary for their preservation.
• Stormwater and drainage capital outlay projects, in conjunction with transportation projects

At a called meeting on August 20, Paris approved the intergovernmental agreement with the city of Blairsville concerning TSPLOST. If passed, Blairsville will receive 8.5 percent of the transportation tax collections. It’s estimated the city of Blairsville will receive $500,000 each year from TSPLOST.

The closest county to Union with TSPLOST is Lumpkin. Gilmer recently put TSPLOST on the ballot and it failed. Here’s a copy of Georgia’s Sales and Use Tax Rate Chart.

Since sales taxes are consumption-based and everyone who makes a purchase within the county contributes.