Gwinnett voters to decide on SPLOST

Gwinnett County voters will be asked whether they want to continue collecting Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax for the next five years. A referendum will be added to the Nov. 4 ballot, according to action taken by the Board of Commissioners.

Commissioners voted to add the referendum, and have been working for several months with the county's 15 municipalities on an intergovernmental agreemental for the distribution of proceeds from SPLOST.

The five-year SPLOST collections, which would begin April 1, 2009, are estimated to total $850 million. "Voter support of SPLOST has made it possible for many needed capital improvements to take place in our community. When you think of the parks, libraries, roads, and public safety facilities that are here today, it's clear that Gwinnett is a better place to live because of SPLOST," said Commission Chairman Charles Bannister.

As authorized in state law, the County will utilize 20 percent of the proceeds for level two countywide projects consisting of recreational facilities and libraries. The cities will then receive funding based on the percentage of the population within incorporated Gwinnett County according to 2007 Census Bureau numbers, 19.522 percent. The estimated amount to the cities is just under $132.8 million. The remainder of the SPLOST proceeds will go to the County.

The intergovernmental agreement reflects the County breakdown between roads, streets and bridges – $380.9 million; public safety facilities and equipment – $66.3 million; recreational facilities – $162 million; libraries – $13 million; and court facilities – $95 million.

The cities' planned uses are city roads, streets and bridges – $46.9 million; city public safety facilities and equipment – $18.9 million; city recreational facilities – $32.3 million; city water and sewer capital improvements – $8.5 million; city administrative facilities – $20.2 million; and city parking facilities – $6 million.
- www.gwinnettherald.com

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