GAINESVILLE - It is without question the most talked about Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax ever offered in Georgia. Cussed and discussed, it's the Transportation Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax, better know as T-SPLOST.
So, what's in it for Northeast Georgia if the Region 12 referendum passes? Millions of dollars worth of transportation improvements, with the bulk of the money going to Hall and Forsyth counties. (See the list of projects below and the way the question will be worded on the Hall County ballot.)
Georgia has had special purpose taxes for several years, usually on a local basis, where referendums are held periodically to raise money which is earmarked for specific purposes, such as infrastructure. Over the years, banking on the usual success of SPLOST referendums across the state, local communities were eventually given the chance to impose a SPLOST for education...and E-SPLOST was born.
It was in 2010 that the way was cleared for the T-SPLOST referendums when the state Legislature approved the Transportation Investment Act of 2010, which created 12 special tax districts in Georgia and a special district transportation sales and use tax in each district.
The provisions of the Transportation Investment Act (TIA) also lead to the creation of groups in each region - roundtables they were called - which were charged with developing a list of projects in each of the 12 districts to be funded by the tax. In Northeast Georgia (Region 2), the Georgia Mountains Roundtable finalized the list of projects for the 13 counties in the region.
The special one percent sales tax, if approved by the voters, is not to exceed $1.25 billion for the Georgia Mountains region, and will be in place for no more than 10 years. If more than 50 percent of the voters in the Georgia Mountains region vote in favor of levying the tax, then it will be levied throughout the district.
The list of projects that will be funded by revenues generated by the special tax are as follows:
RC02-000002 Intersection Improvements - SR 98 at SR 164/Old 441 in Homer. Banks County
RC02-000003 Relocation of Tanger Drive Banks County
RC02-000004 SR 51 - 3 lane section with right turn lanes in front of primary school in Homer. Banks County
RC02-000007 Dawson Forest and Lumpkin Camp Road Intersection-Add Roundabout and 10`Bike/Ped Facility Dawson County
RC02-000008 Dawson Forest Road East By Pass-From SR 53 E to Harmony Church Rd Dawson County
RC02-000009 Lumpkin Campground Road West By-Pass Widening Dawson County
RC02-000010 Old SR 224/Shoal Creek Road Bridge Replacement Dawson County
RC02-000013 Bethelview Road - Castleberry Road to State Route 20 Forsyth County
RC02-000014 Brookwood Road - SR 141 to McGinnis Ferry Road Forsyth County
RC02-000016 Freedom Parkway Sidewalk - SR 306 to Pilgrim Mill Road Forsyth County
RC02-000017 GRTA Regional Vanpool Service - Georgia Mountains Region Forsyth County
RC02-000018 Intersection Improvement - SR 20 at Kelly Mill Road Forsyth County
RC02-000019 Intersection Improvement - SR 20 at Veterans Memorial Blvd Forsyth County
RC02-000020 Intersection Improvement - SR 20 at West Maple St Forsyth County
RC02-000021 Majors Road Sidewalk - SR 141 to Ronald Reagan Boulevard Forsyth County
RC02-000022 (CST only) Old Atlanta Road, Phase 3 - James Burgess Road to McGinnis Ferry Road Forsyth County
RC02-000024 Pilgrim Mill Road - City Limits to Freedom Parkway Forsyth County
RC02-000026 Ronald Reagan Boulevard, Segment 2 - McFarland Parkway to Shiloh Road Forsyth County
RC02-000028 SR 369 at Mount Tabor Road Forsyth County
RC02-000029 SR 369 at Old Federal Road Forsyth County
RC02-000032 SR 400 at Jot-Em-Down Road Forsyth County
RC02-000033 SR 400- McFarland Parkway to SR 20 Forsyth County
RC02-000034 SR 9 Widening - SR 20 to SR 306 Forsyth County
RC02-000042 Widening McGinnis Ferry Road - Sargent Road to Union Hill Road Forsyth County
RC02-000053 Widening SR 369 - SR 9 to SR 306 (Includes New Interchange at SR 400) Forsyth County
RC02-000055 Widening SR 371 - SR 9 to Kelly Mill Road Forsyth County
RC02-000059 Widening SR 9, Segment 3 - SR 371 to SR 141 Forsyth County
RC02-000062 Xpress Regional Commuter Service - Georgia Mountains Forsyth County
RC02-000063 Franklin-Hart Airport Improvements Franklin County
RC02-000064 Highway 29 and Roach Street Intersection Improvements Franklin County
RC02-000065 Hwy 17 - Hwy 281 Royston Intersection Franklin County
RC02-000069 SR 145 -Turn Lane at Franklin County High School Franklin County
RC02-000070 SR 17 Operational Improvements Franklin County
RC02-000072 SR 328 - Gerrard Road Intersection Improvements Franklin County
RC02-000075 SR 59 -Turn Lanes and Improvements at Franklin County Middle School Franklin County
RC02-000079 New Interchange at the Junction of SR 365 and CR 387/Mt Airy Rd Habersham County
RC02-000082 SR 365 and SR 384/Duncan Bridge Road-New Interchange Habersham
County
RC02-000083 SR 385/US 441 Bus. and SR 17/SR 197 Intersection Improvement Habersham County
RC02-000088 I-985 New Interchange North of SR 13 Near Martin Road Hall County
RC02-000091 Jesse Jewel Pkwy and John Morrow Pkwy Intersection Improvements Hall County
RC02-000095 McEver Road Intersection Improvements Hall County
RC02-000096 Sardis Road Connector - SR 60 to Sardis Road near Chestatee Road Hall County
RC02-000097 Spout Springs Road - Hog Mountain Road to Gwinnent Co. Line Hall County
RC02-000101 SR 211/Old Winder Hwy - SR 53 Winder Hwy to Gwinnett County Line Hall County
RC02-000106 US 129/SR 11/Athens Hwy Widening from SR 323 to SR 332 Hall County
RC02-000107 US 129/SR 11/Cleveland Hwy - Nopone Rd to White County line Hall County
RC02-000108 US 129/SR 11/Cleveland Hwy Widening from Limestone Rd to Nopone Rd Hall County
RC02-000110 Highway 59 Improvements Hart County
RC02-000111 Highway 77 Widening from I-85 to 1 mile south Hart County
RC02-000113 North Hart Elementary School lntersection Improvements Hart County
RC02-000109 Widening of SR 60 from SR 400 to the Hall County Line Lumpkin County
RC02-000118 Improvements to Morrison Moore Parkway/SR 52 from West of the Barlow Rd Intersection to Hwy 52 E Lumpkin County
RC02-000123 US 441 Interchange Improvements-Southbound exit ramp at Rabun Couny High School Rabun County
RC02-000125 GA 2/US Hwy 76 Relocation at Police Department to Correct Severe Switchback Rabun County
RC02-000130 SR 15/US 441 Widening from North City Limits of Clayton to North Carolina Line Rabun County
RC02-000135 S.R.17 Widening and Relocation Stephens County
RC02-000136 SR 17 Bypass Extension to SR 123 Stephens County
RC02-000139 U.S. 76 Improvements from SR 515 to the North Georgia Fairgrounds Towns County
RC02-000140 Widening SR 515 from SR 2 North of Hiawassee to SR 339 Towns County
RC02-000141 Convert Glenn Gooch to Truck Bypass at SR 11-Add Turn Lane, Traffic Signal, Resurface Union County
RC02-000142 Widening of SR 11/US129 from CR46 to NC State Line Union County
RC02-000144 Cleveland Bypass -- Phase 2 White County
RC02-000150 SR 11/US 129 Widening and Reconstruction White County
RC02-000152 Program/ Administration Fee Region Wide
Click on the first link below for a detailed break down of each of these projects.
The wording of the question as it will appear on the Hall County ballot is as follows, according to the Hall County Elections Office:
Shall Hall County' s transportation system and the transportation network in this region and the state be improved by providing for a 1 percent special district transportation sales and use tax for the purpose of transportation projects and programs for a period of ten years?
YES ______
NO ______
Tuesday
April 1st, 2025
5:47AM
