Series of meetings to be held throughout the county
Forsyth County wants to hear from citizens regarding the types of projects they would like to see funded by the proposed continuation of the SPLOST sales tax program. A series of public input meetings will be held in the coming weeks, giving citizens the opportunity to weigh in on how funding from the proposed continuation of the penny sales tax program should be allocated.
SPLOST stands for Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax. It is a special one percent voter-approved sales and use tax in Forsyth County for a specified period of time (up to six years), raising an estimated amount of revenue for designated programs or named capital projects. The sales tax has been in place in the county since 1987, when it was first approved by Forsyth County voters. Forsyth County voters have subsequently approved six referendums continuing the program. The Forsyth County Board of Commissioners is currently discussing plans to schedule an eighth SPLOST referendum to be voted on in November 2018.
“Prior to the referendum, the Board of Commissioners will develop and approve a list of potential projects to be funded by the proposed SPLOST VIII program,” said County Manager Eric Johnson. “The purpose of these forums is to hear from citizens about the types of projects they would prefer be funded by the sales tax. How much of the potential funding would they want to go toward transportation, public safety, parks, or other categories? That is what we hope to learn from these meetings.”
Ten SPLOST public input meetings will be held throughout the county. Each of the county’s five commissioners will hold two public input sessions – one in the daytime and one in the evening – to enable as many residents to attend as possible. No formal presentation will be made and residents are encouraged to drop in at any time during the meeting hours. While the meetings will be hosted by each district commissioner, citizens are welcome to attend the meeting most convenient for them. The same information will be available at all meetings.
District 1 Wednesday, January 24, 10 a.m. - noon
Cumming Public Library, 585 Dahlonega Street, Cumming
District 2 Tuesday, January 30, 10 a.m. - noon
Old Atlanta Park Recreation Center, 810 Nichols Road, Suwanee
District 4 Wednesday, January 31, 10 a.m. - noon
Coal Mountain Park Community Building, 3560 Settingdown Road, Cumming
District 5 Wednesday, February 7, 10 a.m. - noon
Windermere Lodge, 4444 Front Nine Drive, Cumming
District 4 Thursday, February 8, 6 - 8 p.m.
Hampton Park Library, 5345 Settingdown Road, Cumming
District 1 Tuesday, February 13, 6 - 8 p.m.
Central Park Recreation Center banquet room, 2300 Keith Bridge Road, Cumming
District 2 Thursday, February 22, 6 - 8 p.m.
Forsyth Conference Center at Lanier Technical College, 3410 Ronald Regan Boulevard, Cumming
District 3 Tuesday, February 27, 10 a.m. - noon
Post Road Library, 5010 Post Road, Cumming
District 5 Wednesday, February 28, 6 - 8 p.m.
County Administration Building lobby, 110 E. Main Street, Cumming
District 3 Thursday, March 8, 6 - 8 p.m.
Fowler Park Recreation Center gym, 4110 Carolene Way, Cumming
Not sure which district you live in? Use the commission district lookup tool.
Can’t attend a meeting in person? Click here to provide your input online!
What have previous SPLOST programs funded?
Past SPLOST programs have provided funding for a number of important infrastructure projects that otherwise may not have been possible. These include numerous transportation projects including new roads, road widenings, intersection improvements and sidewalks; fire engines and fire stations; land for parks and green space; libraries; the county’s new courthouse, jail and downtown parking facilities; animal shelter and more.