Tomorrow’s the day!! People from all over Gwinnett will cast their ballots in the Presidential Election. But, as is often the case, it may be their decision on a local item that has the biggest impact on their daily lives. In a previous post we outlined what the Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax is and what the renewal could potentially mean for Gwinnett. The program provides funding everything from roads to public facilities (libraries, fire stations, etc), but the lion’s share of those funds are programmed to go toward transportation (65%). We thought it would be helpful to expand on that specific category.
In August, a group of Gwinnett residents were selected by their peers to represent them on the “Citizen Project Selection Committee”. This group of residents works with County staff to allocate funds to different transportation categories and, if the SPLOST is renewed, prioritize the projects. Allocations are put into two tiers: tier one is 90% of the expected sales tax revenues (projects will be selected to be funded with this tier in case collections are less than expected), tier two is the remaining 10% and will be used to fund additional projects if revenues meet expectations.
The Citizen Advisory Committee has already determined the allocations of funds (included below) so voters can go to the polls with a clear idea of what they are voting on.
Category Allocations for Transportation Tier I* (Minimum Level) Tier II** (Minimum Level)
Bridges, Culverts and Transportation Drainage $46,000,000; $5,317,300
Capital Projects Rehabilitation and Resurfacing $114,000,000; $0
Intersections $45,000,000; $11,900,000
Major Roads $118,000,000; $16,300,000
Residential Speed Control $750,000; $0
Road Safety and Alignment $30,000,000; $5,000,000
School Safety $20,000,000; $2,500,000
Sidewalks and Pedestrian Safety $30,463,000; $7,617,200
Transportation Planning $1,650,000; $0
Unpaved Roads $1,000,000; $0
Total $406,863,000 $48,634,500
Whether it’s new roads, improvements to existing ones or a more comprehensive sidewalk network, there is something in this SPLOST that will impact almost every person in Gwinnett in some way. That’s why the biggest decision facing Gwinnett’s voters may not be at the top of the ticket.
