LAURENS COUNTY, Ga. — People in Laurens County can now vote on a SPLOST that would run for the next six years, and bring in an estimated $68 million dollars for funding projects in the county.
The county's has used the penny sales tax to raise funds since 2003, so the current vote will decide whether to extend that. For every $1 spent, a cent in sales tax is added.
According to the U.S. Census, Laurens County is over 800 square miles. District Two County Commissioner Trae Kemp said it's not cheap to keep up with that much land.
"We have to pave a lot of roads, about half of my district is dirt roads," Kemp said.
He said a huge help over the past nearly 20 years has been SPLOST and tourism.
"SPLOST is a way for us to capitalize on our status as a hub to help improve the infrastructure that everyone gets to enjoy," he said.
When people spend their money in Laurens County, whether they live in the area or not, their tax dollars go towards projects in the county.
Miriam Lewis is the Executive Director at Visit Dublin and said, according to their report, visitors spent $100.3 million in the county during 2022.
"Because of that, we saw savings in $440 in household taxes for each household in Laurens County," Lewis said.
If the SPLOST gets renewed, Kemp said the county could use it to fund a variety of projects.
"Anything equipment or infrastructure related, SPLOST can help us do," Kemp said.
On that list is improving the courthouse and other administrative buildings. Additionally, road, bridge, street and drainage improvements are also things the county is looking to work on.
"After that public safety is a big deal, And we're not talking about just the Sheriff's Office. But we're also talking about EMS. It's a challenge getting to the four corners of Laurens County," Kemp said.
He said it'll take some extra money to make sure as much of the county is covered as possible.
Early voting started this week, and election day is Nov. 7.
The list of things to improve is not finalized, and Kemp said the county will seek public input before deciding where the funds would go towards if the SPLOST vote is approved.