MONROE COUNTY, Ga. — Richard Dumas is the public information officer for the Monroe County Commissions Office. He said the county listens to the community.
"One of the biggest complaints that we get is the level of surfacing for our roads and the quality of our roads," Dumas said.
Monroe County is working to preserve their roads through their first TSPLOST which voters approved in November 2021, but they've realized they'll need more money for projects sooner rather than later.
"We estimated $17 million to be dispersed for Monroe County and the cities of Forsyth and Culloden. I think it's $14.1 total for Monroe County and the remainder for the cities, but we're going to hit that cap two and a half years in. Which is only halfway through the five-year period," Dumas explained.
So voters will decide on a new TSPLOST on the March 2024 ballot. County leaders project it will bring in $32.5 million and that 50% of it will come from visitors to the county.
"All the stops they make in getting gas and the convenient stores and so forth. All that money goes into TSPLOST and so it's hugely beneficial for our local taxpayers to not have to raise their property taxes to pay for our local roads," Dumas said.
Now the TSPLOST is separate from the regular SPLOST.
TSPLOST money is specifically used for transportation. It allows counties and cities to have more flexibility to add more projects to their agenda like the city of Culloden, according to Mayor Lynn Miller.
"The TSPLOST allows us to be able to do other projects with our SPLOTS funds. The city hall got a facelift, the pickleball courts, so it's a lot of things that you're not having to take from SPLOST to try to help," Miller said.
Miller said her city has already seen progress from TSPLOST funds and she hopes it's approved again.
"TSPLOST is critical and if you want to see how important it is. Come to Culloden and see because that'll give you a vision of what's coming to a bigger picture which is Monroe County," Miller said.
Of the projected $32 million from the new TSPLOST, 85% would go to the county, 15% for the city of Forsyth and 1.5% for the folks in Culloden.
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