The penny sales tax for road projects did pass in Dade County, but wasn’t much of a contest in the other 14. The TSPLOST carried four precincts of the seven precincts in Dade County, but was carrying only three other precincts in all of Northwest Georgia, one each in Floyd, Gordon and Catoosa counties.
In Floyd County, the TSPLOST lost by 6,143-3,051, with one precinct outstanding at deadline. It did carry the South Rome precinct by an 85-67 margin.
The penny tax would have raised $1.4 billion in the region, paying to widen Ga. 140, Rockmart Highway, and jumpstarting the proposed U.S. 411 to I-75 connector.
Voters in three regions of the state, surrounding Augusta, Columbus and Dublin, passed the road program.
“This was a tax increase in a bad economy, to the intuitive as well as the informed that does not work. People just said no tax in this bad economy,” said Mike Morton, a leader of the local Tea Party.
“I think there would have been greater support for it if we didn’t have 10.6-percent unemployment and if we didn’t have houses being foreclosed on in record numbers,” Morton continued.
Kyle Abernathy, who cast a ballot at the manning Mill Recreation Center in Adairsville agreed. “So many people are already overtaxed,” Abernathy said. “I have questions about how the money is going to be spent and the 10 years of spending time is another thing that concerns me.”
“It won’t help me and I’m on a fixed income,” said Harold Glass of Resaca.
Roman Jerry Norman expressed a similar sentiment. “I think it would be a good thing if the money went to the right place,” Norman
said. “I think everyone is afraid that the money is going to be boondoggled.”
Ahmad Hall of Adairsville said he did his homework and understood what he was voting for. “I just thought it was common sense, I knew from the get go,” Hall said. “I knew it was something for this region.”
Hall said he felt like the way the region was growing, the road projects proposed for funding from the tax would be beneficial to the entire Coosa Valley area.
Lacey Pinson of Rome shared a similar opinion. “I just think if the funds are used in the best interest of the city, and are
going to improve transportation, then I’m for it,” Pinson said. Does she trust government to carry out the lengthy priority list of transportation projects? “I think you have to to some extent,” Pinson said.
“I’m greatly disappointed because I think our alternative is going to be much worse,” Northwest Regional Commission Executive Director Bill Steiner said. “There are rumors of increasing gasoline taxes and the figures show that would be 25 cents a gallon to make up the difference. I think that would be an undue burden, particularly on low and moderate income families whereas the sales tax is paid by everybody in the state and people who visit the state frequently or travel through the state.”
“I think the state is going to have re-evaluate what they’re doing and how they do it and come up with a new plan, said Rome City Manager John Bennett. “Locally, we’ll just have to take a hard look at what we need to do and then work with the county to see what we might do down the road.”
“It’s going to be an interesting experiment to see who was right, to see if the naysayers were right and this is an example of tax dollars going into a black hole never to be seen again with fraud waste and abuse running rampant. That’s what the naysayers say,” said state Rep. Christian Coomer, R-Cartersville.
Floyd County Commission Chairman Irwin Bagwell said that since the tax was defeated across the majority of the state, he can see county commissioners across the state going back to the legislature and asking for state road money because the region did not pass the tax.
“It will put us at a disadvantage for industrial prospects because we still need to build the roads and it’s going to cost us more to build them and that will certainly put us at a competitive disadvantage,” Bagwell said.
Steiner said concerns about the impact on industrial expansion go beyond recruitment of new industry. “Industries already here might move,” Steiner said.
Yep, us ol ignorant hillbillies done run off dem dere revenuers...I guess we be purty happy running round on our dirt roads, barefooted and stupid as ever...However..................
I highly recommend you run away from this old flea bag hill billy infested town and head up north to your liberal paradise. Oh do what, there's no jobs there... Oh you mean your wonderful unions and democratic politicians up there ran off all the businesses? That's just too bad, I guess you may have to hang around down here with all of us ignorant hicks that still have a few jobs left around that your liberal unions and tax plans haven't attacked yet.
That's right skippy, no new taxes, no new roads. It's called conservatism, the way of the South!
I don't need your recommendations. We have been trying to sell out house so we can move out of your "old flea bag hill billy infested town". Guess what? No one here has to money to buy houses since there are very few jobs. Unless you are in the medical field, or an attorney, or in mgmt of any of businesses that have not moved away, then there is no decent income. People from out of town are not moving here because, again, no jobs. For those of us that have well-paying jobs, we have to travel quite a distance, so living in Rome is also a burdon. We would love nothing more than get out of here.
The volumn of traffic would produce enough fund every day of the year to cover the toll collector's wages and meet the needs for road construcion and repair.
They use the roads so why not pay for them?
This may come as a shock to you, but I-75 and I-95 have on/off ramps the entire length of the road which allows motorist to get on/off at hundreds of locations other than the north and south borders of Georgia, thereby bypassing your ingenius scheme. DUH!
Explain to me how if the Floyd County gas tax is the lowest that the actual cost per gallon is the highest of any county in North Georgia or Alabama. Centre, Alabama is currently $3.16 at Walmart. $3.34 at the Cedartown Walmart and $3.53 at the Rome, Walmart. I've always wanted to know this and you seem to be the person to ask since you obviously know everything.
@Crawfish. Liberal, conservative, whatever. Its common freaking sense. It takes money, tax money, to pay for the things that need to be done. These things don't magically fix themselves. Oh. That's right. People around here don't believe in having things that require upkeep as some of you have posted on this forum. I guess that fits for this "city". This "city" where 3 out of 4 cars blow more smoke than 10 transfer trucks. A "city" where people take pride in their gutters hanging halfway off their houses. A "city" where people love that they can leave their Christmas lights hanging year-round. Yep. That about sums it up.
As far as name calling? Well, that's about all you people respond too. If a comment doesn't cause ire on these forums, then it is just ignored as just some other person that has the audacity to think and reason. Something that isn't taken very well around here.
If I own an apartment complex, and the County raises my property taxes, you think I'm just going to suck it up and let it eat into my profit margin? Nope. The cost will be passed on to the tenants as an increase in rent.
Mull that over next time your rent rises. Don't curse that "evil rich bastard", but instead, the government.
Sorry. You got me all wrong. No gov't payroll and no gov't assistance. Just a human that doesn't mind helping those in need. Not because of some hokey religion. Not because I'm loaded and need tax write offs or a guilty conscience. Just because its the right thing to do. Our household budget is just fine as well thank you. Wanna give it another guess? Or did that take everything you had?
Not to you, but I've made a list of just about everyone I could find on these articles, so, no whining from any of you in the future about any kind of road or transportation issue or I'm gonna call ya out.