Gilmer County voters rejected a Transportation Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (TSPLOST).
One cent would have been added to the county sales tax if the measure had passed. It would have brought in an estimated $7 million to $8 million each year to be spent on county maintained roads and bridges.
The rejection of the measure means the county will maintain 503 miles of road, close to 200 miles of it dirt or gravel, solely with property taxes.
“It means we will continue just the way we were before,” said Gilmer County Chair Charlie Paris. “Making some progress, but not as much as we could.”
Paris said he will have to continue to say ‘no’ to many people who call to get their road paved or have it added to the county system.
Another result will be to stifle growth as the county has limited funds to widen and improve roads in areas where there is construction, Paris said.
“We are doing infinitely better than we were 10 years ago,” Paris said.
He bristled at the campaign signs which said the county should do better managing the current budget.
Maintenance of roads only allows for a small amount of new paving each year, in the current budget.
“The bottom line is we will never get to a point where all the roads get paved,” he said.
Some light at the end of the tunnel exists. In 2030, Gilmer County’s debt service, which is a bit more than $4 million, will be cut in half, and in 2031, it should be paid off, Paris said.
In 2032, the funds currently being used to pay the debt will be freed up for other uses in the county.
Still, it will be less than TSPLOST would have provided, and it will not be dedicated just for roads.
“It is not going to get worse than it is, but it will not get tremendously better,” Paris said.