One cent sales tax is estimated to bring in $4 million per year for roads
Citizens of Gilmer County will get to decide in May whether to add a 1 cent sales tax which will be dedicated to transportation needs in the county.
“This is a decision the people will have to make,” said Gilmer County Commission Chair Charlie Paris.
Paris made the motion to add the TSPLOST, short for Transportation Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax, to the May ballot. It was seconded by Post Commissioner Hubert Parker and passed unanimously.
Two town hall style meetings were held in November to discuss the state of Gilmer County’s roads and possible solutions.
“We have 501 miles of roads in Gilmer County, of that, just under 200 miles is unpaved gravel roads,” he said. “Now, the gravel roads are what give us the most problems.”
Following a large rainfall, the gravel roads develop holes and ruts.
“We have got two motor graders that we can use to grade these roads and gravel them,” he said. “Two teams that work, and they work pretty much full time going out and grading gravel roads.”
His plan was one team would start at each end of the county and work the roads until they met in the middle. In reality, they go where the largest problem is at any time, and the crews never get to all the roads before the next large rainfall.
“The only real solution I see to that is to pave these roads,” Paris said.
Paved roads are easier to maintain, he said. Potholes are the main problem with paved roads. Right now, the county has one person patching potholes.
He also talked about bridges, mowing, equipment maintenance and striping of roads.
Paris said he sees three solutions, one which he would not entertain at all. Raising millage rates is not something he would do.
A second solution is to continue doing what is being done with the roads, and Paris said he is willing if citizens think this is the way, but it will take the county 25 years to get where the county needs to be with road maintenance.
Third on the list of solutions is a TSPLOST. Paris said the TSPLOST would bring in about $4 million a year for five years. He said he would not ask for a renewal after five years.
Ellijay Mayor Al Hoyle and East Ellijay Mayor Mack G. West said a TSPLOST would be better to fund road maintenance than increasing millage rates.
Most gravel roads would be paved with the tar and chip method, which the county will do with its own crews. Any asphalt paving would be done by contractors, Paris said.
If the TSPLOST passes, it will be collected beginning July 1. Paris said he would let funds build up for six months before beginning projects.
“We are not going to go in debt,” he said. “Starting in 2021, they should see a massive effort for paving gravel roads.”
Post commissioner Karleen Ferguson said she thought a TSPLOST was a good way to go and would share expenses with visitors to the county who will also pay sales tax.
Exempt from a TSPLOST
According to a memorandum from the Association of County Commissioners of Georgia, there are six exemptions to a TSPLOST.
﹣ The sale or use of any type of fuel used for off-road, heavy-duty equipment, off-road farm or agricultural equipment or locomotives;
﹣ The sale or use of jet fuel to or by a qualifying airline at a qualifying airport;
﹣ The sale or use of fuel that is used for propulsion of motor vehicles on the public highways;
﹣ The sale or use of energy used in the manufacturing or processing of tangible goods primarily for resale;
﹣ The sale or use of motor fuel as defined under paragraph (9) of Code Section 48-9-2 for public mass transit; or
﹣ The purchase or lease of any motor vehicle pursuant to Code Section 48-5C-1.T