City, county leaders get results of SPLOST survey

May 17—The results of a survey created to gauge public support for a planned Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax referendum were revealed Monday in a meeting of elected city and county officials.

The survey had 1,261 completed responses, which gives the consultant responsible for the survey with a high level of confidence in the accuracy.

A large majority of respondents — 89% — said they are familiar with the 1-cent sale tax.

While a majority agree that SPLOST is a fair way to fund community projects and saves taxpayers money, only 28% said the projects funded with the tax are important to them and only 31% say the tax works in their best interest.

People said the priorities should be storm drainage, water and sewer, road paving and traffic. The least favored projects on a proposed SPLOST list are government building improvements and a juvenile court annex.

Dave Belin, director of consulting services for RRC Associates, the firm that conducted the survey, said there is strong support for an oversight committee to ensure projects on the list get completed in a timely manner.

"An oversight committee would help," he said. "An oversight committee would improve transparency."

While there has been strong support for construction of a courthouse annex for juvenile cases, it's clear the public is not supportive, which will force commissioners to make a difficult decision when they create the list.

A slight majority believe the county's roads, parks and other public facilities are not adequate to serve the region's population.

A concern expressed by some of the participants, mostly city and county officials, was the background of the people who responded to the survey. The majority — more than 80% — were ages 45 and older. Only 5% were Black and only 26% had children living at home.

County commissioner Bill Brunson said it appears a $25 million courthouse expansion is not a priority.

Commission Chairman David O'Quinn said the survey is a good to help elected officials formulate a list for voters to consider.

"We should consider all aspects," he said. "Planning is important to ensure we are meeting the capital needs of the county."