By Elliott Brack, editor and publisher | What do you think your property tax payments to Gwinnett County would be if Gwinnett did not have a special fund for constructing major projects, in view of the tremendous growth Gwinnett has had in the last 50 years? (By the way, October 15 is the deadline to pay the 2016 property taxes.)
To fund the many improvements in roads, buildings and schools that Gwinnett has needed, the relatively low property tax rate would be significantly higher, and the average Gwinnett tax bill would be considered “sky high.”
The reason this hasn’t happened is that Gwinnett had a popular manner to help pay for all these major and necessary capital improvements. That has been the Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax. And yes, you as residents of Gwinnett since 1986 have paid an extra penny (each for county government and also another penny later on for schools) to fund these improvements. But since Gwinnett is a mecca for all of North Georgia to come and shop our retail stores, our malls, our auto showrooms and other local businesses, these out-of-county shoppers help pay for these Gwinnett improvements.
It’s estimated that a minimum of 25 percent of local SPLOST dollars (and we say it’s closer to 40 percent) come from these out-of-county shoppers. All you have to do to believe this is to check out the auto tags in the parking lots of the county. They come from Fulton, DeKalb, White, Hall, Clarke, Barrow and other counties surrounding Gwinnett.
Thank you, out-of-county shoppers, for helping pay for our roads and bridges and sidewalks that all of you use, and thanks again, out-of-towners, for helping Gwinnett pay for its many new schools, which you don’t use. We thank you just the same.
On the general election ballot this November will be a question for Gwinnett voters: should Gwinnett continue to level the one cent sales tax to help pay for county infrastructure for the next six years? If passed, this will bring in nearly a billion dollars over the period ($950 million) to help pay for improved parks, roads, libraries, public safety improvements, and similar projects in all 16 Gwinnett cities.
Since these capital improvements will be needed anyway, we suggest that passing the SPLOST question is the best way to pay for these projects. If county voters turn down approval of a continuation of the extra penny on all sales in the county, the county will be left in a bad position. It’ll still need these many improvements, with no way to pay for them except to raise property taxes. And no one wants that. It will be an additional property tax, yet we’ll be further behind since out-of-county people won’t help pay for the improvements. In other words, these necessities will cost us more.
Slightly over $200 million (20.24 percent) of the proposed SPLOST funds will go to the 16 Gwinnett cities for local capital improvements. That will bring new projects right to your front door, if you live in the cities.
At one time, Gwinnett County government scheduled a SPLOST so that it was voted on in an odd-number year, requiring a special election (which itself is costly, inefficient, and need not be that way.) Few people turned out. Now Gwinnett’s government is on track to allow the voting on this question on an even-numbered year, which means that the vote can be the same year as a General Election, not needing the costly special election. It also allows people to vote when many people turn out, showing that the county trusts the majority to help answer this question.
We urge Gwinnettians to approve this upcoming SPLOST vote. You have a personal interest in this vote, since it will not increase your taxes.
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
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