By Alan Chapman, Director, Gwinnett County Department of Transportation | The Citizens Project Selection Committee (CPSC) has recommended funding allocations for 10 categories of road improvements to be funded by the proposed 2017 Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax.
Developing these allocations was the initial task of the newly formed CPSC. If the SPLOST is approved by voters on November 8, the CPSC will reconvene to discuss project priorities to recommend to the Board of Commissioners. Projects will be selected from the list of potential projects developed in conjunction with update of the County’s Comprehensive Transportation Plan.
The committee will also consider citizen requests for projects that have been compiled and are part of the list of potential projects. Additional public input during the CPSC’s work and study of congestion and safety concerns by the County will also be used by the committee to determine its final project priorities for recommendation to the Board of Commissioners.
The 10 categories and their potential allocations are shown below. Because the penny sales tax collection is based on estimated proceeds, two levels of funding were recommended by the group. While it is uncertain if collections would reach the higher amount of $455,497,500, Gwinnett staff considers the minimum of $406,863,000 to be a sound minimum collection amount. An additional amount of approximately $30.8 million for joint County/City projects would also be budgeted.
Board of Commissioners Chairman Charlotte Nash says: “We’ve followed this process with each SPLOST program beginning in 1997, and with the exception of the recession that affected 2009 SPLOST collections, we’ve consistently reached the minimum level identified by our financial staff.”
She adds: “I appreciate the time and the effort given by the CPSC members. If the 2017 SPLOST is approved, the committee will have a lot more work to do to.”
The CPSC is made up of representatives of 11 major interest groups – homeowners in each commission district, businesses, environmentalists, schools, civic organizations, freight, young professionals and seniors. Gwinnett residents answered the County’s call to create the CPSC. At an August meeting, more than 350 residents sorted themselves into groups and chose a representative and an alternate.
In addition to reviewing and prioritizing prospective project categories and projects for the proposed SPLOST program, CPSC members are also expected to share information with their respective interest groups and maintain an open line of communication between county government and the public.
- For information on the proposed 2017 SPLOST, visit www.gwinnettsplost.com
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
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