Latest news with #T-SPLOST
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Chatham County leaders push for SPLOST this November
CHATHAM COUNTY, Ga. (WSAV) — The Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) is expected to be on the ballot in Chatham County this November. The one-penny tax would pay for a variety of projects throughout the county. Savannah Mayor Van Johnson said many people don't realize just how much of a role SPLOST plays in their day-to-day life. 'Our community has evidence of SPLOST all the way around,' Johnson said. Specifically in Savannah, Enmarket Arena, new Savannah Fire trucks and even drainage treatment have all been funded by the tax, according to Johnson. 'Because of our huge tourism base, at least a third to a quarter of it is paid for by people who visit here. So, this is a very effective tool for us,' Johnson said. 'The challenge is that it's a county referendum, so everybody else has to have their act together too.' According to a proposed timeline, each municipality in Chatham will come up with a project wish list for the commissioners to consider spending the money on. That list is due May 23. The Board of Commissioners will vote on the county's project list on June 13. Municipalities will vote on June 16, and a public notice of the election call must be put out on July 25. Election Day is November 4. Johnson shared some things he'd like to see SPLOST cover in Savannah, 'affordable housing, public art, ADA opportunities throughout our community, continue with our march on drainage and how do we address issues of drainage and traffic calming in all of our communities.' While SPLOST is different than Transportation-SPLOST, Johnson said the tax could also help relieve the congestion on Benton and Highlands Boulevard. 'It is a mess. We wish we would have been able to raise the money during T-SPLOST. But again, T-SPLOST passed in Savannah. It failed countywide. This project is probably not most appropriate for SPLOST, but we have to do something,' he said. 'I'm hoping that we approach it with sense and some good judgment, and we create something that our residents can support.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
11-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
ATLDOT making slow progress on Moving Atlanta Forward initiative, audit finds
ATLANTA - A recent audit shows the Atlanta Department of Transportation is moving at a snail's pace when it comes to completing projects for the Moving Atlanta Forward initiative. What they're saying "If you're in a wheelchair, you'd struggle to get through these sections. More broken sidewalks that we see here," said Jeremiah Jones from Propel ATL as he showed FOX 5 the disrepair on sidewalks along West Lake Avenue. "This is a hazard in and of itself, even walking, if you're not paying attention you'll trip on that ... then we have this missing section of the sidewalk," he continued. He says this sidewalk is supposedly one of the Atlanta Department of Transportation's priorities. "Westlake Ave ranks No. 1 on Atlanta DOT's list for most needed improvements for sidewalks," Jones said. "And we have yet to get any of those sidewalks replaced, repaired, or fixed." What we know An audit by the Atlanta City Auditor's Office shows Atlanta DOT is moving extremely slowly when it comes to the Moving Atlanta Forward initiative funded by a voter-approved T-SPLOST in 2022. It is meant to make major sidewalk repairs to streets like West Lake Avenue, among a slew of other improvement projects. The audit shows the city has spent only 10% of the project's more than $600 million in the past three years. "It's disturbing to see that we've only spent 10% of our taxpayers' dollars and that 10% that's being spent is being spent in the most affluent areas of the city," Jones said. The audit showed that "the districts with the least spending have higher poverty levels." The audit also shows project managers are overloaded, with seven project manager roles still vacant. "We don't have enough project managers at the city, we have a shortage," Jones said. The other side FOX 5 asked Atlanta city leaders for an interview about the lack of progress and other issues. Instead, they pointed us to an Atlanta Transportation Committee meeting recorded on Jan. 29. In this meeting, Atlanta's Chief Operating Officer LaChandra Burks addressed the audit findings and promised to follow its recommendations. "We accepted all the recommendations, while we partially accepted recommendation No. 6," Burks said. At that meeting, some City Council members expressed frustration at Atlanta DOT's lack of progress. "It's the most demoralizing aspect of this job," said Councilmember Amir Farokhi. Burks explained how they plan to follow the audit's recommendations, like hiring key positions they currently lack. "We are close to identifying who will report directly to me, and they will serve as the coordinator for Moving Atlanta Forward," Burks said. She said they've also hired two outside consulting firms to help them get projects back on track. The Source Information for this story came from an audit done by the Atlanta City Auditor's Office, Propel ATL and a Jan. 29, 2025 meeting of the Atlanta City Council's Transportation Committee.
