Commissioners Urged to Get SPLOST 'Right'

During what will not be the last word on the proposed extension of the Cobb Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax, citizens critical of the original six-year, $746 million collection for a wide variety of roads, parks and facilities improvements stressed that any proposal put in front of voters for a referendum be as lean as possible.

Yet opposition to collecting the penny sales tax at all beyond the current SPLOST period, which runs through 2011, remained vigorous during Tuesday's public hearing before the Cobb County Board of Commissioners, which for a second time delayed a decision on whether to call for a referendum for March 15. 

Commissioner Helen Goreham of Northwest Cobb urged caution, suggesting that the county take a deliberate approach and fully analyze projects, revenues and other factors before moving ahead. The risk of voters turning down a SPLOST extension, she said, is too great to rush.

"I would rather take the time to do it right, even if it means we forfeit six months" of collection revenue, she said. "There is no way to ensure voters will support even the leanest SPLOST. How will we fund our needs in the future if voters say no?"

The commission was to have voted Tuesday on a referendum call, but Chairman Tim Lee on Monday postponed the date for a second time from the original Nov. 23 date to summon support from his colleagues. 

A revised five-year SPLOST totalling $615 million was issued last week, and still another slimmed-down version was quickly drafted and distributed to commissioners for a special meeting Tuesday as they went through the proposals by line items.

Goreham and outgoing Northeast Cobb Commissioner Thea Powell have been the most vocal about their concerns, with the latter saying a SPLOST extension of more than four years.

East Cobb Commissioner Bob Ott has said little publicly on how he might be leaning, while Lee and South Cobb Commissioner Woody Thompson are likely to vote in favor of a referendum. 

After the public hearing, all Ott would say is that "we need to take a look at the process and address the needs first and then see what the price tag will be."

But on Tuesday, some citizens said the county has no business asking for more money given the economy, and were perturbed about the timing of the proposed referendum. 

"It's not fair because you have a tax on food and energy in the middle of a recession," said East Cobb resident Craig Harfoot, summing up the arguments of those who oppose having a ballot measure sent to voters. "And this should be voted in a general election. We don't have fair elections because of the way you stage them."

Other groups strongly opposed to a long SPLOST suggest thee-year extensions, with some figures amounting to less than $300 million, and demanding the money being spent on "needs, and not wants."

"You're trying to appeal to everybody and you've created a SPLOST that is extravagant," said Lance Lamberton of the Cobb County Taxpayers Association, who urged the commission to take a broader look at county spending overall, including the possibility of conducting an audit. 

"Opponents of this are not a vocal minority," said David Weldon of the Council on Public Policy, labelling as "fluff" any extension exceeding three years. "They're concerned about the SPLOST and they want you to do it right."

Tom Maloy of Powder Springs and the Georgia Tea Party said his organization wasn't opposed to the SPLOST concept, but the current proposal is "too long, too large, and March 2011 is the wrong date." He offered a $375 million SPLOST over three years, with a referendum for Nov. 2011.

But other citizens and business officials said the county has an obligation to maintain not only roads and public safety, but amenities such as parks and libraries they insisted were not luxuries. 

"You're not passing a tax, you're giving the voters an opportunity to tax themselves," said Tad Leithead, chairman of the Cumberland Community Improvement District who also serves as the current chairman of the Atlanta Regional Commission.

He said Cobb leaders over the years have a demonstrated track record with a "progressive approach" to maintaining the county's infrastructure that must continue to spur economic growth.

"You have an opportunity to do something of lasting value for the community," said Carol Brown of Canton Road Neighbors, a Northeast Cobb civic association. "Give the people a chance to decide."

Earl Stine, who lost to Powell in an April special election to succeed Lee when he became commission chairman, expressed sympathy for his former opponent and her colleagues as they face another tense week of deliberations. 

"You're not in an enviable position," Stine said. "You're in our prayers and I thank y'all for your service."