In a repudiation of SPLOST votes across the Region, or as some might say, “The SPLOST is BACK”, voters overwhelmingly approved SPLOST’s in Carroll County, Clayton County, Gwinnett County and Henry County all approved SPLOST’s with more than 54% of the vote in the various counties and voters approved the Marietta Redevelopment Bond by a 54-46 margin.
This may tell policy-makers a few things:
- SPLOST Campaigns that are clear in their project lists are likely to sell the public on voting YES;
- Leadership at the local level is critical when asking the public to trust the government with their tax dollars.
The Council for Quality Growth would like to commend the leadership in Gwinnett and City of Marietta, especially Gwinnett Chairman Charlotte Nash and the Board of Commissioners and the leadership of Marietta Mayor “Thunder” Tumlin, who were crucial in the referendums achieving passage.
In addition to the local governments listed above, the City of Marietta and Gwinnett County both celebrated significant victories with the passage of a $68 million general obligation bond and the passage of a renewed SPLOST, respectively. Both measures are critical to the ongoing development of the metro region, and will provide crucial funds to foster needed development projects in both the City of Marietta and Gwinnett County.