SPLOST Debate Set for Feb. 23

Cobb residents interested in the proposed SPLOST extension can hear from both sides at a forum on Feb. 23.

If approved by voters in a March 15 referendum, the special four-year tax will begin Jan. 1, 2012, just as the current one ends. The new tax is projected to generate $492 million for various projects, including ones for parks, buildings and transportation.

Powder Springs has been awarded $10.68 million of the projected total, or roughly 2.2 percent. That's the second-lowest total among Cobb's six incorporated cities, with Austell's $4.67 million request at the bottom. The allocations are based on city populations.

Supporters argue that the extra penny in taxes paid on every dollar's worth of sales is worth the projects it will go to. Opponents, though, say the less taxes the better, and that funding for some of the projected SPLOST projects should be coming from general funds, not a special tax.

Arguments for passage of the SPLOST will be presented by Rose Wing with Citizens for Cobb’s Future, while Lance Lamberton, president of the Cobb County Taxpayers Association, will give opposing views.

The forum, sponsored by the League of Women Voters of Marietta-Cobb, will begin at 7 p.m. in the government complex at 100 Cherokee Street in Marietta. The forum will also be broadcast on the county’s cable Channel 23.

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