EDITORIAL: City, county leaders should provide updates as T-SPLOST progresses

Published 10:28 am Saturday, March 30, 2024

Next week local shoppers will see an added penny’s worth of sales tax on their receipts, courtesy of the 1-cent transportation tax voters approved last year. 

The additional penny means Milledgeville and Baldwin County are among the communities statewide with an 8% sales tax. The money generated by the 1-cent increase will go to fund transportation projects. 

Now that the T-SPLOST has passed and the additional sales tax is added to local purchases, city and county leaders should periodically update taxpayers about the dollars being generated by the tax and provide details on when projects begin and how they progress. 

It would also be helpful for taxpayers to know which projects will be prioritized and among the first in line for work — in both the city and county. 

The T-SPLOST will run from April 1, 2024, to 2029, collecting up to $45 million for local transportation projects. The monies will be split 65% for the county and 35% for the city.

Baldwin County officials outlined a list of projects, indicating work would begin as funds start trickling in. Voters should know which projects will be the top priorities. 

This public disclosure is mutually beneficial. Taxpayers get a better understanding of how their tax dollars are being spent and city and county leaders get to laud the progress as sound infrastructure investments. 

Sharing these details shows taxpayers the impact of that additional penny, which could go a long way when voters head back to the polls to vote on another sales tax the next time a referendum is placed on the ballot. 

There will be a next time. 

This gives residents something tangible to show their tax dollars at work. 

Sales tax is the fairest form of taxation because it spreads the responsibility around to every person who shops in this community — local residents, weekend shoppers and those just passing through town. Disclosure from the city and county helps show that money at work. 

City and county leaders tried several times unsuccessfully to get a transportation tax passed by local voters. Now that the additional tax is here, taxpayers need to know and better understand how their money is being put to use. 

The more details the city and county can provide on the progress of these road projects, the more likely voters will remember the impact when they head back to the polls the next time. 

It’s government transparency at work.