Cobb County voters to weigh in on SPLOST Nov. 3

By Mark Woolsey

Cobb County voters will weigh in Nov. 3 on whether to extend the county’s Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax. (SPLOST).

To take a quiz on how much you know about SPLOST, follow this link.

Commissioners approved the planned vote 4-0  Tuesday night with commission chair Lisa Cupid absent.

If given majority approval by the electorate, the tax would raise an estimated $1.15 billion dollars for a variety of transportation, public service, public safety and technology projects across both the unincorporated county and its seven municipalities.

 The one percent sales tax would go into effect Jan. 1, 2028, replacing the current SPLOST which lapses at the end of calendar 2027.

The SPLOST program has been in effect for decades, according to county officials, and has been used to fund a variety of significant capital projects, including transportation, parks, libraries, community centers and courthouses. The current SPLOST , which kicked off Jan. 1, 2022, has raised more than $837 million.

The 2028 project list was approved by the commission in late April following a round of public input. A number of big-ticket items are on the list, including improvements and upgrades to county fire stations and the replacement of two, replacement of the state courthouse building, a new infirmary building for the Cobb County Sheriff’s Office and expansion of the Tim Lee Senior Center in Northeast Cobb. Millions have been set aside for roadway resurfacing and various park improvements.

To view the 2028 SPLOST project list follow this link.

A number of items enhancing the county’s E911 system, including security upgrades, are also on the project list.

Smyrna Mayor Derek Norton said in a news release earlier this year that the continuing SPLOST is important in a variety of ways.

“From  the unsexy infrastructure things like road paving, water, and sewer, to the shiny objects like parks and recreation improvements—these are the items residents really appreciate.”

Austell Mayor Ollie Clemons said with that city’s relatively small budget, that the SPLOST is critically important.