NEWS

The Savannah Area Chamber’s ballot initiative committee, Citizens for Progress, has started an aggressive education program to inform the voters of Chatham County on the benefits of a Transportation Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (TSPLOST). Early voting in Chatham County began this past Monday, October 7, and runs through November 4, with election day being November 8.

The benefits of TSPLOST are numerous. The five-year TSPLOST collections are projected to exceed $420 million. Of that $420 million, approximately 35% of the more than 14 million annual visitors to our community and the non-residents who work in Chatham County will be paid for. This helps to lessen the tax burden on Chatham County residents.

This means instead of funding projects based on raising property taxes or waiting until catastrophic infrastructure failure, we can be proactive in improving the lives of those who live, work, and play in Chatham County while leveraging state and federal dollars. Investment in TSPLOST will result in safer streets, expanded sidewalks and trail systems, improved drainage on our roadways, less congestion, less time sitting in traffic, and more time with family and friends.

TSPLOST will allow the county government and municipalities to access over $48 million for immediate resurfacing and roadway maintenance projects. Many of these TSPLOST-funded projects could be matched with millions of additional dollars from federal and state transportation grants.

So, if you are tired of waiting and waiting on President Street or at the I-95/Airport interchange, then vote yes for TSPLOST. If you want to resurface our roads, repair potholes, and make a massive investment for sidewalks in historically underserved neighborhoods, then vote yes for TSPLOST. If you want to pay for better transportation with the least amount of impact on your wallet, then vote yes for TSPLOST.

For more information on TSPLOST and to see the project list, please visit http://www.tsplostchatham.com