As of Wednesday, August 1, 2012
© Copyright 2013
Albany Herald
An anti-TSPLOST sign is posted along a Georgia road.
ALBANY — Dougherty County voters gave the cold shoulder to the notion of another 1 percent sales tax.
Unofficial results showed special-purpose local-option sales tax for transportation (T-SPLOST) failing in the 14-county region’s most populous county.
With all Dougherty County precincts reporting and totals unofficial, the “no” votes on T-SPLOST were ahead 57.27 percent, or 9,858 votes, to the yes votes’ 42.8 percent, or 7,364 votes.
At 11:30 p.m. Tuesday with nine of the 14 Region 10 counties reporting, the initiative was failing by a vote of 37,013, or 56.6 percent, to 28,324.
A simple majority of the voters in the multi-county region in Southwest Georgia would have to pass T-SPLOST in order for it to be enacted.
According to the Georgia Secretary of State’s website Tuesday night, Dougherty had joined Seminole, Lee, Baker, Colquitt, Worth, Thomas and Decatur in voting against the measure. Mitchell, Calhoun, Early and Terrell had voted in support of the measure, with Miller and Grady had yet to post any results.
Early results showed only three of the 12 regions across the state were poised to pass the measure.
Albany Area Chamber of Commerce President Chris Hardy called the region’s response to the measure a disappointment and predicted that the state would try something else since it appeared the results were so lopsided.
“If the numbers stay true to the way they’re going now, it’s obviously going to be a disappointment not only to Southwest Georgia. but to the state,” Hardy said. “We know the state said that there would be no plan B, but you have to think that someone is going to have to revisit the issue with results so lopsided.”
More like this story
- Chamber backs T-SPLOST ( May 14, 2012 )
- Officials call for vote on T-SPLOST ( October 3, 2011 )
- Region to vote on T-SPLOST in July ( June 5, 2012 )
- T-SPLOST collections have begun in area ( January 3, 2013 )
- Cagle touts T-SPLOST in Albany stop ( June 20, 2012 )
Comments
Abytaxpayer 9 months, 3 weeks ago
The defeat of T-SPLOST should be a CLEAR message to our local Politicians.."We do NOT Trust you with any more of our TAX Dollars".
VietVet1 9 months, 3 weeks ago
Nail on the head Abytaxpayer
TrixibelleBento 9 months, 3 weeks ago
Way to go! GA will continue to be #48 in transportation funding. I hope everyone that voted no will look closely at the districts who voted yes and will avoid them at all costs, since you will be paying for their tax if you buy something in those regions.
Wait for future GDOT funding....wait for it...wait for it...keep waiting!
If the City or County have to shoulder the future costs of our transportation network, how do you think they will get the money? They will raise taxes and that will require no vote from the population!
iko 9 months, 3 weeks ago
They raise our taxes anyway. Cut out waste and theft. The school system alone could shed vast amounts otherwise lost to theft and waste.
MRM 9 months, 3 weeks ago
Transportation funding should come from fuel taxes, licenses, and user fees, not from sales taxes. If the DOT needs more money, then the legislature should have the guts to raise gasoline taxes on those who use those roads, bridges, and rails. But instead they came up with this convoluted regional sales tax.A regional tax was a stupid idea to begin with. Why should any county be subject to the whims of some arbitrarily drawn region?. 10 of the 14 counties voted it down. That should tell the politicians and the Governor that we are taxed enough.
Hoodie 9 months, 3 weeks ago
Yep most who travel to Florida have to go through GA and purchase fuel but even better raise the taxes on Cigarettes and Alcohol to triple what they are easy way to raise money and habits will continue to feed the pot...
Nous_Defions 9 months, 3 weeks ago
Well said!
VietVet1 9 months, 3 weeks ago
How about making the lumber companies pay each time they run an overweight truck over small country roads? Seems they make a lot of runs just about sunrise - - DOT not out at that time - -"OR" do they just turn a blind eye?
Kay523 9 months, 3 weeks ago
former GOP state rep Johnny Floyd, appointed to the state DOT board, owns and operates a lumber business including the trucks - he changed the state laws restricting lumber trucks when he was a state rep. the whole defeat of T-SPLOST is a defeat for the Governor and the GOP General Assembly.
BAC 9 months, 3 weeks ago
Alright! Tax payers are tired of being taxed to death over what they call improvements on the highways and roads! Say what they will, they had their chance in the past now it's our turn to say no way, at least this tax is one the tax payers have a say, we are tired of misleading and the roads still are still in a mess. Take time to review the T-splost projects done in the past for Dougherty County what I read was VERY little repairing the roads and alot of building. The next plan is to vote out those leaders that continue to mishandle the rest of the tax payers money. Your work has just begun tax payers in Dougherty County start by removing those leaders that choose to increase the property taxes due to not being able to control spending. They are to busy looking out for what they want instead of doing the right thing for all.
chinaberry25 9 months, 3 weeks ago
Columbus voted yes, so it could still pass.
Martian 9 months, 3 weeks ago
This is a victory for the common man and definitely shows that we no longer trust politicians and their fat-cat cronies to manage our tax dollars wisely and ethically.
Cartman 9 months, 3 weeks ago
Excellent!
KaosinAlbany 9 months, 3 weeks ago
I LOVE those pink signs! Connect GA: We will defeat you again in Do. Co. when it is on the ballot again in 2 years. LOL Eat that Caitlyn Cooper!!!
Sister_Ruby 9 months, 3 weeks ago
GOOD! More taxation ain't the right way to do it. More to come in November!!
bubbasmithredneck 9 months, 3 weeks ago
Albany has made it clear many times before....we are small and country and we wanna stay small and country!!! Forget growth and prosperity...lets stay small, crippled, and broke as a joke....
Abytaxpayer 9 months, 3 weeks ago
Bubba how is one of the HIGHEST property tax rates in Georgia working out for you.....It is NOT the citizen’s willingness to pay taxes that is the problem. It is Politicians willingness to waste OUR tax Money. But hey for a backwoods small town we gots usens a big old fish quarium and a cibil rights musem that no one will pay theys owns monies to support but them there poletisns shore bees spending mys monys to keeps thems open and just razes me props taxs to get mo monty to waste.
Try placing the BLAME where it belongs on the Politicians who spend the “FREE Money” is why we are small, crippled, and broke.
bubbasmithredneck 9 months, 3 weeks ago
We rejected I-75 coming thru here...we rejected the extension of I-85 out of Columbus....and we reject the T-Splost. We dont care about growing.....that is the bottom line. We like it crippled around here in small-bany.
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