The 2007 Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax referendum set for September 18 is like putting lip stick and a dress on a pig. Regardless of how much you try to pretty it up, it’s still a pig! I intend to vote “NO”.

Generally, SPLOST can be a viable way to generate needed revenue for needed projects. The key word is “needed”. While a few items qualify, the majority of Douglas County’s SPLOST projects are nothing more than special interest pork barrel spending conjured up to make the Jail project seem more appealing. It’s the sugar on top.

Before voters vote on this massive tax plan, they need to understand the consequences of the tax and the debt that would be issued. Last year voters over-whelming rejected the SPLOST.

Supporters claim, “it’s just a penny”, but this penny is worth more than $200 million out of our pockets over a 6 year period.

It has been widely and often reported that more than 50 percent of SPLOST dollars will come from outside sources. The real number is closer to 35 percent. Regardless, Douglas County residents and visitors will pay 100 percent of the tax every time they buy a burger or a Buick.

While the one cent sales tax is presented as a benign tax, the true impact will come from the fact that 6 years of taxes will not pay for the proposed 12 years of bond debt (loan). Therefore, beyond 6 years, our property taxes will have to cover this debt or we’ll be forced to vote for another tax scheme.

Questions have been raised if the issuance of a 12 year bond on 6 years of revenue is even legal. Under Georgia law, it appears illegal. In my opinion, this proposal is a scam!

The recent threats, from Commission Chairman Tom Worthan, to raise our property taxes are appalling. The threats are tantamount to voter blackmail. If we vote for the tax, our property taxes will increase. If we vote against it, our property taxes will increase.

We do have a way out. We should vote “NO” to this tax and in the future we should elect officials who can manage our growth and our tax dollars in a responsible way. We should not tolerate these threats. Raising property taxes during an election year will surely be political suicide!

No studies were conducted to show a need for any of these SPLOST projects. Before other Georgia counties propose building capital projects, most conduct “needs assessments” to study the need and impact these projects would have on the county and spending.

The main issue on the SPLOST projects list is the jail/prison. This massive facility is planned to house 2500 inmates. This size of jail/prison would be more suitable for a county the size of Gwinnett at almost one million citizens, not Douglas County with a population of just over 100,000. In our life time, we will never have the need for such a massive facility.

If the claims by the sheriff are true that the current, relatively new concrete and steel jail is “crumbling and dilapidated”, how long to you think a new jail will last?

The sheriff has revealed that he intends to rent out the empty bed space to other counties, the state, and even for federal inmates. I call it a “Prison for Profit”. Do we really want to bring in criminals from around the state to Douglas County?

Originally, the plan was to build an annex at the current jail facility at a fraction of the cost until the city of Douglasville demanded our investment be demolished and moved to a new location to accommodate condos and coffee shops. The land at the new location is costing more than $9 million. Why does Douglas County want to build a jail on some of the most expensive real estate in the county? We can buy school land for $40,000 per acre. The jail land will cost $200,000 per acre or nearly twice the county’s own assessed value.

Our county refuses to use procedures to relieve jail crowding like other counties. We are housing between 60-100 state inmates ready to pick up by the state. Other counties have forced the state to remove their prisoners to other correctional institutions around the state to relieve the crowding.

Most counties use ankle bracelet monitoring for many of the misdemeanor, non-violent offenders. These modern methods free up limited resources and allow for better management of jails, while assuring the most dangerous criminals are kept behind bars.. There are many good and less costly alternatives to building a $130 million jail. We need to consider them.

According to former Cobb County sheriff Bill Hutson, “Over a period of 20 years, only 10 percent of the cost of the jail is from its construction, while 90 percent is operations expense.” This puts the estimates of Douglas County’s proposed jail at $1.2 billion over 20 years. $83 million will come from SPLOST; more than 90 percent will come from property taxes.

One of the most detrimental projects on the SPLOST list is the YMCA project. Local gyms are concerned that their investments and businesses will be undermined by building a $17 million gym with our tax dollars, only to hand it over to the YMCA. This would be the first YMCA in the state of Georgia to be built with SPLOST dollars. Traditionally, YMCAs have been built with private and/or corporate funding, which I support. YMCAs built in this manner can benefit our community. Built with tax dollars, we pay the operation costs forever!

Then there’s the horse and dog park, another special interest project that was placed on the projects list in order to gain support for the tax. This project may be funded after 6 years if there’s extra money collected that other projects haven’t already consumed.

SPLOST projects never generate enough revenue to justify them. The aquatic center (swimming pool), built with 2002 SPLOST dollars, and is losing over $600,000 each year. Prior to the 2007 SPLOST proposal, commissioners were calling the pool a “money pit” and a “boondoggle”.

Do we need a performing arts theater? The Mable House Amphitheater in Cobb County is losing $1 million each year to operate in spite of booking national touring acts and their record ticket revenues of $500,000. Yet another money pit.

Concerning the road projects, we are promised that our $25 million will be matched with $75 million in DOT money. With cuts in state and federal road funds there are no guarantees we will see any of the cash. Cobb County used the same tactic to sell their SPLOST. Two years later, the DOT has said the funding is not available. Don’t be fooled by this promise.

I ask the public to look deeper into the tax proposal before making up their minds.

Speaking of make up, remember, regardless of how much you smear on the lips stick, this SPLOST proposal is still a pig.

You can learn more about SPLOST at www.DouglasTaxes.com .

Thank you,

James Bell

Director, Douglas County Taxpayers Coalition

404-452-4668