With the vote on the county Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax referendum inching closer day by day, the Haralson County Chamber of Commerce has passed a resolution stating it’s support of the SPLOST.

Last week, the chamber’s board of directors voted to pass a resolution in support of the SPLOST, which voters will either approve or deny through a referendum during the general election in November. The help ensure the SPLOST passes, the chamber is also planning on actively promoting it to county citizens.

According to Jerry York, chairman of the chamber’s community and government affairs team and a member of the board of directors, the chamber will advertise the SPLOST through their chamber page, which is published once a month in the The Haralson Gateway-Beacon and The Tallapoosa Journal.

“I’m also going to get with Steve Gradick at Gradick Communications and do some radio advertising encouraging people to go and vote and to vote positively for it because of the need of each city and the county to have the money,” Wilson said.

Wilson stated that the chamber plans to actively promote the SPLOST referendum because ethical guidelines prevent county and city officials from using their position or municipal funds to advocate the tax to citizens.

“The cities can’t advertise,” Wilson said. “They have to run a [public notice] in the newspaper saying what they’ll spend the money on, but they can’t promote it.”

Aside from the obvious benefits of cities and the county being able to undertake capital outlay projects, Wilson says that the SPLOST helps boost local government coffers by collecting sales tax from out-of-county residents who travel to Haralson to shop.

The Haralson County Board of Commissioners has also discussed forming a citizens committee to advocate in favor of the SPLOST.

The SPLOST, if passed by voters in November, will go into effect on or around April 1, 2009, and cannot exceed a length of six years. According to the resolution, the county will be allowed to collect a total of $30 million over the six-year life of the SPLOST.

The County will distribute the SPLOST revenues based on population data from the last census, with 17.719 percent ($5,315,700) of the SPLOST going to Bremen, 3.6629 percent ($1,098,870) to Buchanan, 10.8564 percent ($3,256,920) to Tallapoosa and 1.8256 percent ($547,680) to Waco.

The approximately $19 million remaining will be utilized for county projects, with $500,000 allocated for a senior center project, $1.8 million for a recreation project, $2.55 million for a public safety project $4.15 million for a government improvement project, $7.4 million for a water project and $3,380,830 allocated for additions and improvements to county roads, streets and bridges.

Bremen will use its SPLOST revenues on a public safety project; a water and sewer improvement project; a recreation, library and cultural arts project; the retirement of previously incurred debt; and improvements to Bremen roads, streets and bridges.

Buchanan will spend its SPLOST revenues on a public utility project, a transportation project, an economic development project, a water and sewer improvement project, the retirement of previously incurred general obligation debt, a municipal facilities project, a recreational project and a public safety project.

Tallapoosa will use its SPLOST revenues to fund a recreation, library, and art center project; a cemetery project; a public safety project; a senior center project; a water and sewer project; a public utility and works project; a municipal building improvement project; and improvements to Tallapoosa roads, streets and bridges.

Waco will use its percentage of SPLOST revenues on improvements to Waco roads, streets and bridges, including streetscape and sidewalk improvements, a water and sewer project and a recreational facility and building project.

In previous meetings, city and county officials have stressed that the SPLOST is essential to the continued growth and development of Haralson County. During Thursday’s meeting, Mayor Pete Bridges of Tallapoosa encourage everyone to work hard to pass the SPLOST.