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I recommend a yes vote for SPLOST VI.

By Ron Seder

Originally Published Jan 29, 2008, 10:13am (Updated Jan 29, 2008, 10:13am)

3 comment(s)

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Forsyth County voters are being asked on the February 5 ballot to extend the 1 percent SPLOST tax for another five years. I recommend a yes vote for this tax extension called SPLOST VI.

We all know that Forsyth County has had fast paced growth that requires county infrastructure expenditures to maintain a quality of life desired by most county residents. SPLOST VI allows sales taxes paid by county and non-county residents to reduce the burden applied to property taxes.
The county has done an admirable job of identifying projects to be included in SPLOST VI by having a professional capital plan produced and using a citizens committee to prioritize the transportation projects from that plan for inclusion in SPLOST VI. Numerous details of SPLOST VI expenditures have been displayed in the Atlanta Journal Constitution, the Forsyth County News, and with supporting material on the county’s website (www.forsythco.com, click on SPLOST VI).

The City of Cumming is fighting the SPLOST VI extension because the county finally has three county commissioners who refuse to give the city a huge unfair share of SPLOST VI, as has been done in past SPLOSTs. The city’s share of SPLOST VI is fairly and logically based on the city’s population percentage of the county’s population.

The city challenged SPLOST VI in court and lost. The city has formed a committee to fight SPLOST VI, which is now trying to mislead the public into voting against it. The city is challenging the SPLOST VI wording on the February 5 ballot, which, although not exactly the same as the wording of SPLOST V when it passed unchallenged by the city, contains essentially the same information and detail.

The city had none of these concerns when it thought it might again receive an unconscionable unfair share of SPLOST VI. These challenges only arose because the city did not have its way with the county this time around.

The best interests of county citizens will be served if SPLOST VI is passed.

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Comments

3 comment(s) on this page. Add your own comment below.

Lynn

Feb 1, 2008 10:54am [ 1 ]

DOES NOT COMPUTE!

Vote no to splot and bonds.

No, No, No, No, No, No, No, No, No, No, No, No, No, No, No, No, No, No, No, No, No, No, No, No

Jacky G.

Feb 4, 2008 6:19pm [ 2 ]

Three looks back and forth between "The Official Zoning Map of Forsyth County" and "The Future Zoning Map of Forsyth County" TELLS IT ALL!...Whereas ALL of what was once identified as Agriculturally Zoned lands (Greenspace?) depicted in the former have been LITERALLY AND COMPLETELY eliminated in dipiction within the latter...with these "Future" depictions varying for whatever favor of "Development" they can generalize of those varying degrees of increased density and "Land Use" with the lionshare of THAT promoting high-density "Habi-trail Housing" and ever-more Commercial/Retail "Strip-Mall Sprawl"...both of which are exactly what's KILLING this regions originally attractive "Rural Charecter and Charm" by drowning it with MORE.

Bantantly void from even the "fine-print" (Or "Word" from our "Community Leaders" for that matter) is NOTHING of ANY equitable consideration toward current--nay FUTURE--procurement of ANY LANDS being targeted specifically as such within the specified "South Forsyth Sub-Regions".

South Forsyth stands as Forsyth Countys demographically strongest contributor...thus making this "$100 million "Greenspace Bond":

1.) FAIL the Cost/Benefit analysis with specific regard toward South Forsyth paying for it as such, and...

2.) A really big LIE to Us ALL because:

Specified within the "Forsyth County Community Planning Objectives" depicted of the "2004-2025 Comprehinsive Plan", more specifically regarding the "South Forsyth Sub-area Vision" (Pg. 15 Policy B Item objectives 1,2,3,6,7,8,9,11,12,and13 specifically), it SPECIFICALLY defines "Southern County Aquisitions" as a "Priority" regarding the procurement of ANY LANDS being targeted for Aquisition toward procurement as a Forsyth County Community Parks and/or "Greenspace Preservation"...HELLOW?

AS SUCH THEN, This $100 Million Greenspace BOND MEASURE will be MIS-SPENT:

Where Forsyth County BOC, et.el., of past (and now present?) have failed to heed these important reccommendations, that...well including the REST of Forsyth Countys Communities...South Forsyth PAID the lionshare toward drafting...with the endeavor of:
The Prioritized Preservation of Forsyth Countys "Greenspace", thus preserving that Rural Charecter and Charm most of us moved here for by prudently managing its "Growth and Development" as such.

Stepping back to get "THe Big Picture" you'll like then view BOTH MEASURES...as currently construed..reveal what appears today to me as a vieled "Hegalian Dialectic" (Whereas One creates a "problem situation", then provides the "Solution", and...if it's "Swallowed" by those effected...thereby controlls that situation) being fed to the entirety of The Forsyth County Community, with the ONLY long-range objective I can imagine being:

The South Forsyth Sub Region--"Shorted" for the inequitble distrubution of County Benefits due for the revenue it Demographically provides--then Seceeds Forsyth County The likes of Johns Creek, Milton, et., el., ad nauseum, and in a "Revenue Nutral" exchange that finds South Forsyth STILL the "Breast" of revenue nourishing the remainder of Forsyth County...But, without any "Greenspace" of its own, and its OWN beauracracy milking it further.

Seriously! Go to the Website, LOOK UP "The Forsyth County Comprehinsive Plan 2004-2025" to confirm in detail what is told there, THEN...Step back in your mind, evaluate the evolution of Forsyth County over the last several years with the in-consideration that's been otherwise put forth toward the Quality of Our Environment, and the direction IT ALL seems to be going, and it will become all too clear that We--have been "Mushrooms".

The message that "Times are Changing!" comes Wednesday morning with a "New Day" forward for the failure of BOTH these measures that will have been put forth to all Forsyth County Voters in the election of February 5th, 2008.

Vote NO on BOTH: