Thursday 6-13-12

Hello this is Wendi Bailey – the Toccoa Stephens County Chamber of Commerce President with your Weekly Chamber Update! 

The Chamber’s Government Affairs Committee has partnered with WNEG Radio AM 630 to host three Political Forums prior to the July 31^st Primary. 

TONIGHT - Thursday, June 21^st is the Forum for the U.S. House of Representatives 9^th District and the State House Representatives 28^th District. 

Monday, June 25^th is the Forum for the County Commissioners Post 2 and Post 3 as well as the School Board At-Large. 

Tuesday, June 26^th is the Forum for the Stephens County Sheriff and the Magistrate Court Judge.

The public is invited to attend all three forums at the Historic Courthouse downtown Toccoa.  Please plan to arrive early at 5:30pm, in the court room upstairs, to submit written questions on hot issues and topics. The forums begin promptly at 6pm and will be broadcast live over WNEG Radio AM 630.    

Lee Hicks, of Moore & Hicks, will moderate again this year.  The media reps will ask the candidates questions and the candidates will have two minutes to answer.  Each candidate will then have the opportunity to ask any opponent and issue-oriented question and the opponent will have two minutes to answer. Then there will be one minute for rebuttal.  At the end of the program, each candidate will be given two minutes for a closing statement.

The Chamber congratulates the Government Affairs Committee for their coordination of the Forums this year including Brain Akin, Jack Webb, MC Stowe, Michelle Grafton and Vicky King.  Please thank all the candidates for running and for their interest in serving our Community. 

Absentee ballots are now available.  Early voting is July 9th through July 27^th. There is a Saturday vote on July 21^st and Election Day is July 31^st. Voting is a right, and a responsibility.  Please learn the issues and encourage your friends and family members to get out and vote! Call the Chamber for more information at 706-886-2132. 

Your chamber is the leading, private business association in our community. Members get visibility, referrals and assistance with business challenges. Membership is affordable and tax deductible.

Join the Chamber membership in working together for a better Toccoa-Stephens County.       

That’s your weekly Update. I’m Wendi Bailey, your Toccoa Stephens County Chamber of Commerce President.

Thursday 6-7-12

Hello this is Johnny Gailor – the Toccoa Stephens County Chamber of Commerce intern with your Weekly Chamber Update. 

TSPLOST stands for Transportation Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax. Stephens, along with 12 other counties, will vote on July 31 to determine if an additional one-cent sales tax will be levied to support road infrastructure and improvements.  Approval isn't by county. If Stephens County citizens vote against the idea, but a majority in the region are in favor, then the tax will be implemented. Similarly, if Stephens votes in favor of the road improvement tax, but it is not passed in the region, it will not be implemented.

Stephens has 2 projects. The first project is the State Route 17 Widening from 2 to 4 lanes from Scott Road north to the Veteran’s Parkway (or Toccoa By-Pass). The second project is the 365 extension from Wal-Mart to the South Carolina US123 bridge.

If voted in, Stephens will be a “recipient” county, meaning that the projects on the list will cost more than the anticipated revenue raised in Stephens from the additional one-cent tax. The tax will be in effect for ten years.           

The GA Chamber is spearheading the promotion and passage of TSPLOST for more jobs, safer roads and more control of the projects.  The campaign is called Connect Georgia and the web site is www.connectgeorgiamountains.com.

Your Chamber’s role is to be the Community’s source for information. We will share all the facts and figures we have so you are the most educated voters in the region. We will not take a "for" or "against" position. We want the citizens to make an informed vote.

The Chamber held the first T-SPLOST Forum this week and there will be another one next Thursday. The public is invited.  Come hear from the DOT, the state Regional Director for Connect Georgia, from our elected officials and from our local leadership. We will have handouts, project maps, project posters and other materials to distribute.  These forums will present facts and, hopefully, clear up these misconceptions.

The next Forum is on Thursday June 14^th at 12pm at the North Georgia Technical College, Currahee Campus. Arrive early as the Culinary School serves lunch for $7 starting at 11:30am.  

Please call the Chamber with your TSPLOST questions at 706-886-2132. We will post all the questions and answers on our Blog and Facebook page.   

I have two announcements for you today:

First - The Concerned Citizens of Toccoa-Stephens County are selling $3 raffle tickets for a chance to win a 55” flat screen Sony TV. All proceeds go to fight for clean air for our children and citizens and to stop the horrible smells coming from the Wilbros Plant. Tickets are available at the Chamber and Welcome Center.

Second – TODAY there is a Business After Hours at the First Citizens Bank downtown location at 5pm. Come see their new office renovations. The Jack Pot drawing is at 5:30pm and its up to $700. You must be present to win.

The chamber is the leading, private business association in our community. Members get visibility, referrals and assistance with business challenges. Membership is affordable and tax deductible. We are working together for a better Toccoa-Stephens County.       

That’s your weekly Update. I’m Johnny Gailor – your Toccoa Stephens County Chamber of Commerce Intern. 

The first TSPLOST Forum is Tuesday June 5^th at 5:30pm at the Historic Stephens County Courthouse downtown Toccoa.  Hear from the Development Authority Director Tim Martin on the County’s transportations projects.  Hear from Connect Georgia’s Regional Director Tim Davis. Ask our elected officials and local leadership the following questions: How were the projects chosen?  If Stephens County votes TSPLOST down but other counties in our region vote yes, will we have to pay the sales tax? If we vote NO but the region votes YES, will our projects still be completed and will we get the money for local use? Will the TSPLOST sales tax be paid on food? How can we be sure that all the road projects that were chosen will actually be funded? Why doesn’t the Legislature just raise the gasoline tax instead of adding a penny sales tax? Will the TSPLOST become a permanent tax? Get the answers at the Forum!  

Q: Will TSPLOST help reduce property taxes?

A: No one can guarantee a property tax decrease because of this new TSPLOST. However, since it will supplement the Road Department budget, it could take some pressure off property taxes if it were to pass region wide and certainly could have a positive impact.

Q: Why doesn’t the Legislature just raise the gasoline tax instead of adding a penny sales tax?

A: It has been said that it would take about 25 cents per gallon of gasoline tax to equal 1% sales tax. Furthermore, with the increase in efficiency of automobiles and with less vehicle miles being driven because of the economy, the 25 cent tax would not keep up with the transportation needs of the future.

Q: Will the TSPLOST become a permanent tax?

A:  No. Although this tax is designed to expire after 10 years, it could be extended only if:
1. A minimum of 7 out of 13 counties request an extension of another 10 years.
2. That request must be approved by the State Legislature.
3. If requested and approved it must then go before the voters of our region again and be approved by 50% plus 1 vote region wide.
It cannot be extended beyond 10 years in any manner other than this procedure, so any extension would be the will of the majority of voters.

Q: Will the TSPLOST sales tax be paid on food?

A: YES. It will be paid on the same items that our local SPLOST and Education SPLOST are paid on, which includes food. However no SPLOST is charged on purchases made with food stamps.

Q: How can we be sure that all the road projects that were chosen will actually be funded?

A: GDOT provided the funding estimates for the projects based on their recent experience of road cost. They have assured the County that these numbers will be as accurate as possible. All projects are projected to be completed on three scheduled dates. Should there not be enough money to complete a project in a particular County, they will only receive the amount of money on the list. Any cost overrun or revenue shortage would have to come from that County and not from another County.

Q: Will TSPLOST help reduce property taxes?

A: No one can guarantee a property tax decrease because of this new TSPLOST. However, since it will supplement the Road Department budget, it could take some pressure off property taxes if it were to pass region wide and certainly could have a positive impact.

Q: Why doesn’t the Legislature just raise the gasoline tax instead of adding a penny sales tax?

A: It has been said that it would take about 25 cents per gallon of gasoline tax to equal 1% sales tax. Furthermore, with the increase in efficiency of automobiles and with less vehicle miles being driven because of the economy, the 25 cent tax would not keep up with the transportation needs of the future.

Q: Will the TSPLOST become a permanent tax?

A:  No. Although this tax is designed to expire after 10 years, it could be extended only if:
1. A minimum of 7 out of 13 counties request an extension of another 10 years.
2. That request must be approved by the State Legislature.
3. If requested and approved it must then go before the voters of our region again and be approved by 50% plus 1 vote region wide.
It cannot be extended beyond 10 years in any manner other than this procedure, so any extension would be the will of the majority of voters.