If passed, the TSPLOST in Peach County would help fix roads

If passed, the Transportation Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax would add a penny to all purchases.

FORT VALLEY, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) — Mai Nguyen has been working in Fort Valley during the last four years and says she hears road noise all day.

“We hear all kinds of noises when they drive fast, we hear the noise all day,” Nguyen said.

She works at Valley Nails on Main Street. It’s is one of several roads Peach County is hoping to fix through a Transportation Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax, Or TSPLOST. Nguyen says she has never heard of TSPLOST, but is happy the roads might get fixed.

“I don’t know much about that but I think they should do what they’ve got to do,” she stated.

The TSPLOST will charge an extra penny on anything sold in Peach County during the next five years. The goal is to raise $27 million dollars to repave, fix potholes, and create new roads.

“The main concern is that our roads are getting older,” explained Commission Chairman, Martin Moseley. “They’re having foundation problems and we need to go in and do a lot of repair work, which is very expensive. It all costs a lot of money, and we felt that the penny sales tax will be better than raising property taxes to help fix the roads.”

62% of the $27 million will go toward Peach County roads, roughly 17% each will go to Byron and Fort Valley, 2% to Warner Robins, and 1% to the roads in Perry.

Moseley supports TSPLOST in Peach, because he believes it will make the area safer.

“All these roads are connectors,” Moseley stated. “There’s one road we’re looking to pave that will be a major connector from 96 over to 49 that we think will be a major help to the new high school here in Peach county.”

The decision for TSPLOST is up to residents. Early voting for the tax started on October 12 and will run until October 23.

The last day to vote on the TSPLOST in Peach County is November 2.