Monroe County Voters Pass Another Penny Tax

FORSYTH, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT)- Voters in Monroe County have decided to pass another penny tax set to start in January 2014. The tax will generate close to $31 million for the county.

67% of the voters agreed to the tax, while 33% said no.

The majority of the money will be spent on road repairs and improving the county’s water system.

It’ll also add a civic center for economic development. $25 million will go to unincorporated Monroe County, $550,000 will head to Culloden for projects, and the City of Forsyth will get close to $5 million.

Chairman James Vaughn says he’s ready to get started on the most important projects.

“We’re going to have to get started on the public safety radios pretty quickly, because we have a federal mandate by next year and so we’ll have to move on that one quickly…and then we’ll prioritize the rest you know we’ve got plenty of time to do that cause the collections don’t start for about another year,” says Vaughn.

Monroe County has had a continuous SPLOST for more than 20 years.