What is SPLOST?

MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT)- Election day is right around the corner and there’s one thing on the ballot for renewal. SPLOST. But before you hit the polls, what is SPLOST?

Special purpose local option sales tax. It’s an additional penny collected from sales tax in the state of Georgia. It’s meant to renovate and build projects in each county. Each county collects their penny separately. in November 2011 Macon-Bibb voters voted 1% SPLOST for a period of six years. Over those six years they’ve help renovate and build projects citizens need.

Clay Murphy is in charge of coordinating projects in Macon-Bibb county.

“We rehabilitate existing county facilities, build new facilities, roads, storm-water,” Murphy said. “We’ve bought police cars and fire trucks; we build fire stations, animal control facilities, animal welfare facilities. It’s a SPLOST project.”

SPLOST has helped build and renovate places, like the Rosa Jackson Recreation Center in Macon.

Director of Parks and Recreation, Reginald Moore, is very thankful for these kind of SPLOST projects.

“I’m really excited about the renovations and upgrades that’s taking place in the parks and recreation department and all of that was provided through the SPLOST project,” Moore said.

“Our rec centers will be better, our roads will be better, our storm-water will be better and overall I think it will be a great quality of life improvement for our county,” Murphy said.

With just one penny SPLOST is doing it’s best to make sure communities are improving.

Early voting continues through November 4th and includes this Saturday.