Douglasville’s Gold’s Gym: No to SPLOST / YMCA

Written by Stephanie Siegel     Thursday, 19 July 2007

Thompson cites need for center

Wednesday, July 18, 2007 7:08 PM EDT

By Stephanie Siegel

Douglas Neighbor Staff Writer

Some governments perform needs analyses before deciding to conduct projects or construct buildings.

Douglas County and Douglasville governments, though, listen to what a few residents want and promise to provide it.

Douglasville’s plan to build a community center with SPLOST (Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax), to be operated by the YMCA, has raised the question of the need for such a center in Hunter Park.

The first reason Mayor Mickey Thompson cited recently for building the center is that it was promised in the 2002 SPLOST. By state law, projects listed on a SPLOST ballot must be built – even if the sales tax doesn’t bring in enough revenue.

The project got on that ballot through the following political process:

TAX ALERT: Douglas County Sales Tax Drops to 6%

Merchants Still Charging 7%

July 2, 2007 – Douglas County GA: July 1, 2007 sales tax in Douglas County dropped from 7 percent to 6 percent thanks to voters rejecting the 2006 Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) renewal. However, businesses are still charging 7 percent claiming they were never notified by the state of the change.

James Bell, director of Douglas County Taxpayers Coalition (DCTC), conducted a spot check of retail business that revealed merchants were still charging 7 percent sales tax.

Douglas County Tax Commissioner Ann Jones Guider informed Bell that she was told the county was not responsible for notifying the public of the sales tax roll back. According to Guider, the Georgia Department of Revenue (DOR) should have sent the tax notices.

Douglas County SPLOST Tax: Vote “NO”

Tax Group to fight SPLOST Tax: Special Interest Groups Push SPLOST Projects

June 28, 2007- Douglas County, Georgia: The Douglas County Taxpayers Coalition (DCTC) said it’s ready to mount a “Get Out the Vote” campaign against the September 18, 2007, $166 million, plus bond interest, Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) referendum.

James Bell, director of DCTC, said opposition to this massive spending proposal is growing. Bell points out that voters overwhelmingly rejected the 2006 SPLOST. Voters are upset with county officials who relentlessly seek more tax dollars. Bell said taxpayers need immediate relief and should vote against this sales tax.

“County officials are betting voters will not turn out this time to vote against the tax,” Bell said. “We plan to change that. The repeated abuse of special elections for tax referendums has angered voters and lawmakers alike. We must change the laws so that tax votes are conducted only in primaries and general elections.”

Based on research DCTC conducted concerning the proposed 2007 SPLOST, DCTC cannot support this tax.

Reasons to reject SPLOST;

Jail: The proposed new jail is not about public safety. It is about the desire of Douglasville city officials to move the jail from the current location so the property can be converted to condos and coffee shops at taxpayers’ expense. Local officials refuse to implement policies used by other counties to ease jail overcrowding. State inmates should be moved to other state and regional facilities so local taxpayers do not foot the bill. This massive jail plan for at least 2,500 beds is really a “Prison for Profit” scheme. This size jail would be for a county population of 1 million, such as Gwinnett. In 25 years, Douglas County will have a population of only about 250,000. An annex can be built at the current location for a fraction of the cost of a new jail, if more space is needed.

Swimming Pools-Gyms-Horse/Dog Parks: Using tax dollars to build YMCAs and horse/dog parks for special interest groups to operate is not the proper role of government. Many Douglas County businesses oppose such projects. Tax subsidized projects threaten private investments with unfair, tax-exempt competition. Some businesses may have to close because of it. Government should not compete with local businesses. These businesses pay taxes and support our community and local charities. We should avoid another “money pit” fiasco like the Boundary Waters Aquatic Center.

Senior Centers: We were promised 2 new senior centers in the 2002 SPLOST, but only one was built. The current center is described as “filled to capacity”, yet on recent visits, only a few seniors were using the facility. There is no demand or need for a senior center in Lithia Springs or anywhere else in the county.

Performing Arts Venue: Douglas County already has several state of the art facilities that are under-utilized. Performers should use existing venues or encourage private funding to build a private venue.

Lower Taxes: As of July 1, 2007 Douglas sales tax rate drops from 7 to 6 percent thanks to voters rejecting the SPLOST last July. Lower taxes boost the economy and revenues and leave more money in your pocket. Six percent sales tax will allow Douglas to compete with Cobb for big ticket retail sales. Residents and shoppers are expected to save $15-20 million in sales taxes between July 1 and December 31.

WARNING – Property Tax Increase: Commission Chairman Tom Worthan, in 2006, made it clear: “We can build these projects with SPLOST dollars, but the operation and maintenance cost must come from general funds.” The cost of staffing and operating the proposed projects will cause our property taxes to soar. That means future property tax increases. The politicians want you to believe that SPLOST is “just a penny”. In fact, SPLOST projects will increase the need for millions more in property tax revenue.

DCTC encourages the public to learn of the impact SPLOST has on property and business owners and everyone else.

Our web site www.DouglasTaxes.com provides more in-depth information.