Forsyth County Holds Two Important Meetings Set for Thursday

Two meetings that have serious implications for Forsyth County taxpayers will start within 90 minutes of each other on Thursday.

At 4:30 p.m., the Board of Commissioners will hold a town hall meeting in the Forsyth County Administration Building regarding a proposed $233 million special purpose local option sales tax (SPLOST). At 6 p.m. the Board of Education is expected to meet and vote on raising the millage rate for 2012.

If voters approve SPLOST VII, commissioners have said they expect to use the first $100 million to fund construction of a new courthouse and jail expansion. The county's list of projects may also include a new animal shelter and emergency water generator.

The City of Cumming will also be part of this meeting. During Tuesday night's city council meeting, Mayor H. Ford Gravitt said, "The City of Cumming will be meeting with the Forsyth County Board of Commissioners on the 21st."

With few exceptions, Forsyth County voters have routinely passed SPLOST referendums in the past, but this year, taxpayers are in no mood for additional taxes.

Struggling to make ends meet amid a crippling economy, the rising cost of food and gas, coupled with 9.1 percent unemployment and government's insatiable appetite for taxpayer dollars, the odds of this SPLOST passing are not very good.

County commissioners did not raise taxes for 2012 but they did raise taxes in 2011 and the Board of Education hit taxpayers with a combination of taxes for next year.

First, school officials offered taxpayers a choice: SPLOST or a millage increase. Voters chose the SPLOST but school board members plan to raise the millage rate anyway at Thursday's meeting.

That has enraged many Forsyth County residents who say they were misled and the outcry has poisioned the water for SPLOST VII.

In a written statement, Forsyth County Democratic Party Chairwoman Sharon Gunter said, "The residents of Forsyth County are educated, and informed citizens. They would not have overwhelmingly supported a SPLOST increase this past March for education if they had not been led to believe it to be the means to prevent a property tax increase."

Some groups like the Forsyth County TEA Party are gearing up to lead a tax revolt to defeat SPLOST VII.

TEA Party President Steve Voshall said, "The TEA Party is not going to support any new taxes for government. We're going to do everything we can to keep it from passing."

Voshall said commissioners have yet to do a cost efficiency study on the courthouse and court system to see if they're making the best use of the space.

"I'm not comfortable in justifying $200-$230 million in new taxes, especially after having approved the same amount for the school system," he added.

Brad Wilkins, a GOP delegate and one of the founders of the conservative group Concerned Citizens of Forsyth County, said Monday he and his organization will also work to defeat the SPLOST.

"I commend commissioners for not raising the millage rate," Wilkins said. "But this is not the time for any new taxes. This is a time for government to tighten its belt the way Forsyth County families have been forced to do."