BARBARA RIVERA HOLMES: Officials must reach SPLOST agreement or risk consequence

Albany and Dougherty County is a strong and resilient community. Its magic is its people — their willingness to work together and their unwillingness to give up. We have demonstrated this in many ways, most prominently through our decisive management and recovery of four natural disasters and the COVID pandemic.

In contrast to this is a public dispute between the city of Albany and Dougherty County as it relates to the eighth special-purpose local-option sales tax, a 1% levy estimated to generate $100 million in six years that must be approved by the voters this November. Moving forward without an intergovernmental agreement risks diminishing the collection lifespan and proceeds at great burden to the businesses and citizens of Albany and Dougherty County. As such, it’s critical that the city and county reach an agreement by their Aug. 8 deadline.

Here’s what’s special about SPLOST: Funding is project-specific; it must be approved by the voters; and it allows for maximum local impact with limited local taxpayer burden. We estimate that nearly 50% of the tax collection is from visitors, in essence providing residents a steep discount.

Without SPLOST, Albany and Dougherty County may have to fund the projects by other means, such as increased property taxes or service rates, a move that poorly positions the community to attract business investment and work force talent; and that further burdens a public absorbing soaring inflation rates, an economy facing a looming recession and businesses hampered by historic labor and supply shortages.

The Albany Area Chamber is engaged in this because we recognize the positive impact of the projects on our community. From economic development to infrastructure; downtown revitalization to tourism; and work force development to quality of life — these SPLOST projects dramatically improve our community.

It’s important you slow down and take note of what’s happening and its potential impact on your bottom line and your community.

Here’s what you can do: Send a letter to your city commissioner and county commissioner urging them to reach an agreement. You can download a template letter at albanyga.com.

And then, vote. Voting is how Americans can best use their voices and affect greatest impact.

The May primaries had disappointingly low voter turnout. Show up at the polls every election day. And when you vote this November, vote yes on SPLOST.

I believe in Albany and Dougherty County. We are a community that, overall, is working swiftly, collaboratively and innovatively to move forward, prosper economically and provide greater opportunities for all. It’s important we stay focused, stay on track and move forward together.