A SPLOST by any other name, the tiniest of voter turnouts and discussing how we fund future county infrastructure, economic projects

Macon voters overwhelmingly approved what is essentially the continuation of a 1% sales tax Tuesday which will generate some $480 million. The county intends to spend that money on roads and vital but vague things like “creating jobs” and “promoting private investment.”

In a Facebook post after the election board announced unofficial vote totals, Mayor Lester Miller called the election “a significant milestone in Macon Bibb, as we received a mandate from voters regarding our upcoming SPLOST.”

A significant milestone? Certainly. A mandate from voters? Hardly. 

Of the 120,000 or so registered voters in Bibb County, 6,247 voted Tuesday. That’s about 5.2% of registered voters. And while almost all of those 5.2% of voters did vote for the sales tax, there’s a good reason for that. 

First, there’s the name. SPLOST sounds like something out of a 1940s Batman comic book. It’s the kind of city politics jargon that makes the average person’s eyes glaze over. Calling it a “penny sales tax,” while common across the country, is disingenuous. It’s a penny… if you’re spending a dollar. It’s a 1% local sales tax. 

Secondly, it was the only thing on the ballot in a March election in a year where there’s no presidential election, no midterm elections, no local elections. It’s true that the county and news organizations, including The Melody, published details about the election. But it’s hard to puncture the cacophony of everyday life, of jobs and getting kids ready for school and grocery shopping and soccer practice and… you get the picture. 

If you want people to vote, you put a bunch of stuff on the same ballot. In 2016, the SPLOST was on the November ballot — a general election date during a presidential election year. The result? More than 70% voter turnout. 

Finally, sales taxes are regressive. While the county has done a great job of rolling back the millage rate as property values increase, regressive taxes take a higher percentage of income from low-income taxpayers. Macon could make the sales tax less regressive by exempting items like groceries. Or we as a community could decide to generate more revenue via property taxes and less via sales taxes.

It’s worth noting that voters approved the 2016 sales tax, too. I’m not arguing that if more people voted, then the tax would have been voted down. I’m not saying that the SPLOST isn’t important — spending almost half a billion dollars on infrastructure, quality of life and economic development is critical to our future. 

My point is that only a relative handful of voters showed up at polling places Tuesday. And there are things we could do to make sure more folks vote. Additionally, I think it’s worth having a discussion about how we want to fund future county projects.

That’s just one man’s opinion and communities thrive thanks to a diversity of informed opinions. I’d love to hear your thoughts on the election (or about anything going on in our community)! 

Email me at caleb@maconmelody.com or send a letter to The Melody at 1675 Montpelier Avenue, Macon, GA 31201 and get your letter to the editor published. Please limit your letters to 400 words or less. It would be great to hear from you.

Caleb Slinkard is the managing editor of The Macon Melody.