Nearly a year after the first Transportation Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (TSPLOST) came to an end, the public will be asked to authorize a new TSPLOST to restore the county’s dedicated funding source to repair and resurface roads.
On November 7, 2023, voters will be asked the following question:
Shall a special one percent sales and use tax be imposed in the special district consisting of Walker County for a period of time not to exceed five (5) years and for the raising of an estimated amount of $45,000,000 for transportation purposes?
A vote “YES” would authorize a new TSPLOST that would begin on April 1, 2024 and sunset on March 31, 2029. The new TSPLOST would generate about $9 million a year for paving and transportation projects.
• Walker County would receive 75% or approximately $6.75 million annually
• LaFayette would receive 11.50% or approximately $1,035,000 million annually
• Rossville would receive 6.14% or approximately $552,600 annually
• Chickamauga would receive 4.46% or approximately $401,400 annually
• Lookout Mountain would receive 2.50% or approximately $225,000 annually
• Fort Oglethorpe would receive 0.40% or approximately $36,000 annually
There are 674 miles of roads in unincorporated Walker County, which excludes city roads. Between 2018 and 2022, 118.51 miles of roads were resurfaced in unincorporated Walker County using TSPLOST funds, with many more completed in Chickamauga, LaFayette, Lookout Mountain and Rossville.
The county will resurface another 35-miles of roads this year, including Halls Valley Road, Straight Gut Road, Old Mineral Springs Road and Salem Road. Work is scheduled to begin this month, with funding coming from the remaining balance of the 2017 TSPLOST and $6,000,000 set aside in the 2020 SPLOST for road improvements. Once the 2023 projects are complete, all funding currently earmarked for road improvements will be exhausted.