For Immediate Release
Date: October 9, 2013

Mayor Pro Tem and District 1 Alderman Van Johnson will host a special Town Hall Meeting on the proposed Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax, or SPLOST.

The meeting will be at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 15 at the Temple of Glory Community Church, 1102 Stiles Ave. and will discuss future proposed SPLOST projects in the First District. First District neighborhoods include Brickyard, Carver Heights, Cloverdale, Cuyler-Brownville, Feiler Terrace, The Highlands, Historic District, Hudson Hill, Metropolitan, Ogeecheeton, Tremont Park, Victorian, West Savannah and Woodville.

SPLOST has funded more than $1.3 billion worth of projects in Chatham County since voters approved the first referendum in 1985. More than $400 million has been paid for by visitors who live outside the County. The City of Savannah’s share has totaled $342 million, almost half of which has been spent on drainage, which has dramatically improved living conditions in all areas of Savannah.

Even though almost 40% of the sales tax is paid for by visitors to our community, all of the proceeds directly benefit the citizens of Chatham County by funding critical local projects without increasing property taxes for residents. In Savannah, SPLOST has paved hundreds of miles of roads and sidewalks, provided new public safety resources, added new neighborhood parks, and created exciting projects that have led to hundreds of millions of dollars in private investment, such as the redevelopment of Ellis Square and the transformation of Savannah Gardens and Sustainable Fellwood.

The public can find out more about SPLOST by visiting www.savannahga.gov/splost.