Tax Spending Review Set for April 29

For every dollar purchase made in Gwinnett, consumers must pay an additional penny as part of the county’s special purpose local option sales tax (SPLOST) program.

In 2005, a Joint Citizen Review Committee was formed to review plans and expenditures for SPLOST funded projects. This Friday, April 29, government officials will meet with the committee to discuss the progress of current SPLOST projects.

Officials expect the current SPLOST program, which began in April 2009 and runs through March 2014, to generate as much as $730 million for transportation, parks and recreation, city projects, public safety, courthouse facilities and libraries.

Recent SPLOST funded county projects include the Sugarloaf Parkway extension, Alexander and Rhodes Jordan Parks, the Police Headquarters Annex/E-911 Center and Dacula's Hamilton Mill Library. Voters approved these projects during the last SPLOST referendum. Since 1985, Gwinnett County citizens have passed a series of SPLOST programs. By state law, the funds from these programs must be used for capital improvements and cannot be used to pay for staff or operating expenses.

The SPLOST review meeting is open to the public and will be held at located at 1515 Mineral Springs Road in Hoschton. The meeting is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m.