City Of Milton: Public To Help Outline Transportation Projects For Potential 2nd TSPLOST

Press release from the City of Milton:

05/05/2021 3:38 PM

The City of Milton will host a forum next week to solicit citizens' ideas on what transportation upgrades should be funded in a second TSPLOST round -- if voters pass such a referendum later this year.

Fulton County is working with local municipalities such as Milton on the framework for what is being called "TSPLOST-2," which seems poised to be on the ballot in November. Cities have been tasked to come up with a list of projects, grouped in priority tiers, that TSPLOST-2 could fund if voters approve the corresponding referendum. 

The Transportation Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax, or TSPLOST, is a 0.75% (or 3/4 cent) additional sales tax charge that can help pay for things like roundabouts, sidewalks, traffic calming tools, and more. The one that Fulton County voters passed in November 2016 extended five years and is on track to bring in about $32 million to Milton alone.

A TSPLOST-2 initiative would extend for another 5-year time period and address issues that the City Council, City staff and citizens deem to be their most pressing wants and needs. 

The May 11 forum is the public's chance to spell out exactly where they think that funding (if approved) should go.

Starting at 6 p.m., citizens can attend the event in person at City Hall's Council Chambers or virtually via this Zoom link: https://zoom.us/j/93984439103. The forum should also be streamed live on the City's Facebook page, www.facebook.com/thecityofmiltonga/. 

Attendees will receive important context from City staff before weighing in on pertinent questions in several online polls and during "public comment" periods.

This feedback (including identified projects) will build off numerous public outreach efforts related to transportation in recent months, including surveys and forums related to Milton's 5-year Strategic Plan and 2040 Comprehensive Plan. Hundreds also participated in a Local Road Safety Plan survey looking for ways to make Milton's roadways safer.

City staff plan to process all this and more accumulated input, refine it to workable terms, then present a proposed TSPLOST-2 project list to the City Council for officials' input and discussion at its May 17 work session. 

To learn more about the soon-to-expire TSPLOST -- including Tier I, Tier II and Tier III projects -- go to www.cityofmiltonga.us/TSPLOST. And if you have questions generally about transportation in Milton, contact the City's Transportation Engineer and Acting Public Works Director Sara Leaders at sara.leaders@cityofmiltonga.us.

This press release was produced by the City of Milton. The views expressed here are the author’s own.