Letter: TSPLOST Support Misguided

In this letter to the editor, Tracy Rogers of Cartersville says the 's financial mismanagement would continue with TSPLOST funding if voters approve the regional, one-cent sales tax.

To the editor,

It was not surprising to read that the Rome Chamber of Commerce announced its support for the upcoming TSPLOST ballot initiative in July. If you remember, this is the same group of business leaders that have promoted a longer, more expensive route for the 411 Connector that will waste approximately $112 million in taxpayers’ money and appears headed to a lengthy, costly court battle. 

Now the chamber has its sights set on charging Northwest Georgia taxpayers about $1.5 billion over a 10-year period to supposedly achieve economic and transportation bliss. If the recent, failed Floyd County SPLOST vote was not enough of a wake-up call, then perhaps the failure of the TSPLOST will be.

Taxpayers are sick and tired of throwing their money away on GDOT’s dismal performance. For example, it has been reported that GDOT’s financial management is so inept that its entire system should be scrapped and rebuilt. Auditors discovered that GDOT illegally moved money among its nearly 20 separate programs without the approval of the legislature. They also said the confusion over the programs is so extreme that neither GDOT nor the auditors can say whether the agency spent its money as the legislature intended last year.

What makes you the think the TSPLOST will be any different? If GDOT cannot even do the accounting basics, how on earth can they manage thousands of proposed TSPLOST projects in 15 designated regions? Any support for the TSPLOST is a vote for GDOT’s continued financial incompetence and unaccountability.

Very respectfully,

Tracy Rogers

Cartersville, GA