Decision time: Keep or dump SPLOST? | savannahnow.com

Few local issues divide this community like the special purpose local option sales tax.

Residents appear to either support the 1 percent optional sales tax as a better deal than property tax hikes or oppose it as an example of government’s insatiable appetite for tax revenue.

Either way, voters have once again been asked to head to the polls to decide whether SPLOST will live for six more years. Polls around the county will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday.

Besides the county-wide SPLOST vote, Port Wentworth has a mayoral and three city council races on the ballot (former candidate Mike Woods withdrew from one race). Garden City has two City Council elections. Both Thunderbolt and Bloomingdale have open mayoral elections. Tybee Island residents will decide three city council races.

There were a total of 3,301 people who cast ballots, including mail-in ballots, in early voting, according the county Board of Registrars. That’s somewhat low, officials acknowledged.

Russell Bridges, county elections supervisor, said 10-15 percent voter turnout would be typical on Tuesday. He referenced the 2006 special election that drew 20 percent. Most of the votes this year are expected to come from the areas holding municipal elections.

A survey of more than 450 “regular likely” voters, conducted around August on behalf of the Savannah Area Chamber of Commerce, a SPLOST supporter, found that 46.7 percent would support SPLOST and 37 would not and 13 percent were undecided.

The Chatham County Republican Party appears to be divided on the issue. That has led the party, which has significant influence in the county, to take no official position.

“We’re not taking a stance because many of our members are for it and many of our members are against it,” said Chairwoman Marolyn Overton.

via Decision time: Keep or dump SPLOST? | savannahnow.com.