With early voting on Catoosa County’s new sales tax set to begin Feb. 25, advocates for and against the 1-percent increase worked to sway public opinion in their favor last week.
The Transportation Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax, which would be shared between the county, Ringgold and Fort Oglethorpe, is used to pay for road paving and other transportation projects.
Officials for the three governments estimate the new tax would create $60 million in revenue over five years, with Catoosa County getting $42 million, Fort Oglethorpe getting $12 million and Ringgold getting $6 million, based on their populations.
Catoosa County Commission Chairman Steven Henry spoke in favor of the tax during a luncheon at The Colonnade hosted by the Catoosa County Chamber of Commerce Feb. 14.
Outside, however, a small trio of protesters bore signs of dissent to share their message with passing drivers. They said they planned to join up with a larger group of TSPLOST adversaries on election day to make their opposition known to locals coming to cast their ballots.