Jim Hill is illuminated by headlights along the side of Wilson Road on Wednesday, June 12, 2019, in Rossville, Ga. Hill is a part of the Wilson Road Neighborhood Group, which is requesting a special tax district to fund streetlights along the road.There was no arguing between audience members at the June 20 meeting of the Wilson Road Neighborhood Group on whether or not streetlights should be added to Wilson Road. Of the 58 residents in attendance, all wanted it.
There was also no arguing about whether or not residents should be taxed to allow for the yearly expense. Another "yes."
The argument instead centered on how to divide up the cost.
The group has proposed a special tax district that would cover Wilson Road from its intersection with Happy Valley Road to the state line. It would affect 1,095 parcel owners in Rossville, according to a Times Free Press article.
The tax would cover the addition of 33 lights to existing power poles and the roughly $4,000 a year in electric bills to operate them.
A car travels on Wilson Road on Wednesday, June 12, 2019, in Rossville, Ga. The Wilson Road Neighborhood Group is requesting a special tax district to fund streetlights along the road.The flat-rate tax would apply to each parcel of land, so how much each resident would owe would be dependent on how many parcels they own. While the current cost is yet to be determined, Walker County Sheriff Steve Wilson estimates it would be $3.61 to $3.90 per parcel per year. Wilson, who co-founded the Neighborhood Group, said they can't put a firm number on the tax until there are more property assessments.
Some residents said during the meeting that the tax would be unfair to those who own more plots of land. One resident in particular, who declined to give his name, argued that paying roughly $40 a year just because he owns 10 pieces of land as opposed to one seems unjust.
Still, all the community members spoke adamantly about the need for lights.
Resident Cynthia Cole was among the majority who argued in favor of the tax, saying that you can't put a cost on safety.
In addition to the lights' ability to help curb crime, they also have the potential to change Rossville, she said. While there have been renewed efforts to establish a welcoming downtown area with shops, said Cole, right now, Rossville is passed over to get somewhere else. By lighting up the town, people may have more of a desire to visit and bring business to the community.
"This side of the county has been ignored," she said. "We have the potential to flourish."
Walker County Commissioner Shannon Whitfield attended the meeting to gauge residents' response to the neighborhood-proposed tax district. He likened the proposed district to how communities sometimes require homeowners' association fees.
"In the same way bills and payments would be made to [those organizations], in this case it would be to the county," Whitfield said.
The commissioner told the group he's impressed at the effort he's seen from them over the past few years. The group formed in 2016, calling for lights to be added to the road, and has since drawn the proposed tax district and brought residents together to discuss.
During the June 20 meeting, two petitions went around the room, one in favor of and one against the tax. By the end, not one resident had signed to oppose the tax.
"This is truly a grassroots effort by local leaders," Whitfield said after the meeting.
A second town hall is being held July 16 at Rossville Elementary School to continue discussing the proposed tax. The meeting begins at 6:30 p.m. and the school is located at 1250 Wilson Road.
Email Sabrina Bodon at sbodon@timesfreepress.com