ACCG set to honor Sen. Echols, Rep. Hawkins for new TSPLOST legislation

The Association of County Commissioners of Georgia (ACCG) will award Sen. Shelly Echols of District 49 and Rep. Lee Hawkins of District 27 for their hard work and dedication during the 2024 legislative session to pass the new Transportation Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (TSPLOST) at the Hall County Board of Commissioners' regularly scheduled voting meeting on Thursday, July 11.

"We are excited to be a part of recognizing the work that Senator Echols and Representative Hawkins did to ensure these important legislative changes were made to Transportation SPLOST for Hall County and for Georgia as a whole," Hall County Board of Commissioners Chairman Richard Higgins said. "We want to thank them both for their leadership and dedicated service to the public."

Echols and Hawkins introduced Senate Bill 383 and House Bill 946, respectively, during the legislative sessions at the Georgia Capital in January. These bills proposed to change the legislation requiring all municipalities in a single county Transportation SPLOST to sign an Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) in order to levy a full penny tax. The new legislation now requires only municipalities representing more than 50% of a county's municipal population to sign an IGA to levy the tax at a full penny.

"The passing of this bill was an important step towards improving transportation in Hall County, and we are excited to pursue a single county Transportation SPLOST under this new law," Hall County Administrator Zach Propes said.

On June 27, several municipalities in Hall County gathered at the Hall County Government Center to sign the 2024 Transportation SPLOST IGA, which outlines critical and transformational road infrastructure projects that would improve traffic flow, safety and the quality of life for Hall County citizens. The signing of this IGA was a momentous occasion and highlights the continued collaboration and commitment of the many municipalities working together for the betterment of the Hall County community and its visitors.

"The collaboration between the municipalities ensures that the citizens of Hall County will have a voice and fair chance to vote on whether or not they want dedicated transportation funding," Chairman Higgins said.

Following the recognition of Sen. Echols and Rep. Hawkins, the Hall County Board of Commissioners is expected to vote on a resolution to include the Transportation SPLOST question on the Nov. 5 ballot for consideration by Hall County voters.