Members of the Gordon County Chamber of Commerce joined members from the chambers of Greater Rome and Cartersville-Bartow, to publicly endorse the Transportation Special Project Local Option Sales Tax (TSPLOST) going to vote on the primary ballot July 31.

At the polls, Gordon County voters will be asked to vote yes or no: Shall Gordon County’s transportation system and the transportation network in this region and the state be improved by providing a one percent special district transportation sales and use tax for the purpose of transportation projects and programs for a period of ten years.

The tax, if passed, will add a one percent sales tax over 10 years to improve transportation in Georgia.

In an effort to endorse the tax, the three counties chamber members publicly announced their endorsement of the tax in Adairsville Wednesday, July 25, at the intersection of Highway 41 and Highway 140, in what was called a “monumental occasion,” by Greater-Rome Chamber Chair Angie Lewis.

Gordon County Chamber of Commerce member Bill Thompson, an attorney at law in Calhoun, and Committee Chair for the Development Authority with the chamber spoke on behalf of Gordon County explaining the tax would help make the Union Grove interchange a reality after 20 years.

“Shaw and Mohawk are located on both sides of that project that I mentioned I had started working on in 1993,” said Thompson. “The project being built now will be built with a bypass around my community that will drive, not only those industries, but international industries that have already located in my community, that transportation access will give us a competitive advantage.”

According to a press release regarding the press conference, the TSPLOST tax will be collected over a 10-year period and raise approximately $1.49 billion for transportation projects and generate close to 40,175 jobs.

Though the tri-county support of the tax was voiced, Lewis said she expects voter turnout to be low in her area and that every “yes” vote was vital.