The City of Savannah has launched a new public survey to gather feedback from residents in preparation for a proposed Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) tax referendum, expected to appear on the ballot in November.

The survey, available now at savannahga.gov/splost8survey, aims to identify community priorities as City Council prepares a list of capital improvement projects to include in the proposed SPLOST referendum.

Residents are asked to rank their highest to lowest priorities from a pool of six different areas of investment: Parks and Recreation, Community Development, Public Safety, Stormwater and Drainage Projects, Traffic and Transportation, and Municipal Investments.

Additionally, residents can allocate a mock $100 budget across these categories to reflect how they would prioritize SPLOST 8 funding.

On March 17, Chatham County issued a proposed timeline to local municipalities to prepare for the SPLOST 8 referendum. Municipalities must provide an approved, prioritized list of projects to Chatham County by May 23. The City’s SPLOST 8 survey will remain open until May 16.

Municipalities are scheduled to vote on an approved intergovernmental agreement (IGA) by July 16 that would outline the capital projects each municipality would fund through SPLOST 8. If the IGA is approved, the SPLOST referendum would move through the final stages of notification before being added to the ballot on Nov. 4.

SPLOST is a one percent county-wide sales tax approved by voters to fund capital outlay projects for local governments. Georgia law enacted the use of SPLOST in 1985 with the requirement of voter approval through a referendum.

Since its inception, SPLOST 1-7 has generated nearly $700 million in funding for Savannah, and more than $1.5 billion county-wide. In Savannah, nearly 40% of sales taxes are paid by visitors. Municipalities are not allowed by law to balance the City’s budget or to cover general operating or maintenance from SPLOST funds.

Capital projects for the City funded by SPLOST have included newly paved streets, resurfaced roadways and new sidewalks, stormwater drainage infrastructure, renovations to City Hall, an extension to River Walk, traffic calming measures, new playgrounds, improved athletic fields, and upgraded or new community centers.

Through SPLOST, Chatham County has utilized 73% of the funds for roadways and drainage but has also funded other important projects including the Savannah International Trade and Convention Center with now generates a recurring economic impact of more than $200 million in visitor spending.