Date of tax vote will be set today

The Augusta Commission is expected to decide today when voters will go to the polls for the next round of special-purpose penny sales tax collections.

Though at least one commissioner, Joe Bowles, wants to wait until November to save the city the cost of a special election, City Administrator Fred Russell has warned the board that if the tax vote fails, state law would not allow another package to go to voters until a year later, which could lead to a six-month lapse in collections costing more than $18 million. Once the tax package passes, it can't start until the nearest quarter of the year 80 days after the election, and not until the previous tax is finished.

Three election dates are available this year: June 16, Sept. 15 and Nov. 3.

JUNE 16

PROS:

- If a June vote fails, the city could have a second shot in June 2010. If that one passes, there won't be an interruption in collections.

- With a short timeline and a tax vote out of the way before summer, commissioners can focus on other matters.

CONS:

- Holding a one-issue special election will cost the city $80,000 to $85,000 during a tight budget year. A decision not to cut bus service already has the city off by $1.4 million in its plan not to raise the tax rate.

- The tax-package process will be rushed. Under Mr. Russell's schedule, a final project list would be adopted by resolution March 3.

SEPT. 15

PRO:

- A middle ground between June and November, this option gives commissioners more time to prepare the final project list -- a resolution adopting it wouldn't be required until June 2 -- and gets the issue out of the way by fall.

CONS:

- As with June, a one-issue election will cost the city $80,000 to $85,000.

- If the vote fails and another tax vote has to wait a year, it will cost the city just as much in lost collections. New state law doesn't allow for a September vote in 2010, so it would have to wait until the next November.

NOV. 3

PROS:

- An election will be held on this day anyway, so attaching the tax package to this ballot would save money. The other issues on the ballot would be odd-numbered district commissioner elections and the Richmond County marshal's race.

- The percentage of voter turnout would be somewhere in the 20s, as opposed to 10 percent to 15 percent in a one-issue election, said Lynn Bailey, the executive director of the county's Board of Elections.

- The commission would have until Aug. 4 to adopt a final project list.

CONS:

- Waiting risks a loss of collections if the vote fails.

- The process would drag out through most of 2009.

Reach Johnny Edwards at (706) 823-3225 or johnny.edwards@augustachronicle.com.