Richmond County voters will decide today whether the Augusta Commission's $184.7 million one-cent sales tax package sets a course for city projects leading into the next decade or if commissioners go back to the drawing board and try again next year.
IF YOU VOTE
All 52 polling locations in Richmond County will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. today. Voters must provide one of six acceptable forms of ID:
- A valid Georgia driver's license
- Any valid state or federal government-issued photo ID
- Valid employee photo ID from any branch, department, agency or entity of the U.S. government, Georgia or any county, municipality, board, authority or other entity of Georgia
- Valid U.S. passport
- Valid U.S. military photo ID
- Valid tribal photo ID
Note: "Precinct cards," which registered voters receive to confirm registration and voting location, are not sufficient identification. Need to find out where you vote? Call the Board of Elections office at (706) 821-2340.
Expected Turnout
Final results are expected around 10 p.m. Lynn Bailey, the executive director of the Richmond County Board of Elections, predicts turnout of 10 percent to 12 percent - 11,100 to 13,400 voters. Over the past five weeks, 2,230 people cast ballots in early and advance voting.
If it passes
The county will continue collecting an extra penny for every dollar spent on items subject to state sales tax. Collections for this tax package would start Oct. 1, 2010, and last until September 2015.
If it fails
Georgia law requires the city to wait a year before putting another package before voters. The next opportunity would be statewide primary elections slated for July 20, 2010.
What they're saying
For: "I think everyone understands that we need this. This is a no-brainer." - Butch Gallop, a consultant for sales tax projects manager Heery International Inc.
Against: "People in this town are getting tired of the way the government's being run. Taxation is a necessary evil, but it doesn't have to be taken to the extreme that it is now." - Libertarian Party of the CSRA spokesman Taylor Bryant
The Augusta Chronicle ©2010 Morris Communications, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Vote NO for Waste
Don't be fooled. Vote No!
i thought joe bowles came on here and said the 10mil mcg gift
would not cost tax payers a dime. well how about 100 million dimes joe? vote no!
Vote NO today. Send our clown brigade a message. $60 MILLION dollars in non-infrastructure spending! Why are we putting a roof on the Augusta Urban Ministries???? Why are we giving $6 million to the Augusta Symphony??? Do you go to the symphony?? Why $2.5 million to Paine??? Why is the city spending $1 million to improve the Imperial Theatre??? Maybe some or all of these are nice to have items but NOT AT TAXPAYER EXPENSE. VOTE NO!! Get off of you butt and go to the polls and put an end to this waste, fraud, and abuse of our money. Vote NO today.
Vote NO, it's not the package we want. It's the package the special interest and the Commission wants.
I voted NO! They didn't have a box on the ballot marked H3LL NO!
All good post.