Hall County residents will vote on November 4 whether to renew a 1% sales tax that has helped pay for local projects for nearly 40 years. This tax funds roads, parks, and public safety.
🗳️ Why It Matters: This sales tax affects everyone who shops in Hall County, including visitors. It helps pay for big projects without raising property taxes, but it also means shoppers pay a little more at the register.
🚧 What’s Happening: The Hall County Board of Elections officially put the Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax, or SPLOST, renewal on the November ballot. If approved, the tax would last six more years and raise about $440 million.
Some key projects planned include a new park and activity center, road widening on Spout Springs Road, improvements to busy intersections, and upgrades to public safety facilities like the sheriff’s training center and fire stations. About $95 million would go to towns in the county based on their size.
💡 Between the Lines: About 30 to 40% of the money raised comes from shoppers who live outside Hall County. This means visitors help pay for local improvements, easing the tax load on residents.
For more details, visit Hall County’s website or email their public information office.
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Before You Dismiss This Article…
We live in a time when information feels overwhelming, but here’s what hasn’t changed: facts exist whether they comfort us or not.
When A&W launched their third-pound burger to compete with McDonald’s Quarter Pounder in the 1980s, it failed spectacularly. Not because it tasted worse, but because customers thought 1/3 was smaller than 1/4. If basic math can trip us up, imagine how easily we can misread complex news.
The press isn’t against you when it reports something you don’t want to hear. Reporters are thermometers, not the fever itself. They’re telling you what verified sources are saying, not taking sides. Good reporting should challenge you — that’s literally the job.
Next time a story makes you angry, pause. Ask yourself: What evidence backs this up? Am I reacting with my brain or my gut? What would actually change my mind? And most importantly, am I assuming bias just because the story doesn’t match what I hoped to hear.
Smart readers choose verified information over their own comfort zone.
B.T. Clark
B.T. Clark is an award-winning journalist and the Publisher of The Georgia Sun. He has 25 years of experience in journalism and served as Managing Editor of Neighbor Newspapers in metro Atlanta for 15 years and Digital Director at Times-Journal Inc. for 8 years. His work has appeared in several newspapers throughout the state including Neighbor Newspapers, The Cherokee Tribune and The Marietta Daily Journal. He is a Georgia native and a fifth-generation Georgian.
