Cherokee Residents Tired of Potholes & Traffic Hell?

Fellow Cherokee County Residents – On Tuesday, November 4, 2025, you’ll decide whether to approve a 1% Transportation Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (T-SPLOST) for the next 6 years.

 

The 575 Insider previously brought this issue to you a few weeks ago when we broke down the proposal. Now its time to vote based on your preference.

 

This isn’t a property tax hike – it’s a sales tax that everyone who shops here pays, including the 1/3 of revenue from out-of-county visitors.

But, here’s what it means for your wallet, your drive, and your neighborhood.

 

What Will It Cost You?

 

Purchase Amount	Current 6% Tax	With T-SPLOST (7%)	Extra You Pay
$10	$0.60	$0.70	+$0.10
$50	$3.00	$3.50	+$0.50
$100	$6.00	$7.00	+$1.00
$500	$30.00	$35.00	+$5.00

 

Bottom Line: A family spending $1,000/month on taxable goods pays just $10 more – but visitors cover 33% of the total.

 

Why Not Use Property Taxes?

 

- To fund the same projects, your property tax millage would rise by 2.6 mills in 2027.

- That’s $260 extra per year on a $100,000 home (taxable value).

- T-SPLOST avoids this – keeping Cherokee’s overall tax rates among Georgia’s lowest.

 

What Do You Get? Possibly Faster Fixes, Safer Roads, Less Gridlock

 

1. More Roads Repaved – Every Year

   -  Current SPLOST covers only half of basic resurfacing needs.

   -  T-SPLOST doubles the pace – prioritizing roads in worst condition first.

 

Example Cost: Repaving 1 mile = $175,000 Trickum Rd (SR 92 to Jamerson) = $11 million (multi-lane project)

 

2. Major Safety & Flow Upgrades

 

Project Type	Example	Cost
Road Widening	Bells Ferry Rd	$23.4 mill/mile
Intersection Fix	SR 140 @ Batesville/Hickory	$8.6 million
Roundabout	Ball Ground Hwy @ Howell Bridge	$3.4 million
Roundabout	Batesville @ Sugar Pike	$1.2 million

 

*These target high-crash zones, traffic bottlenecks, and growing neighborhoods – based on 2022 public input.

 

See the Full Plan

    👉 Interactive Map & Project List:        www.cherokeecountyga.gov/tsplost

 

Is It Forever? NO.

-  Expires after 6 years (2031)

-  Then voters choose:

    -  Renew at 1%

    -  Lower to 0.5% (maintenance only)

    -  Let it drop back to 6% total sales tax

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Transparency Guaranteed

   -  Funds in a separate audited account

   -  Detailed spending reports published annually

 

Your Daily Impact: A Quick Snapshot

✅ Benefit	🚗 Your Drive
Less potholes	Smoother commutes
Fewer crashes	Safer school runs
Faster traffic	More time at home
No property tax hike	More money in your pocket

 

Vote Tuesday Nov. 4 (or Early Voting Now!)

 

If you agree with these plans, this is your chance to improve roads and traffic without raising property taxes – and make visitors help pay the bill. If you don't agree with any new taxes then this is also your opportunity to say "no!". 

 

Learn more & view projects: cherokeecountyga.gov/tsplost

*Information based on official T-SPLOST FAQ (9/23/25)