Whitfield County merchants will need to collect an extra penny sales tax on each dollar’s worth of goods they sell, beginning July 1.
The extra tax will be collected for the next four years, raising an estimated $63.6 million to fund a variety of projects in Whitfield County, Dalton, Cohutta, Tunnel Hill, and Varnell.
Voters approved the penny SPLOST (Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax) in March by a 67 to 33 percent margin. That means effective July 1, the total sales tax in Whitfield County will rise to seven percent from six percent.
The county is in the process of issuing about $27 million in bonds upfront to fund “Priority 1” projects such as an emergency radio communications system, trucks for the Dalton and Whitfield County fire departments, turnout gear for the Whitfield County Fire Department, police cars for Cohutta and Varnell, and improvements at several parks.
The remaining tax will be used for “Priority 2” projects such as the Haig Mill recreation complex, new patrol cars for the sheriff’s office and Dalton Police Department, and various road and bridge improvements.