DALTON, Ga. — The fate of Whitfield County voters’ $100 million decision begins today.

Early voting for the proposed six-year, $100 million Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) kicks off today in the Board of Elections office at the Whitfield County Courthouse and continues through Friday, March 15. You can vote weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The special election is Tuesday, March 19. Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

If approved, the SPLOST would begin on July 1. The proposed 1 percent sales tax would fund a number of projects throughout Whitfield County and the cities of Cohutta, Dalton, Tunnel Hill and Varnell.

The major project is demolishing county Administrative Buildings 1 and 2 and replacing them with, respectively, a new two-story taxpayer services building ($5.7 million) with a drive-through that would house the tax commissioner’s office and tax assessor’s office and a new four-story government services building ($18.2 million) that would house all other county offices other than those related to the judicial system. The buildings would be on the sites of Administrative Buildings 1 and 2, which are both in downtown Dalton near the courthouse.

The county would use $15.8 million of its share of the SPLOST to build a new park and community center on land it owns near Southeast Whitfield High School that would include new athletic fields, a new community center at Westside Park and renovations to the Dalton-Whitfield County Public Library to complete structural repairs and build an outdoor programming area.

The city of Dalton would use $4 million of its share of SPLOST money to construct a new building for the John Davis Recreation Center, $2 million for renovations to Heritage Point Park that would include two full-size soccer fields and $1.5 million to build a walking/biking trail to connect Haig Mill Lake Park to the Crown Mill area just outside of downtown Dalton.

Dalton would also spend an estimated $1 million to create a railroad “quiet zone,” an area where trains would no longer blow their whistles as they approach and pass through downtown. This would involve adding signals and gates to street crossings that do not have them and bringing existing signals/gates up to higher standards.

The city of Varnell would receive nearly $1.2 million with Tunnel Hill slated for more than $577,000 and Cohutta expected to receive more than $445,000. Those cities would use their funds for sewer expansion, recreation and new vehicles.

There is currently a four-year SPLOST that expires on June 30 that is on track to collect $64 million. The current SPLOST funded a new emergency radio system for first responders, new firetrucks for both the Dalton and Whitfield fire departments, and Haig Mill Lake Park that opened last year, among other projects.

Inside: We encourage you to vote on the proposed Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) as early voting starts today. Page 4.