The Athens-Clarke County government is planning three public workshops to help residents make suggestions on how millions of dollars could be spent to improve Athens’ transportation infrastructure.
Athens relies on a 1% sales tax to fund infrastructure projects and other transportation needs around town. This tax, called TSPLOST, was last authorized by the voters starting in 2023 for a period of 5 years. Since sales tax revenue has been coming in quicker than anticipated, voters will get a chance to renew TSPLOST early. The vote is tentatively scheduled for May of 2026.
Due to this accelerated timeline, potential TSPLOST projects will need to be submitted by November 10.
Who can submit a TSPLOST project?
You can!
While most SPLOST and TSPLOST projects are submitted by local government departments like ACC Transportation and Public Works, regular Athenians can receive funding for transportation projects in their neighborhoods.
In fact, there has been a push to increase this kind of participation in our local democracy in recent years. TSPLOST 2023 saw the highest number of resident-submitted projects in Athens’ history, a large number of which were funded. These projects have provided funding to fill sidewalk gaps in neighborhoods like Stonehenge and Westchester, improve street lighting in east Athens and to improve safety at the Five Points intersection.
If you feel your neighborhood could use millions of dollars for transportation projects like these, it’s time to take action and submit a TSPLOST proposal!
Check out the TSPLOST project submission form here.
Upcoming public workshops
Local government experts are ready to meet with you to discuss your project and walk you through the submission process. They’ve scheduled three public workshops in October for this purpose:
- Tuesday, October 8: 6 – 8 pm at Lay Park
- Thursday, October 10: 6 – 8 pm at Lay Park
- Saturday, October 19: 9 am – 1 pm at Lay Park
The local government has also created an instructional video to help walk you through the project submission process:
If TSPLOST 2026 is renewed, the sales tax rate in Athens would remain steady at 8%. If voters reject the tax, the sales tax rate in Athens would fall to 7% and many important transportation projects would likely be delayed, perhaps by years or decades.
Check out the TSPLOST 2026 webpage for more information.
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