-- Lowndes County, Ga. -- November 7, 2012 --

Two decades of a tax used to fund special projects in Lowndes County met it's end on November 6th. The Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax, or SPLOST, is now no more.

Valdosta City Manager Larry Hanson said "the voters of Lowndes County voted and the tax was defeated. And so now we will regroup and we will make decisions going forward as to the best way to handle our capital projects."

Those projects include a new multimillion dollar auditorium in the Five Points section of Valdosta. That plan is now on hold.
Many residents say they voted against SPLOST because it's too similar to the new transportation tax, T-SPLOST, which was voted down in the PRIMARY months ago.

Lowndes County resident Tuzer Chism said "these days every penny counts. Even though its, you know, just a one percent deal, it's just a penny every penny counts. If you save those pennies and add them up then they're going to amount to something one day and that's just the way I see it."

The current SPLOST tax will be in affect until December 31st of next year. According to Georgia Law, after being defeated, it can be re-introduced on the ballot in one year. So if it passes next November the tax will continue for another six years.