Chattooga County Commissioner Discusses FLOST & TSPLOST as Voters Prepare for November Ballot: Public Meetings Scheduled

Chattooga County Sole Commissioner Andy Allen recently spoke at the Rotary Club, where he provided an overview of two upcoming sales tax referendums that will appear on the November 4, 2025 ballot.

Allen explained that both the Floating Local Option Sales Tax (FLOST) and the Transportation Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (TSPLOST) are designed to ease the property tax burden while supporting essential services and infrastructure.

FLOST—Floating Local Option Sales Tax is a one cent sales tax which, if approved by the voters, will be used to reduce or eliminate the property tax millage rate that is used to pay for the operation expense of the cities and county government. It supports Public Safety, Courts, Road Maintenance, Parks and other public services. The 1% sales tax, paid by visitors and travelers, would take effect January 1, 2026 and be in place for the next 5 years. Funds are split between the county and cities based upon an intergovernmental agreement (IGA) and used for property tax relief.

TSPLOST—Transportation Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax is a one cent sales tax which, if approved by the voters, will provide an additional source of income for the community, and it will reduce the county’s reliance on revenue sources, such as property taxes. TSPLOST will improve the condition of roads and bridges and improve the repaving cycle. The 1% sales tax, paid by everyone on goods and some services in the county, would take effect January 1, 2026 and be in place for 6 years strictly to support long-term transportation projects approved by the voters.

To give residents more opportunities to learn about these proposals, public meetings are scheduled at the Chattooga Civic Center (44 GA-48, Summerville):

• Monday, October 6, 2025 at 6:00 p.m.

• Tuesday, October 7, 2025 at 10:00 a.m.

Both sessions are open to the public, and Commissioner Allen encourages all residents to attend and ask questions before casting their votes in November.