Forsyth County residents will have a chance this week to voice their thoughts on potential SPLOST VIII (Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax) projects.

Starting at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Forsyth County Commissioners will hold a special town hall on SPLOST VIII at the Forsyth County Administration Building. Voters will decide whether to continue the SPLOST sales tax on Nov. 6.

Previously, county officials held 10 meetings, two in each commission district, to gather input from residents about potential projects they would like to see. At those meetings, 182 surveys were completed and 92 residents left general comments.

During the meetings, residents were given information on what had been done through past SPLOST issues, met with representatives from county departments and were able to complete an exercise letting county staff know their preferences for where the money should go.

Based on the input of those who responded, transportation was found to be the biggest need, earning 33.3 percent of responses, followed by parks and recreation, 13.6 percent, sheriff’s office, 10.6 percent and fire department, 9.1 percent. 

SPLOST was first approved in Forsyth County in 1987 and has been continued six times since. 

In the past, the construction of the new jail, courthouse and parking decks in downtown Cumming, new fire stations and fire trucks, road widening and infrastructure improvements and purchasing land for county parks has been undertaken with SPLOST funding.