Commissioner Jackson Earns City Key

AUGUSTA, GA - Censured locksmith Commissioner Joe Jackson should be awarded with the key of the city. He is probably the most honored member of the city government, for his dedication in building his company with taxpayers money, and for doing the less so Columbia county can get the most of the projects with the T-SPLOST. Even though Columbia county didn't pass the referendum he still should be given the key by the neighboring government.

According to people in the know, Richmond county collects almost 56% of revenue on transportations related revenues, but thanks to the censured Commissioner Jackson the county will only receive the benefits of those taxes send to Atlanta about 32%.

Columbia county could have accomplished a junk of the projects originally intended with the T-SPLOST money, double in size compared with the projects pushed by Commissioner Jackson on behalf of the taxpayers of Richmond county.

Since Columbia county didn't pass the referendum which leave the county either without those projects or Richmond county having to pay the bills for the next 10 years, period of the penny collected to be used on  roads, bridges and other transportation related constructions. Jackson was appointed by Mayor Deke Copenhaver to be part of the T-SPLOST regional projects committee with little or none public input before the referendum took place on November 2012.

Commissioner Jackson apparently not only did poorly to represent the interests of Richmond county, but mislead the taxpayers at a Commission meeting stating that the money collected throught the T-SPLOST will benefit the expansion of the Augusta Public Transit and that should be a strong reason to vote for it.  Former Commissioner Don Grantham now an official at the Georgia Department of Transportation denied Jackson assertion. And he was part of the T-SPLOST study committee and he didn't know that fact?

Only three regions did pass the T-SPLOST and have thus approved funding a broad range of needed transportation projects.

Central Savannah River Region (Augusta & surrounding counties) full list of projects.

Mayor Copenhaver is finishing his term next year. A plethora of candidates for the ambassador of the Second Largest city in Georgia are starting to flourish in the Garden City. Lets hope that the Richmond county electorate will chose a Mayor who will appoint a dentist to a dental study group and never a locksmith business owner to a transportation tax related committee.

If the locksmith commissioner at least fight hard to bring the most projects for my pennies I wouldn't mine and I wouldn't being even posting this taxpayers concern.

Commissioner Jackson is one of the three commissioners who admitted doing business with the city, and still does, while in office. They were censured by the Commission weeks ago and they still remain in their respectives seats. None of them resigned or reimbursed money.

Columbia County Scored Another Point 

The Augusta Metro Chamber of Commerce supported the passage of a 1% special district transportation sales and use tax (T_SPLOST) for the purpose of transportation projects and programs for a period of 10 years. 

With the passage of the Transportation Act of 2010 by the Georgia General Assembly, 12 regions throughout the State of Georgia would become localized taxing districts for localized transportation projects and improvements. The Chamber believes that a broad tax base including resident and visitor spending which will generate $621 million and fund over 80 projects in the 13-county region, is one of the most important economic development initiatives our region will face in the coming years.

Says Chairman Elam, “If our region is to grow in terms of jobs and population, we need a predictable, stable and well-funded plan for our infrastructure. We must come together as a region to support this measure and ensure we are a superior choice for businesses and residents with a transportation network in place that will support that growth.”

It is a win-win situation for Columbia county when it seems almost everybody in Richmond county is working for chairman Ron C. Cross.  

RELATED POST