committee members named

Each member of the Spalding County Board of Commissioners has made his or her final appointments for the Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) Steering Committee.

Chairman Eddie Goss chose Sinclair Hollberg, Will Doss and Ernest Wimbush, while Vice Chairwoman Gwen Flowers-Taylor chose Juanita Morris, Teresa Buchanan and Bonnie Pfrogner. Commissioner Eddie Freeman chose Wayne Brown, Bobby Chappell and Dave Lamb; Commissioner Johnie McDaniel chose Zach Holmes, Chuck Copeland and Annie Jones and Commissioner Dave Phillips chose Torre Daniell, Bobby Peurifoy and James Brooks.

Daniell, owner of TLC Fence, a salesman for Cronic Nissan and a former pastor, will serve as the chairman of the steering committee.

“I just believe that it’s a very important SPLOST this time,” he said.

He said it is extremely prudent at this time to improve the economic engine that drives the community and the SPLOST will do that by enabling the Griffin-Spalding Development Authority to purchase the Big Shanty property for an industrial park and improving transportation infrastructure in the city and county.

“I think the most important thing to do is explain to (the voters) very clearly, to show them what the SPLOST is about,” he said.

He said the specific means of doing this have not been determined, although he expects there will be question-and-answer sessions at various locations and advertising.

“I’m looking forward to that process,” said Lamb, owner of Young Petroleum. “I think this is something important to our community and for economic development in the entire area. I think we’ve got to look at making an investment in the community.”

He said the things that drive the local economy - jobs, education and infrastructure - would be greatly helped by the SPLOST. He said as a result of the decline of the textile industry and the closure of Nacom, the community needs jobs and a company once canceled plans to locate in Griffin because there was not enough suitable property.

“We can’t afford to lose jobs like that,” he said.

He said the current SPLOST is an investment in the community with projects such as the construction of the University of Georgia Student Learning Center, which brought more students to the campus and improved educational opportunities in Griffin.

“I feel privileged to be able to serve but it also carries with it a lot of responsibility in that it is imperative to be able to communicate to the public all of the details and facts relevant to the issue so they can make informed decisions,” Pfrogner said.

She said the committee needs to decide on how members will promote the SPLOST so that everyone puts out the same message.

“We all need to remind ourselves that this is (a) continuation of the one percent tax on sales that is already in existence - it’s not a new one,” she said.

She said at the moment, she does not have a specific strategy to sell the SPLOST to the voters. However, she does have a general idea of what she thinks needs to be done.

“I think the strategy to inform the public of the facts and the figures is just to make sure the public knows everything about this 2008 SPLOST referendum and what it can do for this county, for its future,” she said.

The first meeting of the steering committee will be held at 5 p.m. Tuesday at the First National Bank office downtown.