Vote YES on the 2008 Clayton SPLOST On Tuesday, February 5, 2008, Clayton County voters will decide whether to approve a penny sales tax to fund a series of community projects during the next six years that will keep Clayton County safe and moving forward.   The sales tax is known as a Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax, or SPLOST. It is an optional one percent county sales tax used to fund public safety, road and sidewalk improvements, government buildings, and park and recreation projects for Clayton County and the participating municipal governments of College Park, Forest Park, Jonesboro, Lake City, Lovejoy, Morrow, and Riverdale. SPLOST revenue cannot be used to build local schools, nor can it be used to construct projects for local charities or other non-profit organizations.   SPLOST funds can help lower Clayton County property taxes. Rather than taxing only Clayton County property owners, the SPLOST is also paid by non-residents who work and do business in Clayton County. Without SPLOST funds, Clayton County may find it necessary to discontinue county services or increase property taxes.   Voters in September 2003 approved Clayton County’s current SPLOST with 60.3 percent in favor. The 2003 SPLOST expires in 2008 and passage of the new SPLOST in February means county programs and service improvements can continue without interruption.   Passage of the new SPLOST will make possible a number of vital projects, including:   • Law enforcement and public safety projects, including a $15 million Juvenile Justice Center; new Police precincts in the NE, NW and SW areas of the County; 20 additional Police vehicles; a new $23 million Countywide Public Safety Digital Network; a multipurpose Fire Department training building; and purchases of a Fire Department ladder truck, three fire engines and seven ambulances.   • Parks and Recreation projects, including a Parks and Recreation Administration/Operations Center; upgrades of existing parks; green space and trail land acquisition, design and construction; and Senior Centers in the SW and NE Clayton areas.   • Library projects, including new NE and NW Clayton Branch Libraries and improvements and renovations of existing libraries.   • Seventeen transportation and road improvement projects totaling $125 million.   • A host of municipal improvement projects in College Park, Forest Park, Jonesboro, Lake City, Lovejoy, Morrow, and Riverdale.