Alpharetta and Milton voters will decide Nov. 3 whether to renew a transportation sales tax that would send a combined $115.8 million to the two cities over five years.

The Transportation Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax, or TSPLOST, is a 0.75-cent levy on taxable purchases in Fulton County outside Atlanta. Voters first approved it in 2016 and renewed it in 2021. If the third round passes, Fulton County estimates the tax would generate roughly $650 million countywide from April 2027 through March 2032.

Alpharetta's share would be approximately $71.6 million. Milton would receive about $44.2 million. Revenue is divided among 14 participating cities based on 2024 Census population estimates, according to Fulton County's August announcement of the intergovernmental agreement.

The ballot language asks whether an "additional" 0.75 percent sales tax should be collected. The North Atlanta Star reported the measure is a renewal of the tax residents already pay. Approval keeps the rate in place.

Rejection would let the current tax expire.

What Alpharetta would build

Alpharetta's project list names specific roads and intersections. Nearly $30.9 million would go to citywide maintenance, according to the North Atlanta Star's review of the agreement. Another $7 million would fund operations and safety work, including improvements at Clubhouse Drive and Douglas Road, Mansell Road between GA 400 and Old Roswell Road, a Charlotte Drive mini-roundabout and the Haynes Bridge-Mansell intersection.

The city would direct $3.5 million toward the Hembree Road corridor between Wills Road and Morrison Parkway. Pedestrian, bicycle and streetscape projects would receive about $30.2 million. That list includes an Academy Street sidewalk, Brookside corridor improvements, a Kimball Bridge Road sidewalk between Northwinds and Westside parkways, a Windward sidewalk and another section of the Northwinds Alpha Loop.

Milton's plan stays flexible

Milton's $44.2 million plan sets aside $10 million for maintenance, $10 million for bridges and $15 million for operations and safety. Pedestrian, bicycle and streetscape work would receive about $6.6 million, with $1.6 million for quick-response projects and $1 million for project management.

The city's list identifies broad categories more often than exact locations. The only detailed items are new roadwork in southeast Crabapple tied to the District at Mayfield project and a Deerfield Connector between State Route 9 and Deerfield Parkway, according to Milton's account of a May council presentation.

"This is the very … beginning, and we'll get into the actual projects and weeds down the road," Milton Mayor Peyton Jamison said at that meeting.

Dollar figures carry a caveat

The $650 million countywide estimate assumes 100 percent of forecast collections. The North Atlanta Star reported the agreement divides projects into three funding tiers. At 85 percent of the forecast, the four North Fulton cities would share about $255.4 million instead of $300.4 million. A third tier could push the total to $345.5 million if revenue reaches 115 percent.

The signed intergovernmental agreement requires annual public reporting once collections begin, including cost estimates, expenditures and completion dates, the North Atlanta Star reported. A 15-member citizens' oversight council would be created if the referendum passes.

How to vote

Early voting runs through Oct. 30, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays. Weekend hours are Saturday, Oct. 24, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday, Oct. 25, from noon to 5 p.m. Nearby early voting sites include the Milton Library at 855 Mayfield Road, the Alpharetta Library at 10 Park Plaza and the Robert E. Fulton Library at Ocee at 5090 Abbotts Bridge Road.

Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3. Polls open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.