Alpharetta and Milton voters will decide Nov. 3 whether to keep paying a three-quarter-cent sales tax that funds local road, bridge and sidewalk projects. If approved, the tax would send roughly $71.6 million to Alpharetta and $44.2 million to Milton over five years.
Fulton County's official election call, revised and published Tuesday, Aug. 25, formally sets the special election on the Transportation Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax, or TSPLOST. Nadine Williams, Fulton County director of elections, signed the call. The 0.75% tax would take effect April 1, 2027, and expire March 31, 2032.
The ballot language asks whether an "additional" tax should be imposed, but the measure is a renewal. Fulton County voters outside Atlanta first approved TSPLOST in 2016 and renewed it in 2021. The current program expires in March 2027. A "no" vote ends the tax. A "yes" vote keeps the rate where it is.
What it costs shoppers
The tax adds 75 cents to every $100 in taxable purchases made in Fulton County outside Atlanta's city limits. Everyone who shops here pays it: residents, visitors and businesses alike.
$650 million countywide, $116 million locally
The Fulton County Board of Commissioners announced Aug. 4 that the tax is projected to generate approximately $650 million countywide. Alpharetta's share is roughly $71.6 million; Milton's is about $44.2 million. Those figures assume collections hit the full forecast. Under a more conservative 85% scenario, the combined North Fulton four-city total (including Johns Creek and Roswell) drops from $300.4 million to about $255.4 million.
Each city chose its own project list. Alpharetta's plan includes nearly $30.9 million for citywide road maintenance, $7 million for operations and safety work at spots including the Haynes Bridge/Mansell intersection and Mansell Road between GA 400 and Old Roswell Road, $3.5 million for the Hembree Road corridor and more than $30.2 million for pedestrian and streetscape projects including Alpha Loop extensions.
Milton's list earmarks $10 million for maintenance, $10 million for bridges, $15 million for operations and safety (including a Deerfield Connector between State Route 9 and Deerfield Parkway) and $6.6 million for pedestrian and streetscape work.
Milton Mayor Peyton Jamison said in early August, when the city council reviewed the draft project list, that "this is the very … beginning, and we'll get into the actual projects and weeds down the road," according to the North Atlanta Star.
Oversight built in
The signed intergovernmental agreement requires annual public reporting on costs, spending and project timelines. A 15-member citizens' oversight council would be formed if the referendum passes.
Key voter deadlines
- Oct. 5 — Last day to register to vote
- Oct. 13–Oct. 30 — Early in-person voting (any Fulton County early voting location)
- Oct. 23 — Last day to submit an absentee ballot application
- Nov. 3 — Election Day, polls open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Fulton County Chairman Robb Pitts said Aug. 4, when the county announced the signed agreement, that "transportation remains one of the top concerns identified by Fulton County residents … TSPLOST is a great example of local governments working together to deliver the services our communities need and want."
The election is countywide: if a majority of Fulton County voters outside Atlanta approve the measure, it passes regardless of how Alpharetta or Milton votes individually. Voters can confirm their registration and find their polling place at the Georgia Secretary of State's My Voter Page.
