Note: The following are Question and Answers provided by the Polk County Chamber of Commerce to questions that weren’t asked during the 2022 Candidate Forum, and have been made available to local news outlets like Polk Today for publication. You can find coverage of the Candidate Forum here.

These groups of question and answers come from Perry Barrett, candidate for the District 2 Commission seat which will be decided in the Tuesday, May 24, 2022 Primary.

What one issue do you feel is most important to Polk County citizens and how will you address it?

The single most important issue facing Polk County is overspending. The county has put forth several SPLOST initiatives which were originally designed by the state for infrastructure improvements-such as roads, bridges and water systems.

However, all the SPLOST efforts approved by the County Commission have included numerous non-infrastructure spending. Once SPLOST spending deviates from infrastructure, it essentially becomes an unlimited credit card, for which Polk County, under Republican leadership, has overspent.

Raising taxes helps provide better infrastructure and attracts better economic development. Do you support raising taxes to help fund better infrastructure and opportunities?

The millage rate has been kept low while numerous regular budget items have been transferred to SPLOST spending. However, SPLOST revenues are generated through the local option sales tax. So overusing SPLOST is in effect a tax increase. It is quite deceiving to brag about keeping the millage rate low when that has been achieved by shifting regular budget items to SPLOST spending.

Also, home values have increased over the last two years, with the most dramatic increase occurring the last 12 months. Georgia counties must update their tax digest in 2023, so tax payments will go up in 2024. I support using the increased tax payments for infrastructure and economic development.

How are you going to support the organizations that are trying to meet the needs of our children in the community outside of the school system?

Other counties have non-urban parks that offer recreational opportunities to children in families that live outside of the county’s municipalities. While recreation is important in the municipalities, the County Commission must focus on providing more recreational opportunities outside of Rockmart, Aragon, and Cedartown.

Would you support creating a Land Bank Authority to help address blighted and dilapidated properties around the county? Are you in favor of creating it? Would you be in favor of supporting it financially and administratively?

Organized under the laws of Georgia, land bank authorities are created to acquire abandoned, dilapidated and blighted properties and assist in returning them to productive uses. Working with local governments and with nonprofits, such efforts help with neighborhood revitalization and redevelopment of underutilized properties. Before committing to such a venture for Polk County, I would require a careful cost/benefit analysis for a county of this size and current level of industrial development.

If elected, how do you plan to work alongside the cities to better our community?

Polk County must vigorously pursue wise economic development. Without a broader base of industry and a wider range of businesses, the unavoidable increases in governmental costs will continue to fall on the shoulders of existing taxpayers. Considering that almost half of the Polk labor force works outside the county and therefore does a good portion of spending in another county, the use of SPLOST initiatives as an expanding taxing source involves placing more and more taxes on those who do nearly all their spending in the county.

Are you aware that city residents pay the same milage rates/property taxes as unincorporated Polk County? The County commission represents all Polk County, which includes the cities.

The Commission has done a good job of representing the cities. The change that is needed is more focus on representing the non-municipal portions of the county, which represent over 63% of all Polk residents. We need more county parks and county recreational options that are located outside the cities and serve non-municipal families.

Where do you think the majority of sales tax is generated and economic growth occurs?

The use of sales tax-based sources of revenue, such as with a SPLOST, is quite short sighted. Most Polk workers are employed outside the county and will likely do a good portion of spending in their county of employment or in a county enroute to their return to home each workday. Polk County is a short drive to Rome, Cartersville, and Hiram, all of which have divided highways to Polk and all of which are growing.

We must market ourselves as an awesome bedroom community. We need more family-oriented festivals and activities that will draw these families here to see the cost advantage of living in this county. As the population grows, the industry will follow.

Would you support going after grant money on a regular basis and creating a position at the county office to admin grants?

I strongly support going after more grant money but would want to see a cost/benefit analysis of the position, particularly looking at counties of similar population and levels of industrial development.

Should Polk County bring in more industry, tourism and housing developments or stay the way it is?

As mentioned in the answer to question 7, Polk County is a short drive to Rome, Cartersville, and Hiram, all of which have divided highways to Polk and all of which are growing. We must market ourselves as an awesome bedroom community.

We need more family-oriented festivals and activities that will draw these families here to see the cost advantage of living in this county. As the population grows, the industry will follow. Without more people and more industry, the tax burden will continue to fall on current residents.