The city of Pembroke approved a resolution of support Tuesday for the coming transportation referendum, or what is commonly referred to as the transportation special purpose local option sales tax, or TSPLOST, referendum.
At its regular meeting, the Pembroke City Council unanimously approved the resolution, noting the city “wholeheartedly” supports the referendum.
If passed by Coastal Region voters in the July 31 primary, the TSPLOST — through a new 1 percent sales tax — would generate billions of dollars for infrastructure improvements in the 10-county Coastal Region, which includes Bryan County.
And while the council agreed to support the referendum, council member Johnnie Miller said he had concerns about lack of awareness.
“My only concern is a lot of people … don’t really know (about the referendum),” Miller said. “As politicians, we can’t do certain things but we probably need to get it out a little bit more because some people aren’t even aware of it.”
City Project Manager Ricky McCoy explained that if voters approve the new 1-cent tax, it would bring extra funds to counties and cities alike. He said Pembroke would likely receive $130,000 a year for city projects.
Read more in the June 13 edition of the News.