Henry BoC Advertising SPLOST?
I hope somebody can fill me in on the financing, production and ownership of this film. The film featured on the BoC website indicates Copyright © Henry County Board of Commissioners. The promotional film touts the benefits and management of the current SPLOST II program.
After a friend emailed to me about the SPLOST show on Charter cable channel 14, I caught the televised show on Saturday, October 6th. It is purely a public relations production. Although nobody says, "VOTE," it uses local dignitaries to tout the benefits of the tax program including BoC Chairman Jason Harper, Judge Ben Studdard, GDOT appointee Dana Lemon and Farm Bureau V.P. Josh White. County employee Roy Clack is also featured.
This is apparently not a private enterprise, and cannot be viewed as independent of local government.
By stating transportation projects amounted to 67% of the county's general fund budget, we got a reminder that without SPLOST renewal our other taxes would be affected. With the referendum less than a month away, the board's intention is clearly promotion of SPLOST III.
Posted at the County website and televised on Henry's government access channel, no doubt produced and financed with County funds, this may well be a violation of state law.
OCGA 21-5-32.2 prohibits use of public funds to support any campaign, political action committee, political organization for any purpose.
The BoC and cities are further prohibited from spending public funds for advertisement, flyers, mailings or other direct promotion in support of passage of a SPLOST. Harrison v. Rainey, 227 GA 240 (1971) and McKinney v. Brown, 242 GA 456 (1978) are law suits validating the prohibition.
Public Relations is a great thing. But not for a tax program; and, not at taxpayer expense. I wonder how the attorney general or state elections division would rule on this film
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