Supporters are making a final push to arena voters while opponents urge voters to reject the sales tax project.
Friday, Mayor Garnett Johnson appeared live on Facebook to encourage voters to go to the polls.
Early voting ended Saturday in the countywide referendum. All Augusta polling places will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday.
The arena project “could transform downtown” and “move Augusta forward,” Johnson said in a post created by arena backer and Commissioner Sean Frantom.
Johnson said area legislators took great pains to approve the bill allowing a voter referendum on a new arena sales tax, or C-SPLOST. The first of its kind, the half-percent sales tax would fund construction and debt service to replace the aging James Brown Arena, if voters approve.
“It wasn’t easy for us to have this opportunity to vote,” Johnson said. “Augusta needs an economic driver like this. However, it will not happen if you don’t get out and vote.”
Johnson joined a group of area and downtown business organizations that presented a united front in support of the project earlier Friday: Destination Augusta and the Augusta Downtown Development Authority, Economic Development Authority, Metro Chamber of Commerce and Sports Council as well as Augusta Tomorrow held a news conference.
Only 3.29% or 4,247 of Augusta’s 129,175 registered voters cast ballots during 17 days of early voting. The heaviest single day was Saturday, when 894 people cast ballots at one of four locations. Voting the most were those using the advance voting site Robert Howard Community Center at Diamond Lakes Regional Park near Hephzibah. The site had 296 vote Saturday.
Leading an effort in Augusta to defeat the referendum, largely through yard signs and social media posts, is former commission candidate Michael Thurman.
Thurman argues Augusta doesn’t need a new arena and did not support arena sports such as hockey when they were offered. Thurman says Augusta should renovate the existing arena rather than spend more than $400 million and focus instead on priorities such as infrastructure and fighting crime.
If voters defeat the referendum, Augusta-Richmond County Coliseum Authority won’t have the funding mechanism it seeks to cover borrowing up to $433 million to build a $250 million arena.
Supporters are having another rally Monday at James Brown Arena with music, food trucks and local leaders speaking out in favor of the arena. The rally starts at 5 p.m.
Read more about Augusta’s arena referendum:
Column: Vote no for new taxes to fund arena
Op-ed: C-SPLOST will bring big benefits to city
Column: New taxes for new arena are irresponsible and immoral
Augusta can support ice hockey in new arena: Study
Results of updated arena feasibility study are in
