A local government watchdog organization has announced it will mount a campaign in opposition to the $750 million Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax levy that Cobb commissioners plan to place on ballots this November.

The Cobb Taxpayers Association announced Wednesday morning that its board of directors voted unanimously to oppose the penny sales tax. Commissioners are expected to finalize the SPLOST project list and vote to place it on ballots during a July 22 meeting.

“Unfortunately for Cobb taxpayers, the county has become overly dependent on SPLOST and is using it to pay for routine maintenance items which should be budgeted through other revenue sources,” said Lance Lamberton, chairman of the group. “Instead of being a special purpose tax, it has morphed into a permanent one.”

The AJC reported earlier this month that Commission Chairman Tim Lee was urging commissioners to approve placing some $70 million in projects related to the controversial Bus Rapid Transit project on the SPLOST list, without them being labeled as such. The projects would help the county qualify for a $250 million federal grant that is necessary for the county to build the transit system.

It is unclear if projects related to rapid transit will remain on the final SPLOST project list. But the taxpayer’s association group members say that is “of special concern.”

“It is deceptive and misleading to try to hide this extraordinarily wasteful, expensive and counter-productive project … and expect that taxpayers will be duped into not recognizing it for what it is,” Lamberton said.

The Cobb Taxpayers Association has been instrumental in defeating other SPLOST votes, including the regional Transportation SPLOST in 2012.

A press release from the organization says that if commissioners place SPLOST on ballots this year that it will “launch a full-fledged campaign to defeat it at the polls.”