Augusta officials narrow SPLOST 9 priorities, target $375 million package for 2026–32 collection period

Augusta administrators presented a pared-down set of requests for the proposed SPLOST 9 sales-tax package at a public work session Monday, telling the Augusta City Commission they are targeting roughly $375,000,000 and expect to ask voters to begin collection at the end of 2026.

The presentations came from Administrator Allen and interim Central Services Director Ron Lampkin, followed by Parks and Recreation Director Tamika Williams and consultants from ISM. Administrators said the $375 million target is a recommended figure to shrink an initial departmental ask that exceeded $1 billion.

Administrator Allen said departments were asked to “identify priority projects that can be completed within the allotted SPLOST period,” and to provide target amounts to help pare back the initial requests. “We are targeting an estimated $375,000,000 plus 9 package, which will take an estimated 6 years,” Administrator Allen said.

Central Services

Interim Director Ron Lampkin led the Central Services presentation, listing 11 prioritized projects and giving cost details for several high-ticket items. Lampkin said a new vehicle-fleet service center originally costed at about $6 million in SPLOST 8 now has an estimated rebuild cost of roughly $42,000,000; for SPLOST 9 Central Services is proposing a $15,000,000 option to renovate existing facilities instead of replacing them. “Those cost estimates came back at around $42,000,000,” Lampkin said, describing why a partial renovation option is being considered. He told commissioners the $15,000,000 ask would fund renovations, equipment replacement and keeping fleet operations at the Tobacco Road and Broad Street locations.

Lampkin said a second major request is $15,000,000 for renovations to a former school (Craig Hall Elementary) to house juvenile court operations — a project that previously showed up in SPLOST 8 as underfunded after design estimates returned higher than budget. He also listed $10,000,000 for ongoing facilities maintenance and on-call services and $5,000,000 for animal services renovations. Other items included capital repair of the structurally unsound Jones Pool (currently closed), a municipal parking-deck design study ($2,000,000 requested for design and cost estimates), and planning funds for a convention-center expansion and marina replacement.

Lampkin also reviewed planned vehicle replacements across several public-safety divisions and said total fleet replacement needs across departments (including the sheriff’s office) were estimated at about $16,280,000 for the SPLOST term. He described the county replacement policy (roughly 125,000 miles or 10 years) and said departments must submit justifications when they seek to retain lightly used vehicles.

Parks and Recreation

Parks and Recreation Director Tamika Williams and ISM consultant AB Latson presented a prioritized parks list narrowed to 10 projects, then showed three options for how a parks-focused tranche could be sized. Latson said the department prioritized repairing and upgrading existing facilities before adding new ones and emphasized countywide needs such as HVAC and plumbing repairs, court resurfacing, site drainage and playground and equipment replacement.

Latson presented a five-year request that included a $25,000,000 “park and facility revitalization” line (countywide), $15,000,000 for park enhancements, $6,400,000 for capital equipment improvements, $20,000,000 toward continued work at Diamond Lakes Regional Park (noting the project will require phasing across multiple SPLOST cycles), $10,500,000 for aquatic-facility repairs and $4,900,000 for Fifth Street marina improvements. He said the uncut, comprehensive parks list totaled more than $95 million; an option focused on countywide facility upgrades came in at about $51,075,000; and a third option reduced costs by about 39% but would require additional SPLOST cycles and phased construction.

Schedule and next steps

Administrator Allen told the commission staff will return with refined lists and a recommended final SPLOST 9 project list for the commission’s approval on July 15, to meet the November ballot schedule. Finance staff will bring requests in coming meetings to close out open SPLOST accounts from previous cycles. Commissioners repeatedly pressed staff for additional financial detail and asked for documentation on public–private partnerships and operating agreements (for example, Lampkin said the Fifth Street zip-line development is a public–private partnership with the Forge Group, with a 3% revenue share to the county, and Destination Augusta holds an MOU to manage the park).

Commissioners’ questions

Commissioners asked about phasing options, whether individual projects could be split across SPLOST cycles and how new office acquisitions would consolidate aging staff buildings. Commissioner Don Clark asked whether projects such as the zip line and convention-center expansion would be public–private partnerships; Lampkin said the zip-line operator would manage and insure the park under the agreement and the county would receive a share of revenue. Commissioner Tina Slendak asked specifically about Jones Pool and whether funds would repair the building structure versus just resurfacing the pool; Lampkin said structural repairs are the most urgent need because the building is currently unoccupiable.

Parks commissioners and staff also discussed underutilized parks and a pilot plan to assess park usage with cameras and on-call contractors to collect work-order data; Director Williams said the department expects to have that usage data available before the fall for prioritization.

What officials emphasized

- Staff framed SPLOST 9 as a winnowing exercise: departments submitted more than $1 billion in requests, staff set a working target near $375 million and asked departments to identify projects that can be completed within the SPLOST collection window.

- Staff emphasized completing projects (or discrete phases) within the SPLOST period so voters can see tangible results when the package finishes collecting.

- Several projects will require phasing; large undertakings such as Diamond Lakes or a full fleet facility rebuild cannot be completed in a single SPLOST cycle without substantially larger revenues.

Ending

Commissioners directed staff to return with refined costs, more documentation on public–private partnerships and clearer phase plans ahead of the July 15 deadline for the commission to pick a final SPLOST 9 package for the November ballot. Staff repeated the target: a recommended, commission-level SPLOST 9 request of about $375 million, with collections expected to begin at the end of 2026 if approved by voters.