Bulloch County commissioners approve 20-year revenue bond plan for jail expansion

Bulloch County commissioners voted to finance a jail expansion with a 20-year revenue bond on May 20, approving a financing plan county officials said balances construction inflation risk against pressure on the general fund.

The vote came after presentations from county counsel and the county's financial advisors comparing a 12-year bond, a 20-year bond and a cash-funding plan that would delay construction for years. Doug with Davenport, the county's financial advisor, told commissioners, "we do recommend going forward with the 20 year financing option," saying that schedule gives the county more budgetary flexibility if future SPLOST collections or other revenues fall short.

The county attorney, Jeff Akins, told the board the jail expansion is a project authorized by the SPLOST intergovernmental agreement and that state law and the SPLOST terms limit the county's ability to abandon the project without returning the question to voters. He described the financing structure as an installment sale through a public facilities authority that would allow future SPLOST receipts to be used to retire the debt if structured correctly.

Supporters, including interim county manager and public safety director Randy Tillman and CI Warden Robert Toole, described operational differences between jails and prisons, the range of detainee needs a county jail must meet, and the rising costs of facility construction and security-grade fixtures. Tillman said the sheriff "does not have the luxury of saying no" when a person must be detained, arguing the county must provide adequate housing and medical care to avoid legal liability.

Commissioners discussed trade-offs: a 12-year bond would reduce interest expense if held to maturity but raise the potential millage-equivalent pressure on the general fund if SPLOST or other revenues prove insufficient. Davenport said, using today's digest and no growth assumptions, the millage-equivalent impact to the general fund in an adverse scenario would be roughly 1.29 mills on a 12-year structure versus about 0.69 mills for a 20-year structure.

Commissioners also noted an intent to retire the debt early if revenue allows; speakers repeatedly said the plan is to pay the bonds off sooner if possible. The board debated and then failed to pass a motion for a 12-year bond (the motion lacked a second). A subsequent motion for the 20-year structure carried; the clerk recorded the outcome as "motion carries with 5, 4 and 1 against." The board directed staff and counsel to move forward with the approved 20-year revenue bond issuance.

The county's advisors presented cash scenarios that assumed continuing SPLOST allocations toward the jail project ($496,000 annually under the current SPLOST agreement) and showed that paying cash would delay construction nine to 14 years, depending on inflation assumptions, and sharply increase projected final costs. The advisors estimated that financing would increase total cost via interest but would allow construction to proceed sooner and preserve general-fund flexibility.

Commissioners and staff also described operational details discussed at the meeting: current sheriff general population bed count (reported as 443 beds) and an average occupied level of about 355 detainees (~80%); the county correctional institute (CI) houses roughly 160 inmates with about 100–120 participating in work programs; and the CI kitchen prepares meals for both facilities at an estimated $5.31 per inmate per day.

The board did not adopt a final pay-off schedule beyond approving the 20-year bond authorization; multiple speakers reiterated an intent to seek early payoff if revenues permit.