Augusta commissioners narrow SPLOST 9 options, debate roads, juvenile center and jail beds

Augusta-Richmond County commissioners met Dec. 13 in a special session to refine a proposed SPLOST 9 (special local option sales tax) package and to weigh competing priorities including engineering backlog, road resurfacing, sewer infrastructure, parks projects, a juvenile justice center and detention-center capacity.

Administrator Miss Allen presented two draft lists: an earlier compilation she said totaled about $463 million and a narrowed proposal she described as roughly $275 million that would focus on public safety and quality-of-life projects and could be collected in about four to four-and-a-half years. She listed sample allocations including $10 million for engineering, $2 million for central services, $18 million for convention-center expansion and $6 million for utilities.

The narrower option prompted pushback from several commissioners and department leaders who said the engineering allocation is insufficient to finish carryover work from prior SPLOST cycles. Dr. Malik, who spoke for the engineering department, told the commission that “$10,000,000 is not a start for engineering,” noting the department manages a maintenance workforce and many carryover projects such as East Augusta, Wilkinson/Wilkes Gardens and Rocky Creek. He estimated roughly $20 million would be needed to finish several of those carryover projects and said prior SPLOST…