Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Sp Lost Term Length topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Athens-Clarke County, Winterville and Bogart debate adding sixth year to SPLOST renewal
Summary
At a joint Dec. 9 work session, Athens-Clarke County staff outlined a May 2026 sales-tax renewal and asked whether municipalities prefer the standard five-year term or to add a sixth year that would boost project dollars by roughly $42 million; commissioners discussed distribution rules, bonding and deadlines but took no final vote.
Josh Hawkins, Athens-Clarke County capital projects director, told a joint session of Athens-Clarke County, Winterville and Bogart officials on Dec. 9 that the city-county is preparing a May 2026 referendum to renew an existing local sales tax.
“The referendum coming up in May is a renewal of an existing sales tax,” Hawkins said, adding that state law now supplies a minimum distribution formula for municipalities. He described the central question before the group: whether to run the renewal as a five‑year program or to extend collections into a sixth year.
Hawkins said the county has been planning a five‑year program projected at about $197 million. “In year 6 . . . you would have dollars 42,000,000 in that sixth year,” he said, meaning a six‑year program would increase the program to about $239 million. He noted the Department of Revenue uses a formula that allocates minimum municipal shares based on population and road miles, and that municipalities must each approve project lists to be included in an intergovernmental agreement before the question goes on the ballot.
Why it matters: a sixth year would generate additional revenue that could be assigned to capital needs — paving, transit and specific municipality projects — but it also extends the period that voters are committed to a project list. Several commissioners said a shorter term forces officials and staff to deliver projects more quickly and keeps the schedule clearer for voters.
Commissioners pressed staff on several procedural and policy points. Concerns included why some Winterville submissions did not advance through the advisory committee, whether proposed projects are eligible for federal matching funds, and whether the ballot question should authorize issuance of bonds. Hawkins said the advisory committee’s role is to whittle candidate projects and that commissions retain the ability to modify recommendations before finalizing the ballot materials.
On bonding, Hawkins explained two distinct decisions: first, whether the ballot language should authorize the issuance of bonds; second, if authority is granted, whether and when the county should exercise that authority after the referendum. He said bonds can speed construction for “shovel‑ready” projects but that the ballot must specify any authorization and limits for general‑obligation bonds.
Key numbers and deadlines noted in the meeting: - County staff’s current five‑year projection: ~$197,000,000 - Additional collections if a sixth year is added: ~ $42,000,000 (projected), bringing a six‑year total near $239,000,000 - Example municipal minimum allocations discussed in presentation: roughly 2.13% to Athens and 0.25% to Bogart (illustrative) - Critical calendar: commissions must finalize project lists and intergovernmental agreement language in time for the board of elections; staff cited February 3 as the last practical day to submit final materials for the May ballot.
What’s next: staff will circulate the master project list and written descriptions to member governing bodies during the January agenda cycle, prepare analyses of federal funding eligibility and bonding options, and return materials for formal vote before the February deadline. The meeting concluded without a formal decision on five‑year versus six‑year timing.
At the end of the SPLOST portion, the chair requested a motion to adjourn that segment of the session; the motion was seconded and approved.
