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SPLOST estimate increases to $78M; council debates elevating fire station rebuilds to Tier 1
Summary
Staff said county adjustments added $20M to the SPLOST estimate (from $58M to $78M); staff’s Tier 1 list totals $69M leaving about $9M of capacity. Council members urged moving Fire Station 55 ($9.6M) and Station 52 ($1.2M) into Tier 1, with implications for prioritization and trade-offs.
During the public-works/SPLOST discussion, Speaker 7 reported that county staff agreed to move radio costs onto the county-side budget, freeing about $4,000,000 and, overall, increasing the SPLOST estimate by $20,000,000—from $58 million to $78 million. Speaker 12 said the staff-proposed Tier 1 list sums to about $69 million, leaving roughly $9 million of remaining capacity to reach the $78 million target.
Several council members urged elevating fire station projects to Tier 1. Speaker 3 pressed for Fire Station 55 and 52 rebuilds, citing poor conditions for first responders: "55 was built in '70...we're asking our first responders to live in unacceptable conditions in my mind," Speaker 3 said. Estimated costs cited in committee were $9.6 million for Station 55 and $1.2 million for Station 52. Staff noted that including both rebuilds in Tier 1 would push the Tier 1 total above the current $78 million ceiling and would require reprioritization of other projects.
Staff also described options to scope down some streetscape work to a "light" version so more projects can fit within the budget and flagged ongoing discussions about joint projects with the county for parkland. No final SPLOST list was adopted in the meeting; staff will make adjustments and return a revised proposal.
