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Oconee County outlines SPLOST 27 plan, proposes $75M–$90M for parks, infrastructure and public safety
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Summary
County officials presented SPLOST 27 details at a Feb. 10 town hall: a May 19 ballot measure proposing $75 million–$90 million for a six-year sales-tax package that would preserve the county’s current 8% sales tax and allocate funds to parks, water infrastructure, public safety and debt service.
Oconee County officials outlined a proposed Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST 27) package at a Feb. 10 town hall, saying the May 19 ballot measure would continue the current sales tax and raise an estimated $75 million to $90 million for local projects.
The county said the proposed SPLOST would run from Oct. 1, 2027, through Sept. 30, 2033, and would keep the overall local sales tax rate at 8% if approved. "We're expecting to collect anywhere from $75,000,000 to $90,000,000 on this one," said Unidentified Speaker 1, describing the term and revenue estimate.
The county presented proposed allocations for incorporated cities and county projects. City shares listed were Watkinsville up to $7,000,000, Bogart up to $2,800,000, North High Shoals up to $1,100,000 and Bishop up to $714,000; the county’s remaining share was presented as roughly $78,600,000 for county-level projects. "All those allocations are based on population," Unidentified Speaker 1 said.
County priorities described for the SPLOST share included paying down existing bonds (about $4,000,000), water system renewal and replacement and treatment-plant expansions (up to $6,250,000), a "formal protection" program (up to $750,000), fire rescue/EMS equipment and facility improvements (up to $9,000,000), and a large parks allocation: roughly $31,000,000 (39% of the county share) targeted to renewal and replacement projects across older parks.
Dawson Park was highlighted as a major project the county is engineering now; officials said they hope to bid grading for the entire site to create pads for future buildings, including a gym. "The Industrial Development Authority of Oconee County has agreed to put $4,000,000 into that project as well," Unidentified Speaker 1 said, adding the contribution would help determine turf choices and other scope decisions.
Officials also set aside funding for public-safety communications and vehicles, noting up to $6,000,000 for radio-system upgrades and $5,100,000 for patrol-vehicle replacement to maintain a nine-a-year replacement cycle. "We have up to $6,000,000 set aside out of the for that," Unidentified Speaker 1 said of the radio upgrades.
Why it matters: the proposal preserves the current sales-tax structure while directing a large share of county proceeds toward parks and public-safety modernization; passage would authorize multi-year commitments and fund capital projects the county says it cannot fully support from the annual operating budget.
Next steps: County staff said the SPLOST item will appear on the May 19 ballot; the town hall closed after a public comment period that included questions about sidewalk connectivity, traffic impacts during road projects and concerns about the long-term use of large facilities. The county said it will publish project examples on a website landing and social platforms as the campaign approaches.
No formal vote occurred during the town hall; the SPLOST proposal will proceed to the May ballot per the schedule announced.
