Fayette County staff propose multi-year SPLOST realignment to finish roads, parks and signature projects
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Summary
County staff presented a plan to reallocate 2004, 2017 and 2023 SPLOST balances and interest to fully fund high-priority transportation projects and a new recreation center, freeing roughly $6.05 million in 2023 SPLOST through targeted moves within prior SPLOST accounts; formal Board approval was deferred to a future meeting.
Fayette County Chief Financial Officer Sheryl Weinmann and County Administrator Steve Rapson on May 16 outlined a staged proposal to reallocate balances and interest among the 2004, 2017 and 2023 SPLOST accounts to fully fund several prioritized projects and to free up money in the current (2023) SPLOST for signature projects.
Weinmann said the 2004 SPLOST reallocation would move $7.5 million from the East Fayetteville Bypass line to shore up projects including Eastin Road ($3,578,500), two SR‑85 widening items (R‑19 and R‑20, $500,000), McBride Road ($1,000,000), Morning Creek Bridge ($1,000,000) and Corinth Road curve realignment ($1,500,000). She said interest earnings from the 2004 SPLOST would also be split to add $2 million to Veterans Parkway/Eastin Road, $750,000 to the Kenwood Road path and $161,200.75 to Morning Creek Bridge.
Rapson said those moves would fully fund some projects that had been only partially budgeted in 2023, freeing an estimated $6.05 million in the 2023 SPLOST contingency for other uses. The net available budget in 2023 SPLOST after the proposed realignment was presented as approximately $29,092,722.89.
Public Works Director Phil Mallon briefed commissioners on the transportation projects that would be affected. He emphasized that the East Fayetteville Bypass work had been delayed by wetlands/mitigation negotiation with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and GDOT; the reallocation would allow funding to finish bridge and many road segments but not the entire original scope, he said.
Rapson told the Board staff believed the reallocations remain within the project lists authorized by voters and that any formal reallocation would return as specific agenda items for Board action. He said if additional funding is needed later the county could consider bond issuance or a future SPLOST.
No formal vote on the reallocation was taken at the retreat; Weinmann said the plan will be brought forward to the Board on a future agenda for formal approval.