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County attorney warns SPLOST cannot be used to pay hospital bond debt; commissioners reminded to fill Hospital Authority vacancies

Ben Hill County Commissioners · March 1, 2026

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Summary

A county-attorney opinion presented at the Ben Hill County workshop said SPLOST funds should not be used to pay Hospital Authority bond debt because the debt is not county liability absent a hospital closure; commissioners were reminded to fill two board vacancies.

Ben Hill County commissioners on Dec. 3 reviewed a county-attorney opinion that concluded the county could not use Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) funds to pay bond debt for the Hospital Authority because the bond debt is not the county's liability unless the hospital closes.

County Manager Michael Dinnerman summarized the attorney's findings during the workshop, saying that providing SPLOST funds to pay off hospital debt would be an unauthorized use of Ben Hill County SPLOST funds. He and commissioners discussed the legal limitation and the implications for county spending priorities.

Chairman Steve Taylor also reminded the board that it has an obligation to fill two vacancies on the Hospital Authority Board; the transcript records the reminder but no appointment or formal vote was taken at the workshop.

Next steps: the commissioners discussed the attorney opinion and the board's responsibility to appoint members to the Hospital Authority, with no formal action taken during the workshop.