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Milledgeville manager: county has not forwarded about $5.4 million in SPLOST/T‑SPLOST funds; city may pursue collection
Summary
City Manager Griffith told the City Council the county has forwarded only a portion of SPLOST and T‑SPLOST proceeds, leaving roughly $5.41 million owed to Milledgeville; council directed staff to seek a county response and consider legal options if needed.
Milledgeville City Manager Griffith told the City Council on Nov. 18 that the county has not forwarded the full city share of Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) and Transportation SPLOST (T‑SPLOST) collections received by the Georgia Department of Revenue.
Griffith said the Department of Revenue forwarded $16,551,237.89 in regular SPLOST receipts; the city’s share (26.36 percent) should total $4,362,906.31, but the county has forwarded only $1,821,887.50, leaving $2,541,018.81 outstanding. For the T‑SPLOST account, the Department of Revenue forwarded $14,593,233.56; at a 35 percent share the city’s portion should be $5,107,631.75, but Milledgeville has received $2,239,984.39, leaving $2,867,647.36 unpaid. Combined, Griffith said, the shortfall totals about $5,408,666.17.
Griffith also presented an interest estimate tied to the delayed remittances, saying the city likely lost roughly $20,000 in interest on the SPLOST funds and nearly $21,500 on the T‑SPLOST account given the timing of deposits.
“All of that is simply the way this all began here locally,” Griffith said, explaining that the city has no liability but must acknowledge that hearings occurred. He said the city is the conduit issuer for certain bond matters and emphasized that the SPLOST shortfalls are a separate budgetary concern.
Council members asked whether the city or county finance offices had been formally contacted and whether the Department of Revenue had been consulted. Griffith said the city manager’s office sent a letter to Baldwin County Board Chairman Strickland on Oct. 27, 2025, and that staff will seek a response. He said the next steps could include further negotiations or, if necessary, pursuing legal remedies to recover the funds and any recoverable interest.
Why it matters: The withheld SPLOST and T‑SPLOST proceeds were identified by staff as funding for capital projects—Griffith noted that ongoing paving and infrastructure work could have proceeded more rapidly had the full shares been received. The amounts cited are for collections through Oct. 31, 2025, as summarized to council by staff.
What’s next: Griffith said he will forward spreadsheets and documentation to city accounting staff and the incoming interim manager so the city can continue tracking collections, and he asked council for direction on pursuing county responses and potential legal options.
