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Dade County officials outline SPLOST continuation, list projects and outreach ahead of May 19 referendum
Summary
Dade County Executive Don Townson told a joint county‑city meeting the May 19 referendum would continue the existing 1% SPLOST for six years beginning July 1, 2027; officials highlighted roads, water lines, public safety equipment and NextGen 911 as priorities and described an outreach schedule to gather public input.
Dade County Executive Don Townson urged residents to prepare for a May 19 referendum that would continue the county’s current Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) for another six years, beginning July 1, 2027 if approved. Townson said, “This is not an additional penny. This is a continuation.”
The county plans to use SPLOST to fund capital outlay projects including road and bridge paving, public safety vehicles and equipment, water‑line upgrades, parks and recreation improvements and elements of a NextGen 911 upgrade, Townson said. He said the county is estimating roughly $23 million in revenue for the upcoming SPLOST cycle but cautioned projections can change with economic shifts.
Townson described public outreach already under way: interactive boards and sticker‑based priority exercises at the courthouse, a schedule of community meetings at fire stations across the county during April and possible online meetings to collect resident priorities. “We’re going to be advertising those on our website and through local media to let everyone know,” he said.
Officials stressed SPLOST’s role in matching grant opportunities and financing large systems. Grant writer Kathy Ragan (first introduced at the session) noted the Appalachian Regional Commission had announced a supplemental $2 million program for which projects on the work program may be eligible; she emphasized the county’s 50% match requirement for that program.
Townson also noted the county’s prior SPLOST investments — new ambulances (partly funded by a congressional grant referenced from Senator Ossoff), three new pumper fire trucks and ongoing support for water and sewer projects — as background for the referendum.
The county will hold public input meetings in the weeks before the ballot and encouraged representatives from the Industrial Development Authority, water authority, city and school board to participate in outreach and refine the community work program.
The county did not adopt or finalize any list of vote‑specific projects at the session; officials said the outreach will inform the final project list and that voters will decide whether to continue the existing 1% sales and use tax on May 19.
