Stephens County Board of Commissioners host Inter-jurisdictional Discussion on SPLOST

The Stephens County Board of Commissioners hosted an inter-jurisdictional discussion on SPLOST VIII projects and expenditures with local municipalities on Monday, April 14, in the Stephens County Historic Courthouse. The special purpose local-option sales and use tax (SPLOST) is a county tax; however, before holding a referendum to enact such a tax, counties must meet with all cities located within their boundaries to discuss the inclusion of city projects in the referendum. Chris Rickman, Vice Chairman of the Stephens County Board of Commissioners said the first meeting with the cities of Avalon, Martin, and Toccoa went well.

State law specifies the types of capital projects that SPLOST may fund, which include things like roads and bridges, buildings, a water or sewer project, the retirement of existing debt, and public safety. The county and cities discussed projects and the amount of money each would receive if the SPLOST is approved by voters. Toccoa Mayor Terry Carter said this was an informative meeting to start the process of negotiating SPLOST allocations.

The referendum must specify the purpose of the tax, the length of time it will be imposed, and the amount of revenue it will raise. This tax can be levied for five years or until it produces the amount of revenues specified on the ballot. If voters approve the SPLOST referendum in November, collections of the one-cent sales tax will go into effect on July 1, 2026. More meetings on SPLOST will be held in the coming weeks before a detailed plan is presented to voters before the November election.