Starting next week, Columbia County commissioners and staff will be meeting with residents about the Special Purpose Local-Option Sales Tax.
If approved, SPLOST will add one percent to the sales tax and helps pay for projects and keeps property taxes low, said Columbia County Commissioner Connie Melear. Plus, many shoppers from out of Columbia County shop in the county, so that money helps residents pay less in property tax, she said.
Commissioners from all four districts have a wish list of projects, but they also want to hear from residents to gauge what people want and to see if there are other good ideas, Melear said.
“I like to listen to what the citizens want,” Melear said.
Once the town-hall meetings are over, the commissioners negotiate and make up a final list.
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During the November election, voters will decide whether they agree on the list and on the extra-penny-per-dollar sales tax. The current sales tax rate in Columbia County is 8%, and it will stay at 8% if voters approve. If the SPLOST is rejected by voters, the sales tax will drop to 7%.
Some of the proposed SPLOST projects listed in a county draft proposal include:
Sheriff training facility improvements, including an aquatic training facility – $1.6 million.
Economic development – $16.5 million.
Library construction, including a Euchee Creek Library and senior center – $3.5 million.
Fire department trucks, a burn building, fire stations and other projects – $33.8 million.
Expansion of the county parks – $90.2 million.
Upkeep and expansion of rental facilities (exhibition center, Pollard House and Savannah Rapids Pavillion) – $4.8 million.
Expansion of the fiber optic network, WiFi network and other information technology upgrades – $8.7 million.
Stormwater system upgrades and maintenance – $48.6 million.
Road improvements – $70.2 million.
Water and sewer upkeep and improvements – $16.6 million.
In total, the draft SPLOST proposal seeks $344.8 million in expenditures with $10 million of that in project management fees.
The following are the scheduled times and places for the SPLOST censing meetings:
District 2 – June 6 at Martinez Elementary School, 213 Flowing Wells Road, from 6-8 p.m.
District 4 – June 9 at Columbia County Courthouse at 1956 Appling Harlem Road in Appling from 6-8 p.m.
District 1 – June 20 at Evans Auditorium 630 Ronald Reagan Drive in Evans from 6-8 p.m.
District 3 – June 23 at Grace Baptist Church 4945 Hardy McManus Road in Evans from 6-8 p.m.
Joshua B. Good is a staff reporter covering Columbia County and military/veterans’ issues for The Augusta Press. Reach him at joshua@theaugustapress.com
