Public safety could take a bite out of SPLOST 9, with three local agencies requesting nearly $200 million from the next sales tax.
The largest single item presented at a Friday work session was $115 million for the Charles B. Webster Detention Center, the overcrowded jail operated by Richmond County Sheriff Gino Brantley.
If Augusta commissioners include it, the jail project would comprise nearly a third of the $375 million special purpose, local option sales tax package Administrator Tameka Allen said the city hopes to put before voters Nov. 4. Collections will start in late 2026 if voters approve.
The commissioners are currently working their way through departmental and outside agency requests for SPLOST 9 that Allen said total more than $1 billion.
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A 300-bed jail addition
The $115 million request includes $15 million for critical upgrades at the existing jail, plus $100 million for a new 300-bed pod, sheriff’s office Chief of Staff Lewis Blanchard said. A quicker start and finish could bring the estimated pod price down to around $85 million, Blanchard said.
Brantley inherited the jail and its problems when he took office in January. The facility, which opened in 1997, routinely houses around 1,350 inmates, far more than its 1,077 capacity, Blanchard said.
And most of those in custody will remain so until they get a bond or have their day in court, he said. “We don’t really hold misdemeanors in our jail,” he said. “What people have to understand is… about 97% are in the jail to stay in the jail.”
Needed jail upgrades were omitted from the last two sales taxes. In addition, a 2023 plan to issue bonds for jail improvements ahead of the SPLOST never materialized.
Sheriff’s Maj. Chester Huffman, who serves on the city jail population committee, said personnel are working to get “low-hanging fruit” moved through the court system. In addition, he said a new system where inmates use tablets to communicate with their attorneys is hoped to help.
The sheriff’s office is also requesting $18 million to replace 45 patrol vehicles per year and supports a $2 million IT upgrade request through the city’s IT department. Blanchard said tech tools like Flock Safety cameras have been essential to solving crimes.
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Joint security operations center
The Richmond County Marshal’s Office requested about $15 million total, including $10.2 million for a joint security operations center to monitor video and access controls across multiple agencies.
Additional requests include $535,000 for airport security integration and $4.28 million for security infrastructure.
Fire apparatus, rebuilding stations
Augusta Fire Chief Antonio Burden requested about $68 million, with $43.9 million to replace aging fire apparatus not addressed in previous SPLOST cycles. Year 1 includes nine fire engines and an aerial truck at $16.2 million; Year 2 includes six engines and a fire rescue boat.
The request also calls for $19.2 million to replace three aging but heavily used fire stations.
The stations, considered to have a 50-year lifespan, include Station 9 on Walton Way Extension, which is 58 years old; Station 13 on Lumpkin Road, which is 53 years old and Station 14 in Blythe, which is 44 years old.
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The request also includes $5 million for gear replacement, building renovations, a training facility, driveway repairs and a Class A “burn building,” used for firefighter training.
