Community leaders prepare for renewing the SPLOST program

WARNER ROBINS Ga. – Community leaders united Thursday afternoon to announce that there will be a direct vote on Houston County’s Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax for Nov. 2024.

The current SPLOST is from 2018 and expires next year. The mayors from all three counties and Houston County Commissioners Chairman Dan Perdue will vote Nov. 7 to align with the elections happening in the cities. The County Board of Officials calls for this vote every six years to estimate predicted revenue and to allow the counties to plan in advance for funding.

The tax is paid by Houston County citizens through goods purchased within the county and used to fund capital projects. It is not a property tax and won’t allow those taxes to increase. It also doesn’t allow sales tax to increase but it is a continuation of the existing tax.

Mayors from all three counties talked to attendees about what the program has done to help grow their communities.

Centerville Mayor John Harley said the program has helped the city grow by building a new police station, courthouse, fire station and Center Park. It has also helped improve their streets.

“We are looking forward for this new coming up. This one has been beneficial to the city, and we hope to keep it going and we hope that we keep taxes down by doing that,” said Harley.

Warner Robins Mayor LaRhonda Patrick also spoke up about what the program has done for the city. She told attendees that the county doesn’t have the luxury of a Transportation SPLOST which helps cities build roads. However, the program makes it possible for the city to improve their roads.

Mayor Patrick also said that if the county didn’t have the program, citizens’ taxes would increase, and they would be paying more every year for basic necessities. She added the program has also helped city capital improvements by building more buildings and facilities throughout the county.

“One thing I like about the SPLOST process, which sometimes goes unnoted, is how it brings all the municipalities together to work as a team to find out what’s important for our entire community — not just our individual municipality — and that to me is immeasurable,” said Patrick.

She is eager to give more great roads, buildings and opportunities to the taxpayers in Houston County.

Perry Mayor Randall Walker was also in attendance and said that without the public’s vote, they would not have the funds to do capital projects.

Mayor Walker said the major improvement the city has had because of SPLOST is the extension of Ball Street, which has helped industries on the south side of town. He said connectivity has been an improvement as well through the city’s sidewalks and parks. The program also brought the animal control center located in downtown Perry and allowed the city to expand its fire services to the north part of town.

Former commissioner chairman Tommy Stalnaker has been an advocate for SPLOST and its benefits. He said the program goes back 27 years; back then, the money went into the new courthouse on Perry Parkway and the detention facility. The program has expanded since then.

Stalnaker said the program was created by the general assembly to give local governments a tool to be able to do capital improvement projects. He added that a lot of the money goes into public safety like the 911 system, improving transportation, libraries, public works and street light improvements.

“Thank you to the voters and to the citizens, because without them and their support, what they’re doing and calling for this SPLOST is meaningless. It is the voters that control whether or not you’re going to have a SPLOST,” said Stalnaker.

Perdue ended the meeting with a revenue goal for the 2024 SPLOST. He mentions the revenue projection in the 2018 SPLOST was $145 million.

The mayors and chairman discussed on a revenue projection— what they hope to gain — of $200 million for 2024. He said it is a significant increase but the amount of revenue is achievable and allows them to appropriately plan projects.

Perdue announced two public hearings for SPLOST. The first one will be on June 29 at 6 p.m. at 200 Carl Vinson Parkway in the Commissioners’ Boardroom. The second hearing will take place July 10 at the same time in the new Perry Courthouse. It will allow the public to express their opinion on what their community needs and gives them the opportunity to talk to their mayors.

To find out more information on SPLOST please visit their website: www.houstoncountyga.org/commissioner/the-splost-program.cms.

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