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Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2009

Bibb commissioners launch formal bid for new sales tax

Bibb County commissioners are clear on one thing: They want a sales tax that would collect $183 million over six years. Tuesday, they started with the more immediate problem of divvying up the money.

Commissioners voted Tuesday to ask Macon and Payne City leaders for lists of projects they want included if the tax is approved by voters. Commissioners appear united in three main goals — new courthouses, recreation improvements and stormwater fixes. But city leaders could throw into the mix more projects, such as paying for police cars.

Final decisions will be made by the County Commission.

The vote also firmed up the July 20 date for the special purpose local option sales tax referendum. If passed, the sales tax would climb from 6 percent to 7 percent, matching neighboring counties.

Commissioner Lonzy Edwards said the courthouse is a joint city-county project, rebutting a recent comment from Councilman Erick Erickson. But the courthouse — at an estimated $83.6 million — would claim about half of the sales tax money, and Edwards said officials have to be careful not to put too many things on the project list.

Commissioner Joe Allen said the SPLOST money should go only to the courthouse, recreation and stormwater problems.

“Why would you want any more than that? Otherwise it would be defeated,” he said.

County commissioners said they likely would itemize stormwater projects by drainage basins. Flooding problems from bad stormwater drainage cause problems across Macon and the rest of Bibb County. But officials said the stormwater problems exceed the SPLOST’s ability to pay for them. County Commission Chairman Sam Hart said he thinks property owners ultimately will pay a special fee, called a stormwater utility, to fix problems.

Recreation has its own problems, county commissioners said. A SPLOST vote in 2004 for recreation projects that would have paid $60 million toward a $153 million master plan was defeated. County commissioners plan to dust off those plans to look at possible projects and cost estimates, though they don’t want to adopt the plan as a whole.

The courthouse project would build a new four-story courthouse near the current one. That building would be next to the Grand Opera House at the corner of Mulberry and First streets. A parking garage would be built behind it, and the current courthouse would be partially renovated.

A separate Juvenile Court building would be built off Oglethorpe Street near the Bibb County jail and the Department of Family and Children Services.

To contact writer Mike Stucka, call 744-4251.