Macon-Bibb leaders take next step on potential new sales tax

Next year, Macon-Bibb County voters could decide whether to approve two new sales tax proposals.

The County Commission received updates Tuesday on an "other local option sales tax," or OLOST, as well as a regional transportation sales tax, measures that could be added to ballots as county officials contemplate additional sources of revenue.

If the tax referendums pass, then the sales tax in Macon-Bibb would go from 7 cents to 9 cents on the dollar.

Macon-Bibb leaders have cited two benefits of the OLOST: It's a tax that doesn't just affect property owners, such as the millage rate. A large share of the sales tax revenue comes from people who live outside of Macon-Bibb, they have said.

The OLOST referendum would also tie into a freeze on property values and a millage rate rollback.

"This doesn't freeze taxes, but what it freezes is the value of your home," Mayor Robert Reichert said.

The County Commission's Committee of the Whole voted Tuesday in favor of a resolution to begin working with the local legislative delegation on crafting potential legislation. The resolution would need final approval at next week's regular commission meeting.

The final details would later have to be worked out by commissioners if they decide to push for a referendum.

Commissioners Elaine Lucas and Bert Bivins voted against the sales tax resolution.

"Unless something changes, I cannot support this request for a sales tax because I do not believe this (mayoral) administration will follow the will of the board of commissioners, and I do not feel this administration will look out for the interests of the total community," Bivins said.

The optional sales tax is projected to bring in about $30 million in annual revenue. Commissioners could roll back the millage rate for that full amount, but they could also have some leeway on how much the millage rate is changed, said Chuck Palmer, an attorney with Troutman Sanders.

County officials could also ask for a cap that maximizes how much an appraised residential property value can go up within a year's time.

"The property taxes are frozen for your property value at a particular level, but you can allow for a small, incremental increase," he said. "So a citizen doesn't get a 25 percent increase in their property taxes in one ... year, but it would allow a slight increase."

Also, this week a regional board made up of elected officials will meet again after drafting a road project list as part of a transportation sales tax, commonly known as a T-SPLOST.

The measure could return to ballots again after the majority of voters in Houston, Putnam, Monroe and Twiggs counties opposed it in 2012.

The other counties in the T-SPLOST region include Macon-Bibb, Peach, Crawford, Jones, Baldwin, Wilkinson and Pulaski.

A T-SPLOST is projected to bring in about $663 million in revenue over a 10-year period for various road projects.

Municipal court takeover

A report on a potential merger of Macon's Municipal and State courts was unable to detail how much savings would be associated with consolidation.

A proposal to have State Court take over Municipal Court had stalled earlier this year, with Macon-Bibb officials awaiting the findings of a study.. More discussion, however, is expected on the matter, which would have to be approved the state Legislature.

Laura Mathis, executive director of the Middle Georgia Regional Commission, said both courts' budgets are largely spent on personnel, so unless the merger results in fewer employees, it would be tough to calculate the savings.

In Macon-Bibb, Municipal Court mostly handles minor traffic offenses such as speeding and ordinance violations. State Court takes on civil cases, more serious traffic offenses such as DUI, and many other misdemeanor cases such as simple battery and shoplifting.

The caseload in 2016 for Municipal Court was 14,446, while State Court handled 4,420 cases. A conservative estimate is that half the cases in Municipal Court are traffic offenses where a fine is paid, which means a much smaller workload than the majority of State Court cases, Mathis said.

But several commissioners spoke Tuesday about how the regional commission's report didn't seem to show enough benefits to justify State Court's absorbing Municipal Court.

"The caseload still concerns me," Commissioner Mallory Jones said. "It’s hard for me to comprehend how you take 14,446 cases and put it on the State Court."

Municipal Court Judge Bobby Faulkner said after Tuesday's discussion that he needs more time to digest the study. He said he thought the issue was over earlier this year and that Municipal Court employees are still waiting to relocate into the Bibb County Courthouse.

"I’m not real sure why it came up again," Faulkner said. "Somebody else will have to explain that to me."

Stanley Dunlap, 478-744-4623

This story was originally published December 12, 2017 at 4:15 PM with the headline "Macon-Bibb leaders take next step on potential new sales tax."