$280 million SPLOST timetable gains traction

The Macon-Bibb County Commission appeared to reach a consensus Thursday on a timeline and budget for the $280 million special tax referendum funds.

The commission spent more than one hour discussing the order projects could be completed under the next round of special purpose local option sales tax collections. While the timeline would provide a guideline over the next decade, there is some fluidity with commissioners still needing to approve the funding and scope of each project before it starts.

The Committee of the Whole voted 7-1 to approve the resolution. Commissioner Bert Bivins did not attend Thursday’s meeting while Commissioner Elaine Lucas voted against it, questioning if commissioners would be handcuffed to the timetable.

Officials will vote at Tuesday’s regular commission meeting on whether to adopt the budget and timetable resolution.

The timeline incorporates the priorities from commissioners and department heads while some projects were listed early because they are “shovel ready,” SPLOST manager Clay Murphey said.

“Everything is moveable based on whatever you recommended, but understand it’s like squeezing a balloon full of air: If you squeeze the top something has to come out of the bottom,” he said.

The documents list the amount of funding each project could receive from 2017-2028. Although with this new SPLOST, collections will continue until the maximum amount is reached. The 2018 SPLOST is $90 million more than the current voter-approved tax.

“Hopefully in the next 10 years all of this will be done,” Commissioner Al Tillman said Thursday. “This first consolidated government gets to set a precedent to say ‘y’all need to continue the SPLOST because this is all they were able to get done.’ ”

Lucas, however, urged commissioners to amend the list so some projects could be moved ahead before the resolution is approved.

“Otherwise we will have gone ahead and swallowed this thing whole and we’ll be stuck with it,” said Lucas, who advocated for recreation projects to be finished more quickly.

The $280 million SPLOST assigns money into 10 categories, ranging from roads and bridges to blight and cultural facilities. Collections begin rolling in on April 1, 2018, but work on some projects is expected to start in 2017 with the use of $35 million in bonds.

The SPLOST includes expenses related to the closing of the landfill, including a new transfer station, estimated to cost about $20 million.

The most expensive project is the mandated Bibb County courthouse renovation and addition that rings in at about $40 million. There is about $408,000 dedicated to the courthouse in 2018, but the bulk of the funding would come between 2021 and 2022 with new parking decks and 2024-2026 when the remaining $30 million is projected to be spent.

A portion of this year’s 2018 SPLOST project currently includes money for $1.9 million in renovations to the Grand Opera House, $2.9 million for stormwater management, $961,420 for renovations at the east Macon recreation center and $961,420 in security upgrades to the jail.

There’s also about $43.5 million for recreation, which is spread out between 2017-2027, and another $37 million for cultural and public use facilities. The remaining money is split up between:

▪  Blight remediation: $12 million

▪  Economic development: $29 million

▪  Stormwater: $25 million

▪  Debt retirement: $13.5 million

▪  Roads/bridges/transportation: $35 million

▪  Public safety: $25 million

The current $190 million SPLOST has been used to pay for upgrades to about a dozen recreation and park facilities, including a new south Bibb center. The revenue has also paid for a new juvenile justice center, animal shelter, fire stations and other projects. The county is expected to fall about $10 million short on local option sales tax collections during the six-year window of collections.

This story was originally published April 13, 2017 at 5:58 PM with the headline "$280 million SPLOST timetable gains traction."