Lake Oconee News had an opportunity to sit down with County Manager Byron Lombard following the passage of the Transportation Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (TSPLOST) funding by the voters of Greene County. The T-SPLOST tax easily passed with 58.23 percent of Greene County voters who participated in the May primary election.
The TSPLOST is a one percent revenue stream tax in the county, effectively making the total county sales tax rate eight percent.
It will be collected on goods, food and services.
According to Lombard, sales taxes are an important and effective tool for funding a myriad of county projects. The TSPLOST would last for five years and will be starting Oct. 1. The additional penny tax is expected to bring in $35 million in revenue.
“We are excited to bring much needed improvements to the county,” said Lombard. “We have wonderful county facilities and infrastructure serving the public here, and we want to maintain the excellent standards already in place. In the past, SPLOST has included needed upgrades to county offices, public safety and the huge project we took on last year replacing a number of road culverts which amounted to half a million dollars.”
Road maintenance is an ever-evolving and necessary evil. Engineering studies have pointed the county toward pavement preservation techniques such as chip, micro and slurry seals, making the average cost a third of what was previously spent, Lombard added. This fall, several key traffic corridors and bridges will be identified for TPLOST-funded projects.
According to Lombard, construction to expand the main county corridor, State Route 44, is slated for 2025.
“We recognize that construction on State Route 44 will be a nightmare,” he said. “It is imperative we plan accordingly to minimize the effects to traffic in the county. We are looking to make improvements that will include monitoring key bridge volume in select areas and continuous culvert and shoulder repairs. No road is perfect, and Greene County owns 85.41 percent of roads. The early ’90s saw a big push in paving dirt roads in the county, but there are many that still remain dirt or gravel. We continuously review those needs.”
Greene County roads are in good condition, according to a report conducted by Neel-Shaffer Engineering, an independent engineering group.
“According to them, the county roads are the very best they have evaluated. It is a testament to the hard work given in completing these projects,” Lombard added.
According to Lombard, TSPLOST funding will be divided up between Greene County and each city, including Siloam, Union Point, Woodville, White Plains and Greensboro. According to Georgia law, funds must be used for transportation purposes, including bridges, roads, streets, airports, walkways, bicycle paths and maintenance and improvements of such structures. “Greene County is the retail and commercial center in Lake Country,” said Lombard. “We are a much different animal than similar counties in the state. Eighty percent of the tax base in Lake Country is around the shores of Lake Oconee.”
Currently, projected budget allocations include (rounded) $29.8 million for Greene County. Projected allocations for cities include $2.3 million for Greensboro; $1.3 million for Union Point; $732,000 for White Plains; $496,000 for Woodville and $353,000 for Siloam.