It is time for Gilmer County to renew the SPLOST which pays for bond debt.
Gilmer County Chair Charlie Paris told the board at the work session meeting March 18 and the regular meeting March 19 the Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) is set to sunset this year.
“This is going to expire, and it is absolutely imperative that we vote the next SPLOST in and that we do it in time that there is no interruption between the two,” Paris said. “Because we do use it for the $4 million a year to pay for all this.”
The county issued bonds to fund various building projects in the county, including the courthouse in 2005-2006, he said. SPLOST revenue is used to pay for the debt service on the bonds.
Paris estimates the county has six years left of paying off the debt.
“If the citizens do not approve this SPLOST, then we are going to have to start paying that $4 million a year out of the general fund which means your millage rate is going to go up,” he said. “Better to have it come from the SPLOST and have all our visitors help us pay for it, than to not have the SPLOST and basically just have to raise everybody’s property taxes so that we can pay for it.”
A unanimous vote was taken to begin the process to add the SPLOST to the ballot this November.
Land use ordinance
Commissioners voted to advertise changes to the county’s land use ordinance.
Proposed changes include alterations to the density of R4 and R5 designations and definitions of duplex, triplex, quadplex and apartments.
A public hearing will be scheduled, and a first vote is scheduled for the regular meeting in April.
Other business
In other business, commissioners:
﹣ voted to advertise changes to the county charter to exempt waste collection from the bid process and move it to a quote process.
﹣ added Lee Johnson to the Tax Assessor board.
﹣ noted Planning and Zoning Director Jim Smith has been put in charge of the Gilmer County airport.
﹣ will begin discussing light pollution and remedies for Gilmer County.