A LOST compromise reached in Hall

GAINESVILLE - Hall County Local Option Sales Tax (LOST) negotiators finally saw something they liked Wednesday after weeks of deadlock.

After a two-week recess, Assistant Gainesville City Manager Bryan Shuler presented a new distribution plan based on weighted population and commercial/industrial tax digest figures.

"This will give you an incentive to promote more commercial/industrial development by making it a part of the formula," said Shuler.

Previous proposals based tax revenue distribution on population or the tax digest separately.

Negotiators will study the new plan and meet again next Wednesday at the Hall County Fire Training Center.

County Commission Chairman Gary Gibbs said he liked it.

"I liked it probably a bit better than I let on
only because I've got to go all the way through it," said Gibbs.

"I saw this scenario for the very first time this afternoon."

The compromise that has some city officials worried.

One of those officials is Flowery Branch City Councilman Larry Pritchett.

Flowery Branch, Clermont and Lula would lose significant sales tax revenue either because growth in those cities has not kept pace with the rest of the county or because commercial/industial development is lacking.

"By going with this, obviously we're going to have to change our mix for more commercial/industrial," said Pritchett.