Gwinnett commisson to schedule SPLOST referendum

LAWRENCEVILLE - The Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners Tuesday is expected to call for a referendum to be placed on the Nov. 4, ballot for voters to choose whether to reimpose the Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST).

The five-year SPLOST collections, which would begin April 1, are estimated to total $850 million.

"Voter support of SPLOST has made it possible for many needed capital improvements to take place in our community. When you think of the parks, libraries, roads and public safety facilities that are here today, it's clear that Gwinnett is a better place to live because of SPLOST," Commission Chairman Charles Bannister said.

Gwinnett County and Gwinnett's 15 municipalities have been working for several months on an intergovernmental agreement for the distribution of proceeds from the SPLOST in anticipation of the ballot referendum. The county and the cities developed the agreement based on state law. The cities met Monday at the Gwinnett Justice and Administration Center to sign the final agreement. The Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners will vote on the agreement in their Aug. 19 meeting.

"This agreement reflects a great deal of cooperation between the county and our cities," said Berkeley Lake Mayor Lois Salter, who serves as president of the Gwinnett Municipal Association. "I am thankful for everyone's participation and hard work to decide how to use SPLOST funds. Gwinnett residents should be proud of all levels of their local government."

The intergovernmental agreement estimates the five-year SPLOST collections at $850 million. As authorized in state law, the County will utilize 20 percent of the proceeds for level two county-wide projects consisting of recreational facilities and libraries. The cities will then receive funding based on the percentage of the population within incorporated Gwinnett County, according to 2007 Census Bureau numbers, 19.522 percent. The estimated amount to the cities is just under $132.8 million. The remainder of the SPLOST proceeds will go to the county.

The total estimated amount to the county including the 20 percent level two projects is just over $717.2 million. The intergovernmental agreement reflects the county breakdown between roads, streets and bridges - $380.9 million; public safety facilities and equipment - $66.3 million; recreational facilities - $162 million; libraries - $13 million; and court facilities - $95 million.

The cities' planned uses are city roads, streets and bridges - $46.9 million; city public safety facilities and equipment - $18.9 million; city recreational facilities - $32.3 million; city water and sewer capital improvements - $8.5 million; city administrative facilities - $20.2 million; and city parking facilities - $6 million.

"The quality of life Gwinnett County has to offer its residents - whether in unincorporated areas or one of the cities - is due in large part to the ability to use SPLOST to fund capital improvements," said Jace Brooks, Suwanee councilman and chairman of the Gwinnett Municipal Association's legislative committee. "We have award-winning parks, solid transportation infrastructure, state-of-the-art public safety facilities, and more thanks to the vision and support of our citizens."