CLARKESVILLE – Habersham County voters approved a 1-cent Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax geared heavily toward public safety.
“This was a big, big win for public safety in Habersham County,” said Habersham County Commission Chairman Stacy Hall.
The largest expenditure is a $7.2-million upgrade of the county’s public safety radio system that serves all agencies in the county. Currently, sheriff’s deputies, medical personnel and firefighters are having difficulty communicating with dispatchers, especially from inside homes and businesses.
“It’s a good night for Habersham County that SPLOST passed and we’re going to be able to finally, after many, many years of issues – serious issues with our radio system – we’re going to be able to invest in a new radio system to protect not only our public safety, but to protect our citizens,” Hall said. “SPLOST is the funding mechanism to be able to get a new one, which we so desperately need.”
Additional expenditures include $4 million to construct an emergency services central base station, $1.2 million to replace and equip ambulances, $1.1 million for firefighting apparatus and equipment, $1.75 million for a new animal shelter, and $775,000 for sheriff’s office vehicles and equipment.
The total of public safety allocations is $16,025,000.
A Tier 2 countywide project is the repayment of hospital bonds, helping reduce the county’s mandatory debt obligation for Habersham Medical Center. About 11% of SPLOST 2021 revenue will pay a portion of the hospital bonds at $5 million over four years.
Habersham County Public Works projects identified in the SPLOST extension include $6.56 million in road construction and maintenance; $3.2 million in bridge updates, repairs and replacements; $1.5 million in road maintenance equipment; and $1.215 million in landfill equipment, for a total of $12,475,000.
The SPLOST also includes $13,610,939 to be shared among the county’s municipalities for projects approved by their city leaders.
All projects identified for 2021 SPLOST total $47,110,939.
SPLOST 2021 will take effect April 1, 2021, and will expire March 31, 2027. It is a renewal of the current 1-cent sales tax, not an additional penny.
Unofficial, complete results for Habersham County show that 14,972 people voted in favor of SPLOST 2021, while 4,809 people voted against.
