Voters to decide on sales tax Tuesday

Published 9:27 pm Monday, March 20, 2017

MOULTRIE, Ga. — Colquitt County voters decide today whether to extend a penny sales tax projected to raise as much as $31.4 million dollars over six years to fund numerous projects.

The current special purpose local option sales tax expires at the end of the year. If approved by voters, it will continue without interruption to fund projects identified by county officials and their counterparts in the five municipalities.

The anticipated revenue is split up between those entities based on population. Some of the money is earmarked for the Colquitt County Hospital Board, which oversees Colquitt Regional Medical Center, and the Colquitt County Development Authority, in the amounts of $1 million for the hospital and half that amount for the development authority, which is tasked with growing the county’s employment and tax base.

If history is any guide, a small number of voters will show up at the voting precincts to cast ballots during the time polls are open from 7 a.m.-7 p.m.

“Generally it’s been 10 percent or less,” Colquitt County Probate Court Judge Wes Lewis said of turnout in single-issue ballots. “That’s kind of been the history — in that range — when the special (elections) is by itself.”

Unlike those times when ballots are crowded with lots of candidates and multiple ballot questions, the sales tax ballot will be simple: Vote “yes” or “no.”

“A government body can’t promote sales tax (measures),” said Lewis, whose office oversees elections in the county. “You don’t have candidates out there campaigning. I do hope voters will come out and vote. I think it’s an important election.”

If voters agree to extend the sales tax, which in the past has been used for courthouse renovation and construction of the courthouse annex, police cars, recreation, purchasing large road equipment, the lion’s share will go to the Colquitt County government at nearly 60 percent of revenue raised.

Of the county’s $18.5 million share, the bulk would go toward equipment and vehicles for the Roads and Bridges Department in the amount of $6.58 million, construction, renovation and acquisition of county buildings and facilities. Another $2.64 million would go toward road, street and bridge projects and $1.97 million for equipment and cars for public safety agencies.

For Moultrie, $1.5 million of its anticipated $8.9 million share — or 28.34 percent — would go toward relocating Fire Station 2 that currently is on West Boulevard, with another $1.25 million for street improvements and an equal amount for stormwater drainage projects. Utility infrastructure upgrades would be funded by $870,000 and equipment for the Moultrie Public Works Department by $867,376.

The tax is expected to provide money to the smaller municipalities by: $615,270 for Norman Park, whose projects include $212,270 for a wastewater treatment plant; $489,938 for Doerun, which anticipates spending for improvements and equipment for its Electric, Gas, Sewer, Water and Street departments; $284,215 for Funston, which is looking to improve its water system, roads and sidewalks, among other things; $348,780 for Berlin, whose planned spending includes water system upgrades and expansion and money for road and drainage products, its police department and $69,758 for fire service vehicles and equipment; and $177,872 for Ellenton, which has identified projects in areas including water and sewage system construction and improvements, among others.

Of the $31.4 million total in projected revenues, $600,000 would go to a joint Moultrie-Colquitt County Recreation Authority for capital improvements and other projects identified as necessary.

To see a full listing, visit ccboc.com and look under “2019 SPLOST.”

Over 21 days of early voting an average of less than 12 people showed up to each of those days to cast ballots, for a total of 244, said Colquitt County Voter Registrar Paula McCulloguh. Another three people requested paper absentee ballots.

“It was very slow over the three weeks,” she said.