Macon-Bibb leaders talk SPLOST money at planning retreat

ATHENS, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – Macon-Bibb County leaders spent day one of their Strategic Planning Retreat talking about Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) money and what projects it has gone toward.

SPLOST Project manager, Clay Murphey, broke down each category and project SPLOST has funded since 2012. Murphey informed the mayor, commission, and other county leaders of each budget and how much remains for the next fifteen months. The projects included, park renovations, road work, building improvements and more.

“The SPLOST is a critical part for capital improvements in any community,” said Murphey.

The 2012 SPLOST was at the top of the agenda for the retreat. Leaders looked back on what they had accomplished with the SPLOST and what they could fix as well. One of the issues they discussed was not meeting the $190 million goal, the SPLOST was supposed to meet. The county and city has a short fall of about $16 million.

“It’s not that we spent too much, it’s just that revenue isn’t coming in like it was,” said Murphey.

Leaders proposed to rearrange some budgets, like storm drainage and debt retirement.

“We had to look at where money has remained,” Murphey explained. “Look at the forty something projects that we have left. Where do we have money and how do we make up that shortfall.”

“We may have to cut some of that back, while still maintaining substantial completion and paying off debt and doing some storm drainage work,” Mayor Robert Reichart said. “We’d pick up and do some of that with the next SPLOST.”

The next SPLOST, voted on in November, will go into effect April 2018. The county hopes to have accomplished most projects before then.