Henry County is beginning to plan for its next SPLOST referendum. SPLOST is a one-cent sales tax which pays for capital projects. Voters last renewed the county’s SPLOST program in 2019.
Right now, the county is planning for a November 2024 referendum. If voters approve the ballot question, then the sales tax would continue another five to six years.
SPLOST VI Timeline
Henry County staff presented a SPLOST VI timeline during this month’s commissioner meeting. Staff shared the following:
- Each commissioner has one appointee to a citizens’ advisory committee. The committee will assist staff to recommend projects for the next SPLOST program. Commissioners are asked to provide their nominee by November 7.
- Staff will develop potential projects in November and December.
- The citizens’ committee will begin meeting in January. They will hold seven meetings — one in each district and two at the county office — from January to April 2024.
- The county and cities will hold a joint meeting in June. This is required to consider approving an intergovernmental agreement.
- The county and cities must finalize the project list by July 2024. The IGA must also be approved at this time, if there is an agreement.
- Voters will consider the ballot question in November 2024.
If voters approve the referendum, then SPLOST VI collections would begin on April 1, 2025. The current SPLOST program is scheduled to end tax collections on the day before, or March 31, 2025.
IGA Determines Project Length
Georgia allows SPLOST programs to last up to six years. A six-year program requires an intergovernmental agreement between the county and cities. In 2019, the county and cities could not reach an agreement. For this reason, the current SPLOST covers only five years.
A five-year program would span from April 2025 to March 2030. A six-year program would reach March 2031.
For the latest updates about current SPLOST projects, check out our SPLOST V archives.
Featured image shows pennies on a table. Stock photo.
