‘Ball over the goal line’: Albany, Dougherty County reach agreement on $109 million sales tax initiative

ALBANY — Albany and Dougherty County officials appear to have a deal on dividing $109 million in proceeds of a 1% sales tax after several weeks of bickering, with both sides getting a little of what they wanted.

“I look forward to moving this ball over the goal line,” Albany Commissioner Chad Warbington said during a Thursday special called meeting in which the county’s latest offer on the special-purpose local-option sales tax was discussed and approved.

The Albany City Commission accepted the county’s offer made earlier this week that will provide more money for the city’s stormwater/sewage separation project and the effective 67% share it expects to receive on collections.

Albany commissioners initially requested a 70% share, which was more than the 64% County Commission members were willing to share.

In the offer made this week, the county agreed to keep the split at 64% for the city and 36% for the county, but provided an additional $3.5 million toward the city’s sewage project. That amount is to be paid in the first two years of the six-year tax initiative, which will go to voters for approval in November, in equal installments of $1.75 million. Previously, city officials had asked for the full amount in the first year.

The county also balked at placing a non-binding question on the ballot asking voters to weigh in on whether the two governments should be consolidated.

“I will say that the county is intending to try and get the ballot to the Election Board by the original deadline,” City Manager Steven Carter told commissioners.

The deadline set to get ballot language to the Georgia Secretary of State’s office is Friday, but an attorney working for the city had gotten a verbal agreement from the Secretary of State’s office that the deadline could be extended until the following Friday if necessary.

The City Commission also approved its list of projects to be funded if voters grant the six-year extension of the SPLOST.

The final list includes a little more than $25 million to be dedicated to help fund the estimated $105 million sewer project; $13 million for recreation; $8 million to implement a downtown master plan; $6 million for assistance to the Flint RiverQuarium, Thronateeska Heritage Center, Chehaw Park & Zoo, the Albany Civil Rights Institute and Albany Museum of Art; $6 million for the purchase of emergency equipment and vehicles for the fire and police departments; $2 million for the Flint River Entertainment Complex; $3.25 million for computer hardware and software upgrades, and the remainder toward the purchase of equipment and vehicles, $500,000 for funding a criminal justice project at Albany Technical College and the Government Center.

A counteroffer made by Mayor Bo Dorough that would have cut the amount going toward the sewer project and added more for recreation and renovation in the Harlem District failed to win approval.

File Photo: Alan Mauldin