>> ELECTION 2023
Baldwin County voters Tuesday chose to extend the current one-cent special purpose tax for up to six years, but relatively few local residents took the opportunity to have a say in the outcome.
With all 14 precincts reporting and early voting and absentee ballots counted, the Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) was approved by a 1,245-774 margin (62%-38%), with 7.21% of the registered voters casting ballots. The renewal of the current tax will begin April 1, 2024, and will continue up to six years.
Some 7.5% of eligible voters cast ballots in 2017, as the current tax was approved 1,161-466.
Of the early voters, 63.3% said ‘yes’, while on election day 60% voted for the measure. The breakdown of the 29 absentee ballots was 16-13 in the affirmative.
Despite the low turnout, County Manager Carlos Tobar was appreciative of the support for both the tax measure and updated county plan that preceded it.
“The next SPLOST supports the new comprehensive plan that was just adopted in February,” Tobar commented Tuesday. “The citizens let us know what they were satisfied with in the county and what areas needed improvement. Our comprehensive plan reflects the voices of our citizens, as does the SPLOST.
“The Baldwin County team is excited for the public trust, and will work just as hard to deliver the many improvements identified in the comprehensive plan and SPLOST,” he added.
Pursuant to an agreement between the county and the City of Milledgeville and the official resolution calling for the referendum, Baldwin County will receive $40.5 million and the city $14.5 million if the entire maximum of $55 million is collected in the six years for which the tax is authorized. Numerous projects for water and sewer, road improvements, recreation expansions and upgrades, and emergency services and law enforcement are among the items listed on a comprehensive, detailed list compiled by the board of commissioners.
SPLOST funds for several of the earmarked projects will be matched by state and federal grants of larger amounts, Tobar noted last week.
“The SPLOST dollars help matching the grants,” he said. “Without SPLOST, there is no way we could get most of our grants.”