Union County Sole Commissioner Harold Collins, Fire Chief David Dyer and Sheriff Shawn Dyer accepted invitations to speak with the Union County Democrats Sept. 15 about the Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax referendum that will appear in the General Election on Nov. 3.
Much of the information presented was also featured at the two town halls Collins held earlier this month, including the various priorities for SPLOST spending that emphasize public safety, roads and bridges, etc.
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Attendees posed questions and provided feedback during the Q&A period. Although a few interactions became heated, most people shared their thoughts and inquiries evenly and at times carried conversations not just with county leadership but with other attendees.
Guests included members of the Democratic Party as well as members of the general public who attended simply to hear the presentation and speak with officials, with a majority of comments and some frustration centered on a desire for greater transparency around SPLOST.
Several residents said a full report with clear financial figures for the proposed SPLOST VI budget would ease concerns; one commenter admitted not wanting to accuse the county of fraudulent activity but said a lack of figures “seemed shady.”
County officials again noted the economic uncertainty around budgeting six years into the future, which is the duration of a SPLOST, because they cannot know exactly how well SPLOST will do, how much project costs will increase or what additional SPLOST-eligible needs will arise.
An attendee suggested updating the county’s financial system, and Collins said they had done just that after his election, dividing larger funds into smaller categories. For example, he explained that all Recreation Department money used to be accounted for in one fund.
Now, items like the Farmers Market, Byron Herbert Reece Farm & Heritage Center, Butternut Creek Golf Course and other county facilities and programs have their own financial categories.
“It’s taken time to break all this down … They all (were) in a big pot,” Collins said, adding that records will be more readily available once the updates are complete.
The same goes for SPLOST V accounting, which is in the process of being recorded according to the new system; Collins said a SPLOST V breakdown would be available to the public by the September county meeting.
Some residents suggested following the example of other counties when it comes to budgeting and posting records online, even bringing notes thereof for officials to review, and Collins reiterated that he would not be budgeting exact amounts for SPLOST VI projects.
“Once you put these projects on the ballot … they’ve got to be built. You cannot stop that project, it’s got to be built, and if the economy tanks, where’s the money come from?” Collins asked before adding that he refused to put the county in debt.
Among other comments were the suggestions that the county prioritize projects and “talk to citizens of the county” for more transparency, insinuating a lack of the latter.
Shortly after, another resident stepped in to defend the county, expressing a belief that officials were doing the best they could with a job that was “hard on a good day.”
After about an hour, Democratic Party Chair Dottie Harris intervened to rein in comments and questions, marking an end to the meeting.
