SUCHES – About 20 people attended the Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax Town Hall on Tuesday, Sept. 1, at the Suches Community Center. A second SPLOST Town Hall is scheduled for this Thursday, Sept. 10, at 6 p.m. inside the Union County Schools Fine Arts Center.
During last week’s meeting, Sole Commissioner Harold Collins, County Manager Tony Hughes, Fire Chief David Dyer and Sheriff Shawn Dyer talked about how SPLOST funds benefit the county ahead of the continuation referendum that will appear on Nov. 3 ballots.
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Public safety and local infrastructure like roads and bridges headlined discussions, with Chief Dyer up first to outline the various ways the Fire Department uses SPLOST funds.
“You’ll never guess what a fire truck today costs. The last one we priced was about $700,000,” Dyer revealed. “Basic Toyota Corolla, no spinning rims – basic fire truck, no fancy nothing. They’re very expensive.”
But the department cannot utilize base transportation alone, Dyer said. Additional costs include firefighting equipment such as hoses, which must be attached to the trucks by law.
As Dyer made clear, firefighting is costly but necessary for public safety, with other department provisions being rescue vehicles, turnout gear, self-contained breathing apparatus, radios, thermal imaging cameras, extrication equipment, medical devices, and more.
“We spend a lot of SPLOST money on the Fire Department side to keep everything up to date,” Dyer said to wrap things up, adding that “the most exciting” local update for first responders is the new SPLOST-funded 911 Center that will open this year.
Next, Union County Sheriff Shawn Dyer outlined what the voter-supported 1% sales tax does for the Sheriff’s Office. It helps pay for vehicles and equipment, and in years past, it assisted with capital improvements at the jail. And that time is coming again.
“We’re in a building that’s starting to fail,” Sheriff Dyer said about the jail, noting that he wants to do a “‘needs study’ … to see what kind of jail system we need for the next 20 to 30 years.”
“I’m not comfortable building a new jail out of what I think it needs; I’d like to use the SPLOST, if it passes, to get that needs study done by a professional company,” Dyer explained, adding that he would also like to hire an architect to put together blueprints.
Specifically, Dyer cited overcrowding as a major issue at the 54-bed facility, and the Sheriff’s Office needs one central evidence room and more office space for civil division workers and a sex offender investigator.
Additionally, SPLOST funds would help secure an updated fleet of patrol cars. To trade out the entire fleet, Dyer said, would cost about $350,000.
Switching gears, SPLOST Projects Manager Kevin Hamby provided handouts listing about 60 miles of roads across the county that need work done in the next six years; given the location of the meeting, the roads in Suches were highlighted.
This included Abercrombie Road, Canada Creek Road W, Flatland Road, Grizzle Creek, Happy Hollow Circle and Johnny Gap Road. Also included were 47 bridges that need service throughout the county, with some bridges “in worse condition than others.”
Hughes clarified that four of those bridges are currently being worked on, including the Spiva Cove Bridge that is being replaced. None of the bridges have been condemned, but the Spiva Cove Bridge is closed for the time being.
On top of upgrading and replacing bridges and roads, SPLOST renewal would also serve to replace some of the Road Department’s vehicles, which include one with railings so rusted that workers are hesitant to put it on the road. One of these trucks costs approximately $200,000.
“Everybody knows this November is going to be a crucial vote in more ways than one,” Collins said toward the end of the meeting. “Some people say property taxes are going to go up whether we get SPLOST or not – that’s possible. In fact, it does have to go up if SPLOST does not pass.”
Collins said that he would increase property taxes if he felt he had to in order to keep “the great service we’ve got.”
“I’m not having that in my conscience,” Collins said regarding the potential scenario where firefighters are unable to respond to a fire for lack of a needed truck purchase, or the sheriff having to lay off deputies because his departmental budget is needed to cover otherwise SPLOST-eligible expenses.
The atmosphere grew contentious at points, first when an attendee asked for clarification on the proposed SPLOST road budget; the handout did not include a cost breakdown per road, and the attendee felt that Collins was not being open with voters about planned SPLOST expenditures.
Collins said the total work was projected at about $15 million in today’s economy, but that he did not want to put specific dollar amounts in writing because estimates were subject to change based on future economic conditions during the six years SPLOST would collect if renewed.
Following the bulk of the meeting, concern was also expressed about open records regarding the currently running SPLOST V, which Collins countered by saying that the requested information was posted on the county website.
