Coweta County and its municipalities met Aug. 29 to firm up project lists that will be included in the 2012 referendum that would continue the current 1-cent local option sales tax (SPLOST). If approved by voters the tax would fund a variety of local projects and run for six years with a maximum collection ceiling of $120 million.
Coweta County commissioners and elected officials from all of Coweta’s municipalities met at the Aug. 29 called meeting and agreed by consensus to execute an intergovernmental agreement stating that the project lists from each area should be included in the referendum that will be held at the time of the 2012 Presidential Preference Primary. Also agreed was to have the tax extension run for a six-year period and carry a maximum collection ceiling of $120 million.
If approved by voters, the funds raised would be distributed based essentially on the 2010 census, with the county receiving 67.89 percent, Newnan receiving 25.95 percent, Senoia receiving 2.6 percent, Grantville receiving 2.39 percent and Moreland at .31 percent, Sharpsburg at .27 percent, Palmetto at .24 percent, Turin at .22 percent and Haralson at .13 percent.
A breakdown of the funds, based on maximum collections, would have Coweta County receiving $81.468 million, Newnan receiving $31.14 million, Senoia receiving $2.94 million, Grantville receiving $2.868 million, Palmetto at $422,000, Moreland at $506,000, Sharpsburg at $376,000, Turin at $310,000 and Haralson at $203,000.
Each of the governmental entities came with a list of project needs that would be funded by the extended SPLOST.
Coweta County’s project list included transportation and parks and recreation initiatives along with proposals by the sheriff’s office, fire department and emergency management. By far the largest bulk of sales tax revenues would be used for road, street and bridge projects.
Newnan’s proposed projects included information technology, cultural needs, public safety, public works, parks and recreation and road, streets, bridges and sidewalks.
Senoia’s list included roads, streets, bridges and sidewalks, parks and recreation, public works, public safety and needed work at city hall.
Projects for Palmetto included public safety, water and sewer and roads, streets and bridges.
Proposed projects for Moreland included the cemetery, roads, streets and bridges, parks and recreation, the Old Mill/Town Hall and museum and cultural needs.
Sharpsburg’s project list showed needs that included road, streets and bridges, utilities and cultural, historic and recreational needs.
Projects for Turin included public safety, water, stormwater, cable, wastewater, sidewalks and paths, streets, roads and bridges, parks and recreation and work at city hall.
And in Haralson the project list included parks and recreation needs.
County administrator Theron Gay at the meeting asked municipal officials to execute their respective intergovernmental agreements so that commissioners can adopt the resolution no later than mid-October that calls for the 2012 referendum.
