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The ADVANCE, November 1, 2023/Page 5A
SPLOST Referendum on
November 7 Wheeler Ballot
By Deborah Clark
Regional Editor
dclarkadvance@gmail. com
The only item on which
all Wheeler County resi
dents will be voting in a spe
cial election on November
7, is a referendum calling for
a one cent special option lo
cal sales tax (SPLOST). If
approved, the measure will
take effect on April 1, 2024.
Residents of Glenwood will
also be voting for Mayor
and City Council seats in a
general election on Novem
ber?.
“It’s the fairest tax we
have,” Wheeler County
Commission Chair Keith
McNeal said of SPLOST.
This tax is paid not just
by residents of Wheeler
County, but by anyone who
spends money in the coun
ty, whether they are passing
through and buying gas,
shopping at a convenience
store, or eating at a local res
taurant.
“It takes part of the bur
den off of the residents,” Mc
Neal said. If the tax referen
dum passes, the tax will be
imposed for a period of six
years and raise an estimated
$2,880,000 to fund capital
outlay projects. Also, if the
tax is approved, it will con
stitute approval of a general
obligation debt (bond) in
the amount of $1,090,000,
which will be immediately
available to the county and
its two municipalities and
repayable from the tax pro
ceeds. “This means this
amount will be available up
front, and we don’t have to
wait to see proceeds real
ized,” McNeal said.
Wheeler County,
which has a total annual
budget of approximately
$5.1 million, will receive
60% of the amount col
lected through the tax. The
county and the two munici
palities will each contribute
2% of their tax allocation
to the county’s recreation
program. Countywide, the
funds will be used for the
acquisition of new EMS
equipment; road, street,
and bridge purposes; reno
vation and improvement
of recreational facilities; ac
quisition of equipment for
the recreation department;
acquisition of equipment
for fire and rescue services;
acquisition of equipment
for the sheriff’s department;
and acquisition of sanitation
equipment.
The City of Glenwood,
which has an annual budget
of about $535,000, will re
ceive 20% of the taxes col
lected. The taxes will fund
renovation, improvement,
and expansion of water and
sewer facilities including
installation of fire hydrants;
road, street, and bridge
purposes; acquisition of
equipment for law enforce
ment and fire departments;
law enforcement and fire
department emergency ve
hicles; garbage and refuse
equipment and vehicles;
equipment for fire protec
tion and related fire and res
cue services; and renovation
and improvement of city
buildings.
The Mayor pointed
out, “Every county around
us has this tax, and when
Wheeler County residents
go to these other coun
ties, they pay a penny. Why
shouldn’t we get it when
they come here?”
Joiner emphasized that
SPLOST is earmarked for
capital outlay to fund proj
ects that rural communi
ties like Glenwood may not
be able to afford with the
tax, such as street paving,
extending water and sewer
services, and buying new
fire department vehicles.
“Sadly, a lot wouldn’t get
done without it,” the Mayor
said, noting that last week
SPLOST funds were used
at City Hall to purchase a
copy machine. He pointed
out, “Glenwood only gener
ates about $40,000 in ad va
lorem taxes annually. That is
not even enough to pay the
city’s utility bills.”
Joiner emphasized,
“This tax goes directly into
the community. Local gov
ernments have complete
control of how this money
is spent.”
The City of Alamo,
which has an annual budget
of approximately $1.6 mil
lion, will receive 20% of the
taxes collected. The taxes
will go for: road, street and
bridge purposes; acquisi
tion of equipment for law
enforcement and fire de
partments; acquisition of
law enforcement vehicles;
acquisition of garbage and
refuse equipment and vehi
cles; equipment for fire pro
tection and related fire and
rescue services; and reno
vation and improvement of
city buildings.
Alamo Mayor Pam Lee
said, “I encourage residents
to research SPLOST to
see how it can benefit the
community. I encourage
residents to vote for it. Ev
erybody reaps the benefits
of this tax.” She pointed out
that SPLOST has been used
in the City of Alamo for a
number of projects, includ
ing renovating and improv
ing East Side Park. “That
is what this tax is for, ad
dressing needs and making
improvements in the com
munity. This tax benefits ev
erybody”
Both the City of Glen
wood and the City of Ala
mo derived about $6,500
monthly — or around
$78,000 annually — from
the proceeds of the last
SPLOST referendum
passed in 2017. The funds
can be used only for capital
improvements, not for op
erations.
McNeal said the
SPLOST distribution oc
curs every six years, putting
the process for the upcom
ing referendum behind
schedule, with a distribu
tion, should the referendum
pass, occurring in 2024
rather than in 2023. He said
the last SPLOST allocated
a total of $477,773.78 for
2022. The amount allocated
per year varies because of
fluctuations in the sales tax
that is collected.
Commenting on
the fact that because the
SPLOST referendum is a
year behind schedule cost
ing the County and its mu
nicipalities a year’s-worth of
SPLOST funding, McNeal
said, “We just let it slide by.”
He said the County Clerk
was notified in February
by the Department of Rev
enue, which distributes the
funding, that the last cycle
of SPLOST funding alloca
tions would end in March.
“We just did not have time
to schedule a referendum
until November,” McNeal
said.
Early voting in Wheeler
County will continue at the
Registrar’s Office at 16 West
Forest Avenue, Suite 101 B
(multi-purpose center) in
Alamo from 9 a.m. until 5
p.m. daily until November
3. Absentee ballots may be
submitted until 7 p.m. No
vember 7. On November 7,
polling locations include:
Glenwood Civic Center on
5th Avenue, and the Multi-
Purpose Center in Alamo.
Polls will be open from 7
a.m. until 7 p.m.
From the Record
THE BLOTTER
These are the reported
arrests from the Toombs
County Sheriff's Office,
the Vidalia and Lyons
police departments,
and the Montgomery
County Sheriff's Office
for the past week.
Incidents are taken
directly from police
files. All suspects are
innocent until proven
guilty.
In Lyons...
In the October
11, 2023, Police Re
port, the City of Ly
ons reported Ma-
higoney D. Jones
and Melissa Arm
strong in error.
• Johnny C. Han
nan, of Vidalia, was
arrested on October
24 and charged with
Improper Display of
License Plate, No
Proof of Insurance,
Driving While License
Suspended or Re
voked (First), Warrant
Service.
• Daniel Contre
ras, of Lyons, was ar
rested on October
25 and charged with
Driving While Unli
censed.
• Jonathan Mi-
cheal Gillis, of Lyons,
was arrested on Oc
tober 26 and
charged with Head
light Requirements,
Driving While License
Suspended or Re
voked (First).
• Brian D. Cro-
nan, of Lyons, was
arrested on October
29 and charged with
Driving While Unli
censed.
• John David Bar-
wick, of Twin City,
was arrested on Oc
tober 29 and
charged with War
rant Service, Driving
While License Sus
pended or Revoked
(Third).
• Harold Zaron
Wright, of Lyons, was
arrested on October
30 and charged with
Criminal Trespass,
Possession of Meth-
amphetamines, Pos
session of Marijuana
Less Than Ounce,
Possession of Drug
Related Objects.
In Toombs
County...
• Jessica Aaron,
of Claxton, was ar
rested on October
22 and charged with
Failure to Appear-
Misdemeanor.
• Jorge Aguilar,
of Uvalda, was ar
rested on October
28 and charged with
Driving While License
Suspended or Re-
voked-Misd, Speed
ing in Excess of Maxi
mum Limits.
• Willie Brown, of
Vidalia, was arrested
on October 26 and
charged with Meth-
amphetamine-Pur-
chase, Possession,
Manf, Distribution,
Sale; Probation Vio
lation-Felony.
• Caleb Byrd, of
Lyons, was arrested
on October 27 and
charged with Simple
Battery.
• Johnathon
Carter, of Midway,
was arrested on Oc
tober 22 and
charged with Crimi
nal Trespass.
• Tracy Caswell,
of Lyons, was ar
rested on October
23 and charged with
Brake Lights and Turn
Signals, DUI-Alcohol
0.08 or Higher.
• Michael Ed
wards, of Lyons, was
arrested on October
26 and charged with
Riot in a Penal Institu
tion.
• Coy Maness, of
Ailey, was arrested
on October 27 and
charged with Failure
to Appear.
• Andy Martin, of
Uvalda, was arrested
on October 23 and
charged with Cru
elty to Children (1st
Degree).
• Crystal Martin,
of Uvalda, was ar
rested on October
23 and charged with
Cruelty to Children
(1st Degree).
• Destiny Mobley,
of Lyons, was ar
rested on October
27 and charged with
Simple Battery-FVA-2
counts.
• Walter Morales
Sanchez, of Char
lotte, NO, was ar
rested on October
23 and charged with
Speeding in Excess
of Maximum Limits,
Driving While Unli
censed.
• William Sparks,
Jr., of Mt. Vernon,
was arrested on Oc
tober 25 and
charged with TCDC-
Out of County Hold,
Failure to Appear.
• Johnathon
Watson, of Uvalda,
was arrested on Oc
tober 25 and
charged with Failure
to Appear.
In Montgomery
County...
No report avail
able.
In Vidalia...
• William Sparks,
of Mt. Vernon, was
arrested on October
25 and charged with
Bench Warrant (Vi
dalia PD).
• Joseph Griffen,
of Vidalia, was ar
rested on October
25 and charged with
Theft by Shoplifting.
• Cody Stickland,
of Claxton, was ar
rested on October
25 and charged with
Suspended License /
Speeding / Posses
sion of Marijuana /
Warrant Served
(Toombs County).
• Phillip Anthony
Smith, of Vidalia, was
arrested on October
25 and charged with
Theft by Shoplifting.
• Derick Jordan,
of Dublin, was ar
rested on October
26 and charged with
Speeding / Sus
pended License.
• Kaitlin Pre-
stridge, of Vidalia,
was arrested on Oc
tober 26 and
charged with Posses
sion of Methamphet-
amines / Possession
of Drug Related Ob
jects / Warrant
Served (Carroll
County).
• Jada Russell, of
Vidalia, was arrested
on October 26 and
charged with Theft
by Shoplifting.
• Natalie Parker,
of Vidalia, was ar
rested on October
26 and charged with
Forceful Obstruction.
• Elise Poole, of
Soperton, was ar
rested on October
29 and charged with
Theft by Shoplifting.
In Wheeler
County...
No report avail
able.
PAL Theatre Receives Grant For Renovations
Courtesy of the Vidalia
Convention & Visitors Bureau
The PAL Theatre is
one of 31 facilities through
out 23 counties who were
awarded a Cultural Facili
ties grant from the Geor
gia Council for the Arts, a
strategic arm of the Georgia
Department of Economic
Development, for fiscal year
2024. The Cultural Facili
ties grant supports the ac
quisition, construction, res
toration, or renovation of a
building to be used for arts
programming.
The grant invests $1.2
million in funding to vari
ous theatres and other facil
ities within the state. “These
grant dollars will allow arts
organizations in Georgia
to focus on their primary
mission to bring art and
cultural events to their com
munities by ensuring their
facilities are in good condi
tion,” Georgia Council for
the Arts Director Tina Lilly
explained. “Georgia Coun
cil for the Arts is excited
to help our arts communi
ties continue to foster eco
nomic and cultural vitality
by improving their facilities,
and we are grateful to the
Georgia General Assembly
for providing this support
to improve quality of life
across the state.”
Georgia Council for
the Arts received applica
tions from arts organiza
tions from across the state,
including performing arts
centers, museums, galler
ies, amphitheaters, and arts
classroom spaces. Cultural
Facilities grants are avail
able to arts organizations
for repairing, preserving,
or acquiring an arts facil
ity, or for purchasing equip
ment. The Council used
Peer Review Panels to judge
and review applications fol
lowing standard practices
set by the National Endow
ment for the Arts. Panelists
are GCA Council members
and fellow professionals
who are experienced in the
arts discipline or type of
grant being reviewed, or are
citizens with a record of arts
activities, experience, and
knowledge.
According to Vidalia
Convention & Visitors Bu
reau Executive Director
Alexa Britton, this fund
ing will be used to improve
seating within the PAL
Theatre. “This project is just
over $113,000.00 and we
were awarded $56,555.00.
The Vidalia Convention &
Visitors Bureau will provide
the matching funds out of
local accommodations tax
appropriated to the CVB,
so no local tax money will
be used for this,” she clari
fied. “The project includes
replacing the main floor
seating in the PAL Theatre
with new seats that will
very closely match the bal
cony seats; all the seats and
rows will be tagged; and the
main floor aisles and area in
between the stage and the
front row of seats will be
covered in carpet with aisle
lighting installed on both
sides.”
PAL Theatre Man
ager Michael Harden also
commented on the grant.
“We’re excited to make the
main floor section look as
good and be as comfortable
as the balcony,” he shared.
“Adding seat and row tags
and aisle lighting will pro
vide safer access to the the
atre and help patrons find
their seats, especially for
live events. We are so grate
ful for the generous support
from the Georgia General
Assembly and the Ameri
can Rescue Plan (ARP) to
fund Georgia Council for
the Arts grants. This is the
second time we have re
ceived the Cultural Facili
ties grant to help upgrade
our equipment in the PAL
Theatre. In 2021-22 we re
ceived this grant to help us
add new lighting and sound
equipment for live events
held in the theatre.”
The exact completion
date of the renovation has
not been shared, but pa
trons can expect to see the
changes in the near future.
About Georgia Council
for the Arts
Georgia Council for
the Arts (GCA) is a divi
sion of the Georgia Depart
ment of Economic Devel
opment whose mission is
to cultivate the growth of
vibrant, thriving Georgia
communities through the
arts. GCA provides grant
funding, programs, and
services statewide that sup
port the vital arts industry,
preserve the state’s cultural
heritage, increase tour
ism, and nurture strong
communities. Funding for
Georgia Council for the
Arts is provided by appro
priations from the Georgia
General Assembly and the
National Endowment for
the Arts. Visit www.gaarts.
org for more information.
About the Georgia
Department of Economic
Development
The Georgia Depart
ment of Economic Devel
opment (GDEcD) is the
state’s sales and marketing
arm, the lead agency for
attracting new business in
vestment, encouraging the
expansion of existing indus
try and small businesses,
align workforce educa
tion and training with in-
demand jobs, locating new
markets for Georgia prod
ucts, attracting tourists to
Georgia, and promoting the
state as a destination for arts
and location for film, music
and digital entertainment
projects, as well as planning
and mobilizing state re
sources for economic devel
opment. Visit www.georgia.
org for more information.