Newspaper Page Text
SPLOST 5
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Not originally on the agenda for the
county commission's Thursday, Sept. 17
meeting, the SPLOST item was added
at the end of the meeting by Commis
sioner Don Hogan (At Large #1).
Reading from a written statement,
Hogan said, "Even though the plans for
one or more of the Level One County-
Wide projects may need to be reviewed
and revised in light of circumstances
beyond the control of Glynn County, it
is believed that sufficient proceeds have
been collected to date from SPLOST
5 to fund the three SPLOST 5 Level
One County-Wide projects according
to law, and I, therefore, move that any
SPLOST 5 proceeds received from the
State by Glynn County from this date
forward be distributed and allocated
to all qualified government recipients
according to the distribution method set
forth by law."
The three Level One Comity-Wide
projects according to the county's
SPLOST 5 list include the jail expan
sion, the Pate Building renovation and
the Office Park renovation.
According to the county commission,
Georgia SPLOST law requires these
three projects, since they are consid
ered "County-Wide," to be fully funded
before SPLOST funds are released to
the city.
The county had previously voted to
withhold the city's share of the SPLOST
5 money until a final design of the
county jail project was finished, so they
would know the final project cost.
It should be noted that while the
jail expansion is named as a Level
or Tier One County-Wide project on
the comity's SPLOST list as "Deten
tion Facilities," it was not specifically
named as such on the official SPLOST
ballot published by the Comity's Board
of Elections for the November 8, 2005
election.
Commissioner Tony Thaw (Dist. 3)
was the lone dissenting vote on Hogan's
motion to release the SPLOST money
to the city.
Thaw said, "I'd like to know where
we are building the jail and what the
cost is going to be so I can vote on this. I
just want to know what's going on."
Thaw then asked Comity Finance
Director Phyllis McNicoll how much
SPLOST 5 money was in the bank for
the jail.
Reviewing the SPLOST numbers,
McNicoll said the comity currently has
about $37.7 million on hand. Just over
$4 million has already been spent on
the jail. The SPLOST list shows a
detention facilities preliminary budget
of $9 million, but projected costs are
much higher.
According to the SPLOST list, the
Pate building project had a preliminary
budget of $2 million of which about
$250,000 has been spent. Apparently
the projected cost of the Pate project
has gone up because during the meet
ing it was stated that there is $5 million
in the bank for the project.
The balance of Pate project is includ
ed in the $37 million.
Finally, the Office Park building
renovation has been finished for the
preliminary budget cost of $1 million.
Thaw said, "I probably want to
release this money as much or more
than anyone. But we are reacting here
to the threat of a lawsuit by the city. I've
heard ten different plans, but I have no
final numbers on the jail and I was just
told this afternoon that I would have to
vote on this tonight."
Thaw said the comity would not
have purchased the land for the jail
expansion in the city block adjacent to
the existing jail if the city had not told
the comity they would abandon I St. to
the county for the project.
"That offer to abandon I St. was done
with a public vote in a public meeting,"
said Thaw, "Now they're saying it was a
non-binding vote and that the vote they
just took against the abandonment was
a binding vote. We can figure this out
in a couple of weeks. It's not our fault
we're in this position."
"I don't know what the plan is," said
Thaw, "and if someone will tell me what
it is, I'll be able to vote on it. But no one
has a plan and even though I'd love to
support this, I won't be able to."
Comity Administrator Charles Stew
art told the commission that, according
to new financial projections, SPLOST 5
is going to bring in about $100 million
over five years, which is $25 million
less than the originally expected $125
million.
Stewart said the three county-wide
projects had to be accomplished and
that while there was no current plan
for the jail, the estimated cost is $18
million.
Stewart said the city was to receive
23% of the SPLOST funds after the
County-wide projects are funded accord
ing to the agreement signed by the two
governments.
"There are questions that need to be
answered," said Stewart, "but it might
be in our best interest to start paying
the city their share now. At this point
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many projects won't be done at the level
they were budgeted due to the expected
short fall in the SPLOST collections."
Commissioner Howard Lynn (Dist.
4) was under the impression that the
jail money had to be spent at the down
town location, but was corrected by
County Attorney Aaron Mumford.
"We cannot take funds out to Pub
lic Works (a suggested alternate jail
expansion site) and spend the money
for the jail," said Lynn, "That would
have to be another SPLOST."
Commissoner Bob Coleman (At
Large 2) disagreed saying, "SPLOST
allocates $9 million for detention center
expansion, it does not specify where
the expansion must be."
Coleman asked Mumford if that was
correct.
Mumford said, "Yes, the (SPLOST)
referendum was for expansion of the
jail. It can be for another building at
another location as long as it is jail
expansion."
Lynn, like Thaw, wanted more
details. "I need an architect to tell us
what we need to renovate and expand
the existing jail and what it will cost,"
said Lynn, "Is it going to cost the $37
million? I have no problem releasing to
the city but this is not the city's money,
it's the taxpayers' money."
Hogan said the SPLOST money
would continue to come in and he was
satisfied that the county has enough of
the tax on hand in the $37 million to do
the County-wide projects.
Saying he wasn't aware of a city
lawsuit, Hogan said, "I'm not doing this
because of any lawsuit. Let's get this
thing settled."
Lynn asked, "Are we going to hold
the $37 million we have and the city
will get 23% of what comes in the
future?"
Hogan said, yes that was the way his
motion was worded.
"What happens if we come up short
at the end of the road," asked Lynn.
No one had an answer, but Hogan
said, "I don't think we will." □
Monkey Wrench
Continued from Page 1
local bank applied to have the property
rezoned commercial for a branch office
but was denied based on the amount of
traffic a bank with drive-through win
dows would generate.
One of the concerns has always been
traffic and the fact that the entrance to
the lot is very close to the traffic light at
Barnes Plantation.
In addition, the homeowner in the
house to the north of the lot was opposed
to the bank.
The driveway into the house is right
on the property line and both pieces of
property would have to share the drive
way for access.
Apparently Beaufait worked with
the neighbor to the north and they
have come to terms on sharing the
driveway.
In addition, Glynn County Commu
nity Development Department staff
stated that the bicycle shop would gen
erate less traffic than a bank.
Beaufait's proposal is for a mixed use
project that would include the bicycle
shop, other small shops or offices and
residential as Beaufait intend's to live
in the building. The first floor of the two
story building will be limited to access,
storage and parking.
On August 18 the Island Planning
Commission (IPC) voted to recommend
approval with some additional stipula
tions to Beaufait's Planned Develop
ment (PD) text.
The IPC limited the operating hours
to 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m.
They deleted a number of uses from
the PD text and specifically eliminated
restaurant from the permitted uses.
Also, no "changeable message signs
will be allowed inside the building.
The site does not include a loading
zone, which was a bone of contention
with the IPC. So it was decided that
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