BALDWIN, Ga. — Baldwin officials are considering a significant change to how Banks County SPLOST revenues are allocated within the city, with council members weighing a proposal that would sharply increase funding for water and wastewater projects while reducing or eliminating allocations for street improvements.
The discussion took place during a June 2 work session of the Baldwin City Council, where officials reviewed a Banks County SPLOST intergovernmental agreement and potential funding distribution changes tied to a possible November ballot measure.
Baldwin is split between Banks and Habersham counties, and the proposal discussed Tuesday applies only to SPLOST revenues generated from the Banks County portion of the city.
Mayor Doug Faust said the proposed SPLOST package, which has been discussed with Banks County Commission Chair Taylor Griffith, is expected to grow to approximately $23.8 million, marking a significant increase from previous cycles.
“That’s a substantial increase over where we were five years ago,” Faust said. “That would be very helpful for our public improvements.”
Under the city’s current allocation formula for Banks County SPLOST funds, revenues are divided evenly between water systems and parks at 40% each, with 20% directed to street improvements.
Faust said that structure may need to change due to long-term infrastructure needs, particularly related to the city’s water system and ongoing compliance requirements tied to a consent decree.
“It would be my suggestion that we consider changing reallocations to a higher percentage towards the water system, both water and wastewater,” Faust said.
He proposed adjusting the allocation to roughly 80% for water and wastewater projects, 10% for parks, and 10% for street improvements, though he noted the street percentage could be adjusted slightly higher based on feedback from the city engineer.
City Engineer Fletcher Holliday, who was not present due to vacation, was consulted separately, Faust said, and suggested street allocations may be better set closer to 15%.
Council members did not take action on the proposal but expressed differing views on how future funds should be prioritized.
Councilman Joe Elam said he supported reducing or eliminating street allocations entirely, citing the availability of transportation SPLOST funding at the county level.
“I’m fine with us cutting the allocation to streets,” Elam said. “I’m also actually a fan of us cutting it to a complete zero percent.”
Elam said he believes existing transportation funding streams are sufficient for roadwork needs but cautioned against making major water system commitments without additional review.
“I think we need to investigate that before we allocate a substantial amount of this money to water alone,” he said.
Councilman Mike Tope also supported shifting a greater share of funds toward water and wastewater infrastructure.
“I think the majority of life here needs to go to water and wastewater,” Tope said.
Faust said the city must provide feedback to Banks County before the next council meeting and asked staff to help evaluate whether existing transportation SPLOST revenues are sufficient to cover street maintenance needs.
“I think within our next meeting on the 16th that would be fine to come up with that,” Faust said.
He directed City Manager Tiera Morrison to coordinate with staff, including engineer Holliday and county representatives, to prepare a memo assessing whether transportation SPLOST funding could fully support street improvements currently covered under the city’s allocation.
The council is expected to revisit the proposal at its June 16 meeting as officials work toward a final recommendation to present to Banks County ahead of the November referendum.
