Last week, Commissioner Andy Allen convened with the mayors of Summerville, Lyerly, Trion, and Menlo at the commissioner’s office to discuss the distribution of future funds from an upcoming sales tax referendum. The meeting comes as Commissioner Allen faces an urgent deadline to prepare for a crucial election scheduled for March 18, 2024, which could secure millions in funding for the county and its municipalities.

The current 1-cent Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST), approved by voters in 2019, is set to expire this year, making the upcoming referendum critical. Commissioner Allen stressed the importance of placing the sales tax measure on the March ballot instead of postponing it until November. “Waiting until November could cost us a year’s worth of revenue if the measure fails,” he stated, highlighting the potential fiscal implications for the county. Before the sales tax referendum can be finalized, local leaders must agree on how to allocate the funds generated from the tax. Currently, the distribution percentages have sparked debate among the municipalities.

Trion Mayor Lanny Thomas is  advocating for a per capita-based approach to ensure smaller towns receive a fair share of the revenue. Conversely, Summerville Mayor Harry Harvey defended the existing distribution, which allocates a larger percentage to Summerville, arguing that the town drives a significant portion of the county’s economic activity and provides essential services benefiting all residents.

As it stands, the current split of tax revenues is as follows: – County: 54.5% – Summerville: 27.5% – Trion: 10.5% – Lyerly: 3.75% – Menlo: 3.75% The discussion highlighted the ongoing challenge of balancing the needs of smaller municipalities with the economic contributions of larger towns.

As the March deadline approaches, local leaders will need to come to a consensus to ensure that the referendum moves forward and that Chattooga County secures the funding necessary for future projects and services.