When Henry County voters head to the polls on November 5, they will be asked to renew the county’s local sales tax for capital projects. The SPLOST V program is estimated to collect $204 million over five years if approved.
Henry County is forecast to receive $155,872,694 in SPLOST V collections. To learn more about how the cities plan to spend their $48.1 million in collections, visit our city projects post.
$44,700,063 is budgeted for quality of life projects, representing 28.7% of the county’s funding. Projects include the following:
- aquatic center – $22 million
- seed money for two recreation centers for Boys & Girls Club – $2 million
- Nash Farm improvements (district II) – $3,291,315
- recreation center (district II) – $6 million
- park improvements (district III) – $1,525,624
- Heritage Park senior center / park improvements (district III) – $1 million
- McDonough library improvements (district III) – $100,000
- new park and park improvements (district IV) – $7,783,124
- park improvements (district V) – $1 million
The proposed aquatic center is the single largest project in the SPLOST V program, representing over ten percent of the overall collections. The decision to include an aquatic center in the program was made late in the project selection process, added this summer as commissioners called for the referendum.
Not much is known about the proposed venue, other than it is to be located near I-75. The facility would be county-owned and operated with Henry County assuming all operational expenses and liabilities associated with the facility. Commissioners have referenced the Cherokee County Aquatic Center, pictured above, as one possible venue to model its design.
Likewise, seed money for two recreation centers for use by the Boys & Girls Club was added to the program this summer by commissioners. Last week, the board of commissioners approved a memorandum of understanding and annual payment of $150,000 to start a Boys & Girls Club out of the old Henry County Middle School in McDonough.
The SPLOST V program also includes funds for improvements at Nash Farm Park, a new recreation center in district II, improvements at the Heritage Senior Center and McDonough Library, a new park in district IV, and unspecified park improvements in three of the five commission districts. District I in southern Henry County omitted qualify of life projects from its list, devoting one-hundred percent of district funds to transportation projects.
Early voting is happening now at five locations throughout the county. For more information about Election Day and what’s on the ballot, visit our Elections web page.
Be sure and visit any of the articles linked below for more details about individual projects proposed in the SPLOST V program:
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