SPLOST V started at the strike of midnight

On March 31 at 11:59 pm, collections on Henry County SPLOST IV concluded. On April 1 at 12:00 am (if any 24/7 stores are left open in the county during this pandemic), the first penny towards Henry County SPLOST V was collected.

Merchants do not have to reprogram their cash registers. The local sales tax rate remains at seven percent. The successful continuation of SPLOST involved nine months of community meetings, led by a volunteer committee, and the prioritization of projects by county commissioners.

SPLOST V is estimated to collect $204 million dollars over a five-year period. The revenues will be spent to construct Henry County’s first aquatic center, two new fire stations in Ola and Flippen, four police precincts, park improvements and various transportation projects.

About the Process

Work towards the eventual passage of SPLOST V started in June 2018 when county commissioners approved creating the SPLOST V committee. The seven-member committee, comprised of citizen appointees from commissioners and the county manager, first met in July 2018.

The committee met for seventeen meetings strategically held throughout Henry County to interact with residents in their communities and gain their insights about project needs. The committee collaborated alongside county staff to present a fiscally-constrained project list in April 2019 for commissioners to consider.

In summer 2019, the Henry County Board of Commissioners held a rare joint meeting with the four municipalities to discuss SPLOST V. Commissioners placed the question on the ballot in August and the program passed at the ballot box in November — 8,601 votes yay to 7,696 votes no.

Construction continues on SPLOST IV projects

Though collections may be over for SPLOST IV, construction continues on several projects throughout the county. Active construction sites include the southwest segment of the McDonough Parkway (pictured above) and new turn lanes at SR 155 and Campground Road. A new signal at Simpson Mill and Hampton-Locust Grove Road is in the final stages before completion.

Intersection projects in the design phase include Mill at Mt. Carmel and SR 20 at Turner Church Road. Right of way acquisition is complete on two major roadway projects to build the north segment of the McDonough Parkway — connecting state routes 42 and 155 — and widening West Village Parkway in Fairview. Construction for both roadways is funded in SPLOST V.

For more information about SPLOST IV and the projects completed, check out our most recent detailed look at the program published in February.

SPLOST stands for Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax. The program is an optional local sales tax program available to Georgia counties to fund capital projects and transportation improvements.

Clayton Carte, founder of Moving Henry Forward, was appointed to the SPLOST V committee by county chair June Wood and selected by other committee members to serve as its committee chair.