COVINGTON, Ga. — Newton County commissioners Wednesday added to projects already recommended for funding with SPLOST proceeds for the next six years as they worked to complete a list they will present to voters on the Nov. 8 ballot.
In a sometimes heated discussion, the Board of Commissioners agreed they wanted county officials to find ways to finance the completion of renovations to the former Cousins School complex and give money to the 278 Community Improvement District and the nonprofit Newton Trails organization — in addition to about $82 million in infrastructure and public safety projects an advisory committee recommended be done with sales tax collections if voters approve them on the Nov. 8 ballot.
Commissioners also agreed to offer the cities 20% of the sales tax proceeds collected over six years as part of negotiations for an intergovernmental agreement.
County attorney Aaron Meyer said the Board must complete negotiations with the cities over the split of the proceeds, approve an intergovernmental agreement (IGA) with them and choose the final projects for funding by July 19.
He said the Board will have to wait until an election date in 2023 — close to when the 1% sales tax will stop being collected — if it misses the deadline.
Officials with the county's six cities said they needed 24% based on the extra strain placed on city services and infrastructure because much of the county's governmental services and private retail offerings are located within city limits.
If divided according to the 2020 census population split between the cities and unincorporated county, the county would receive 82.73% and the six cities would divide 17.27% of the proceeds.
Commissioners J.C. Henderson and Ronnie Cowan said they wanted to add $10 million to the list for renovation of the former R.L. Cousins School.
"I'd rather see us take care of what we've got than to build something new," Cowan said.
Suggestions for financing the Cousins work, included $10 million to $15 million in bond financing which could be paid off with 2023 SPLOST proceeds earmarked for debt service, said county Finance Director Brittany White.
However, the Board could only use SPLOST funds for repayment for four years — after which the county would have to pay more than $1 million annually from its General Fund, White said.
A mix of governmental, quasi-governmental and nonprofit groups occupy parts of the building and a former band building, including the Georgia Department of Driver Services, county Emergency Management Agency, Court-Appointed Special Advocate (CASA), and Keep Newton Beautiful.
The county had rented the gym on the 27.4-acre site and space in the 65-year-old building for years before the Board bought it for $1.198 million in March 2020.
At the time, the renovation cost of the 71,700-square-foot building was estimated at $8.7 million and was considered a cheaper alternative to finishing the top floor of the Newton County Administration Building, according to minutes of a Feb. 4, 2020, meeting.
Henderson said he believed projects like the Cousins renovation were needed to convince voters to approve the SPLOST renewal for another six years. The county told residents that the facility would be renovated when it was purchased in 2020, he said.
"Let's do projects we've committed to," Henderson said.
Henderson also suggested using $5 million in reserve funds to complete the work — which Interim County Manager Jarvis Sims advised against doing.
He also asked the Board to consider finding more money to install a public swimming pool in the Cousins complex as an alternative to adding $6 million requested by District 2 Commissioner Demond Mason for an aquatic center not recommended by the advisory committee.
However, special projects consultant Jeff Prine of Ascension Program Management said he did not believe a pool could be included in the amount already suggested for the Cousins renovation.
In answer to a question from Mason, advisory committee member Jeff Terrell told commissioners the panel did not include a $6 million request for the aquatic center in its recommendation because members did not believe it would be an adequate amount for its construction. The available money was needed in other areas, Terrell said.
Mason, however, said taxpayers wanted an aquatic center, and other projects also were not fully funded in the SPLOST recommendations "if we're going to use that as a measuring tool."
He said some “seed money” could be included to begin work on the project and asked other commissioners about the possibility of taking some funding from recommended projects like the Westside Community Park because it was planned for an unspecified part of the county's west side.
District 3 Commissioner Alana Sanders — who has worked to negotiate a location and funding for the park project — defended the recommended allotment of $10.27 million and placement of it in her northwest Newton district because of a lack of recreational facilities in the county's most densely populated area.
After the meeting, Sims said the SPLOST Advisory Committee "did a fantastic job of providing a list to the Board of Commissioners that will improve our community’s infrastructure, public safety and quality of life."
"To take that well-thought-out list another step forward, the Board requested Wednesday for me to bring back to them how we can add $10 million for the renovations of Cousins School."
He said he was "working on presenting a way to bring this important and impactful project to life" as well as "accommodate the other projects such as Hwy. 278 CID and Newton Trails."
An earlier version of this story incorrectly identified the proposed Westside Community Park project.
