Wheeler Officials Meet About SPLOST
In a special called meeting on March 20, the Wheeler County Commission, members of the Alamo City Council, Alamo City Attorney Russell Clark, and Glenwood Mayor G.M. Joiner, met at the Wheeler County Service Center in Alamo to consider proposing a new Special Local Option Sales Tax for 2024. The measure will be presented to county voters in a referendum in November.
County Commission Chair Keith McNeal convened the session at which Wheeler County Attorney Perry Avery advised officials of the purpose of the meeting. City and county representatives discussed the percentage of allocations each government entity would receive if the referendum is approved by voters.
A handout for 2011 and 2017 SPLOST distributions revealed that for these years Wheeler County was allocated 58% of the revenue collected; the City of Alamo received 18%; the City of Glenwood received 18%; and the County Recreation Department was allocated 6% of the total (assessed at 2% each per the county and the two municipalities). The county uses the funds for the courthouse, jail, roads, emergency medical service and fire and rescue. The funds can be used only for capital improvements, not for operations.
During the session, the Wheeler County Commission voted to adopt these same percentages for the 2024 SPLOST, while the City of Alamo, which met Monday night in a regular session, deferred a vote on the measure. The City Council of Glenwood will not meet again to take formal action on the matter until April 4.
McNeal said the SPLOST distribution occurs every six years, putting the process for the upcoming referendum behind schedule, with a distribution, should the referendum pass, occurring in 2024 rather than 2023.
