LOST talks MIA: Albany, Dougherty County have no meetings scheduled to discuss extension of penny sales tax

ALBANY — With a unanimous vote last week, the Dougherty County Commission sent the local-option sales tax ball back into the court of Albany elected officials.

Now the clock is ticking during the busy holiday period and a deadline of Dec. 30 for reaching an agreement on the division of the 1% sales tax looms. If the two sides don’t reach a deal before that time, collections of the tax that has helped provide property tax relief for all county residents for several decades will cease.

That, in turn, will throw into chaos the city and county governments’ budgets, as that sales tax money is included in their spending plans that extend through June 30, 2023. If no agreement is reached, the $17 million in annual collections would be forfeited.

Since the county’s latest response to a proposal from the city, the Albany City Commission has not discussed the issue, and as of Thursday had not scheduled a meeting on the topic, Ward I City Commissioner Jon Howard said.

The city’s proposal was keeping the same split of 60% for the city, 40% for the county, for the first five of the 10 years of the extension and then increasing the city’s share by 1% each year for the final five years.

The Dougherty County Commission rejected that proposal a week ago in a meeting during which that was the only agenda item and lasted only a few minutes.

“No,” Howard said of any discussions set for looking at a new proposal. “He, the city manager (Steven Carter), just sent us an email today (Wednesday) saying that, as of today there’s 24 cities that have not reached an agreement. But other than that, that was about it.”

The other counties listed as not having completed the process in Carter’s email included Ben Hill, Bleckley, Catoosa, Chatham, Douglas, Fulton, Irwin, Jackson, Lumpkin, Newton, Paulding, Richmond, Spalding, Tift, Turner, Walker and Wilcox.

Howard, the longest-serving local elected official in the county, said this LOST negotiation was among the toughest battles he’s seen the two governments engage in since he took office in 1984.

The county walked out of a mediation session two weeks ago, he said, and since then there has been no further negotiations of which he is aware.

“My honest opinion: You’ve got six elected officials from the county and you’ve got six elected officials from the city, plus the two chairmen,” he said. “I was hoping we could put our heads together and work this out. From my view of things, we should be able to hash it out before the deadline.

“It seems like nobody wants to extend the olive branch, and now we’re between a rock and a hard place.”

Other city officials, including Mayor Bo Dorough and Ward IV Commissioner Chad Warbington, have pointed out that Albany officials have made three counter proposals, each coming closer to the county’s position, only to be rebuffed.

The city’s youngest Commissioner, Jalen Johnson, said his eyes have been opened a bit through the process.

The two governments had extended negotiations that ended in October with an agreement on a separate sales tax, the special-purpose local option sales tax (SPLOST), that left the division at the same rate of 64% for the city and 36% for the county.

“I would have thought there would have been a streamlined process,” the Ward II commissioner said. “It was a shock to me.

“It’s been an excruciating process going back and forth with our county counterparts.”

For Johnson, like other city commissioners, the case would seem to be simple: The city has the bulk of the population in the county and provides more services.

For their part, county commissioners have pointed out that the county has no money-generating services, like city utilities, and is much more dependent on property taxes. The county also fulfills expensive, constitutionally mandated duties, including operating the jail and courts that, likewise, are not money generators.

Johnson said he hopes the two sides can work out a commonsense agreement before the deadline, which will be the best outcome for the people the two governments serve.

“I think this shows that Dougherty County is a case study for consolidation,” he said.

Since its latest vote on the issue, the county has not discussed any additional meetings or negotiations, District 4 County Commissioner Clinton Johnson said.

“We’re still asking for 60-40,” he said. “They’re asking for 70-30, (through) a gradual, five-year change. We are set at 60-40. We think it’s fair; we think it’s equitable in the times we face.”

Clinton Johnson also addressed a criticism lobbed at the county, that its spending priorities for the LOST include community projects including the Flint RiverQuarium, Albany Civil Rights Institute, Chehaw Park & Zoo and the Thronateeska Heritage Center.

“One of their statements was that if we have money to give back to the people, why do we need money to fund our government?” he said. “Those organizations are drivers of tourism. They’re good for the community.”

While the county held firm on the 64-46 formula on SPLOST, it did agree to provide an additional $3.5 million to help fund the city’s stormwater/sewage separation project, District 6 County Commissioner Anthony Jones said, and it agreed to provide that amount “off the top” during the first two years of collections over the six-year life of the extension.

Likewise, the county is holding firm on its ask for the LOST, he said.

“We’re open for negotiations at 60-40,” Jones said. “At the end of the day, why can’t we do a 60-40 like we’ve always done? It’s not a game-changer. All we’ve got to do is get the deal done. We have to have this done by no later than the 30th. It’s in the city’s court.”

Jones said he hopes a deal can be reached in the four days after the Christmas vacation, and that doing so will be in the interests of all of the elected officials’ constituents.

“It’s a sad day in Albany-Dougherty County that we’re in the 11th hour and don’t have a deal,” he said.

File Photo: Alan Mauldin

Staff Photo: Alan MauldinAlanMauldin[email protected]
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File Photo: Carlton Fletcher