Politics & Government
Grayson, Loganville, Each Get More Than $1 Million from Gwinnett SPLOST
The city-county agreement approved Tuesday spells out how funds would be divvied up if the Gwinnett SPLOST passes in November.
By Patch Editor Steve Burns
Gwinnett County voters have yet to have their say -- that will come on Nov. 5. But an agreement between county and cities officials approved Tuesday (Aug. 6) already determines how funds from a 2014 SPLOST would be divided. The City of Grayson would get $1.3 million in SPLOST funds and the City of Loganville would be in line for $1.2 million.
The big numbers: 78.9 percent of the possible $498 million yield from the 1 percent sales tax would go to Gwinnett County. About 21.1 percent would go to the cities, with some going to the state for administrative costs. But Gwinnett Commission Chairman Charlotte Nash acknowledged Tuesday that the actual yield could be less.
But how would the 2014 monies be divided per city? The answer -- by a formula based on population.
According to the intergovernmental agreement, each city's total yield would be based on this ratio: the population of each city relative to to the total population of all incorporated areas within Gwinnett County. Yes, that means the largest cities get the most funds.
So here are the estimated yields for each city:
Gwinnett County voters have yet to have their say -- that will come on Nov. 5. But an agreement between county and cities officials approved Tuesday (Aug. 6) already determines how funds from a 2014 SPLOST would be divided. The City of Grayson would get $1.3 million in SPLOST funds and the City of Loganville would be in line for $1.2 million.
The big numbers: 78.9 percent of the possible $498 million yield from the 1 percent sales tax would go to Gwinnett County. About 21.1 percent would go to the cities, with some going to the state for administrative costs. But Gwinnett Commission Chairman Charlotte Nash acknowledged Tuesday that the actual yield could be less.
But how would the 2014 monies be divided per city? The answer -- by a formula based on population.
According to the intergovernmental agreement, each city's total yield would be based on this ratio: the population of each city relative to to the total population of all incorporated areas within Gwinnett County. Yes, that means the largest cities get the most funds.
So here are the estimated yields for each city:
Auburn: $109,000; Berkeley Lake: $1 million; Braselton: $1.5 million; Buford: $5.9 million; Dacula: $2.3 million; Duluth: $14.5 million; Grayson: $1.3 million; Lawrenceville: $14.9 million; Lilburn: $6.7 million; Loganville: $1.2 million; Norcross: $7.8 million; Peachtree Corners: $19.9 million; Rest Haven: $16,640; Snellville: $9.5 million; Sugar Hill: $9.7 million; Suwanee: $8 million.
However, the cities have decided to devote 65 percent of their collective take to transportation. So 35 percent of each city's yield would go to other projects.
Nash said that this is the toughest economy under which Gwinnett has launched a SPLOST program since it began in the 1980s.
"Our situation lags what happens in the general economy," the chairman said. She noted that even though the housing market may be rebounding, that may not make a difference in what an average family sees in income.
Also, Nash explained that county officials decided on a three-year program (the current one is five years) because "a shorter time period allows us to be more concrete."
Read the entire city-county SPLOST agreement here.
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