The Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners recently approved the allocation of more than $759 million in 2023 SPLOST program revenue, most of which will go toward transportation and parks projects.
Transportation projects include upgrades to major roads and intersections, bridges, road resurfacing, residential speed control and school safety. Roughly 73% of the 2023 Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax funds will go toward these projects.
A 15-member Citizens Project Selection Committee developed the project list over the course of 10 meetings held since late 2022.
Commissioners allocated more than $97 million of budgeted funds for new trails, parks, park expansions, renovations and cultural and natural resource protections. The Recreation Authority prioritized these projects through updates to the parks and recreation master plan.
“The long-term benefits of SPLOST will support our growing population and address Gwinnett’s infrastructure demands,” said Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners Chairwoman Nicole Love Hendrickson. “The projects the Board approved today are well thought out and equitable, and they leverage the County’s history of fiscal stewardship. I applaud the members of our Transportation Citizens Project Selection Committee and Recreation Authority for their time and efforts to ensure Gwinnett County continues to make strategic investments in our future.”
In November 2022, Gwinnett County voters approved the renewal of the one-cent SPLOST for another six years, through March 2029. An oversight committee of residents will monitor the program’s progress, audited annually.
The county’s public safety, senior services, animal shelter and fleet management are expected to receive 15% of the funds, while more than $12.5 million will be used for renovations to the courts inside the Gwinnett Justice and Administration Center in Lawrenceville.
SPLOST pays for much of Gwinnett County’s capital projects not funded by revenues generated from other taxes or charges for services. Since 2001, for instance, the city of Suwanee has received nearly $50 million from SPLOST for numerous capital projects. Notable current projects include the in-progress Town Center on Main and the DeLay Nature Park.
Phase 1 of the new Sugar Hill Greenway, a planned 16.5-mile trail system connecting the community, cost about $5 million to complete. Sugar Hill City Council member Mason Roszel said almost all of that funding came from SPLOST. The city plans to tap SPLOST funds for future phases as well.
The 2023 SPLOST program is expected to raise $1.35 billion over the next six years. Cities would receive about 25% of the funds collected. Since 1985, a series of voter-approved SPLOST programs have raised more than $4 billion.
While SPLOST provides funding for capital projects to the county government and all 16 cities, the Education Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax, or E-SPLOST, provides funding to Gwinnett County Public Schools and Buford City Schools. Gwinnett voters approved a renewal of E-SPLOST in 2020. The most recently approved E-SPLOST program will run until 2027.
