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The Brunswick City Commission approved a list of projects for the upcoming SPLOST referendum.
If approved by voters in the November general election, the 1% sales tax will be implemented for up to six years.
The county proposes a six-year tax that would generate $170 million at the current rate of sales tax collection.
In the event of an economic downturn, a second tier of SPLOST project costing $130 million would take effect.
The total SPLOST pot is divided among the city, Glynn County, Brunswick-Glynn County Joint Water and Sewer Commission, Jekyll Island Authority, Glynn County Airport Commission and Brunswick-Glynn Economic Development Authority.
The city’s cut is $37.4 million in the upper tier and $28.6 million in the lower tier. Find this article on thebrunswicknews.com to see the full SPLOST project list.
Mayor Cosby Johnson called it a “smart and focused” list that would serve city residents well.
He noted that the city will receive 22% of the SPLOST revenue, more than the county is required to allocate to the city. The legal requirement is that the city receive a percentage equal to the population of the county living within city limits. Currently that is around 19%.
Commissioner Julie Martin said feedback from the public, both city and county residents, has been positive and that she’s hopeful it will pass.
Because accountability is a major priority for the city, the administration will take three special measures to make sure the public is kept abreast of SPLOST progress.
The city finance department will provide a report to the commission and the public laying out SPLOST finances and project progress each quarter. The city will hold meetings for a comprehensive overview of where all projects stand twice annually. The city also will appoint a dedicated contact who will be available to the public to answer questions about SPLOST projects quickly.
Commissioners approved the proposal unanimously.
Commissioners also voted to approve a contract with the county formalizing the SPLOST arrangement.
The contract states that all SPLOST revenue must be held in separate accounts and audited annually and that projects must be “substantially completed” in five years, said city attorney Brian Correy.
In other business, city commissioners voted to deny a conditional use permit that would allow a portable building sales lot – Outdoor Storage Solutions – at 2120 Newcastle St.
Joe Stalvey, owner of Outdoor Storage Solutions, told The News last week that he wanted to use the property as a portable building sales lot. Stalvey doesn’t own the property. The owner is listed as 82 LLC in county property records, but Stalvey said the person behind it is local.
City Planning Manager John Hunter recommended commissioners approve the application on the condition that a fence along the back of the property be left in place with something added to screen the business from the adjacent residential area.
Hunter noted that Stalvey said the property would have no limit on the number of portable buildings on-site at a time, but that it would never be more than 20. All would be assembled buildings.
If the commission approved a conditional use permit, it would apply only to Stalvey’s business.
The city’s Planning and Appeals Commission voted unanimously to recommend approval but with added conditions.
“Our board was very concerned about the impact this would have on the gateway of our community,” said Lance Sabbe, chairman of the planning commission.
Sabbe said the planning commission was divided on the compatibility of the business with the city’s comprehensive plan, which is why he felt the five-year expiration date was important. The owner would have to go through the same process to get the permit renewed.
“We don’t want to discourage new businesses,” Sabbe said. “But the concept on the table, though, is if this is the right location for this business.”
City Manager Regina McDuffie said she did not concur with Hunter’s recommendation.
“I do not feel this location is proper for that type of business as much as I advocate for new business in the city,” McDuffie said.
Portable shed lots are typically found in rural or outlying areas, she said, adding that she did not think it was conducive to the development of a downtown area.
Cason pointed out the large, concrete skeleton of a building that sits just a few blocks down to illustrate that there are “a lot more distasteful things” on the Newcastle corridor. He questioned how much the business would hurt the city’s gateway.
“Putting another unsightly establishment there would not be complementary to the area and would not help solve the problem,” McDuffie responded
City residents Mary K. Henning, Rosemarie Mann and Tyler Vaughn opposed the application. Henning acknowledged the derelict concrete building and the Academy Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant but said the business would only make a bad situation worse.
“It is not in tune with all the other businesses that are going up in Brunswick,” Henning said.
Jack Daniel, another city resident, echoed their sentiment. The city has a great deal of natural beauty but has failed to capitalize on that beauty, he said.
“The real challenge is trying to keep it from getting worse,” he said. “We have some of the most scenic riverfront junkyards I’ve ever seen.”
Another city resident, Elizabeth Verheyn, built on that, saying that unattractive businesses like this will only attract more.
Glynn Environmental Coalition Executive Director Rachael Thompson said her organization supports the redevelopment of formerly blighted properties but said an environmental covenant restricts residential developments due to the chemicals contaminating the site. She asked for an opportunity to examine the documentation of the site if the developer intends to disturb the ground by burying water lines or other construction.
Cason made a motion to approve the permit, which failed due to a lack of a second.
Martin followed with a motion to deny, which passed without opposition.
Johnson said he hoped to work with Stalvey to find a different location for his business.
Commissioners also voted to approve a contract with the Georgia Department of Corrections for an inmate labor detail from a prison facility in Alma. The labor detail handles groundskeeping in the city’s three cemeteries – Oak Grove, Palmetto and Greenwood.
The total cost to continue using prison labor for another year is $95,518, according to city documents.
Along with the Corrections Department contract price of $49,318, the city also pays $20,700 in fees for the use, fuel and maintenance of a department-owned van and $25,500 for new lawn care equipment and the fuel to operate it.
While taking the task in-house would save money, City Engineer Garrow Alberson recommended keeping the inmate labor crews.
“The cemetery has gone down quickly in the two weeks they’ve not been here,” Alberson said. “It’s easy to see how quickly it gets out of hand with rain like we’ve had. Going back to the inmate crew would be a quicker fix.
“If this were approved, we could sign the contact … and they’d be back on Monday.”
Public Works already has six openings and is not getting many applications, he continued, so there’s no telling how long it would take to fill the positions.
Johnson asked Alberson to stay on top of the situation, noting the city may be able to cut down on travel costs by getting inmate crews from a closer facility in Waycross.
• Sign an emergency debris removal contract with Ceres Environmental Services. The city would only pay out if the contract is activated during a major storm or hurricane, McDuffie said.
• Sign an emergency debris removal monitoring services contract with Goodwyn, Mills and Cawood, Inc. It would not go into effect unless activated along with the debris removal contract.
Replacement of Vehicles, Equipment, and Infrastructure Upgrades
Mary Ross Park Development Project
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Brunswick plans to install a new pedestrian and bike bridge over the marsh along U.S. 17, courtesy of a Georgia Department of Transportation grant.
Saturday’s long-overdue ribbon cutting ceremony for the Glynn County Animal Services building will be a family affair.
A local collaboration that brings early learning resources to Glynn County youth recently earned recognition for its outstanding community-based efforts.
Tourism in the Golden Isles continues to set records, but the pace is slowing as the nation continues to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.
The municipal government wants Brunswick to be a pet-friendly city but not at the expense of the town’s cleanliness.
Lora Pavlenko never believed Russia would invade her county.
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