Forsyth County schedules 10 public meetings on SPLOST projects

Forsyth County has put 10 public meetings on the calendar to show residents what a proposed SPLOST continuation could buy, from widening McFarland Parkway and McGinnis Ferry Road to repairing Big Creek Greenway and improving Lake Lanier water infrastructure. The county’s pitch is built around drop-in public input, with no formal presentation and no requirement that residents attend the meeting for their own district.

The open houses ran from July 24 through Oct. 14 and were held at Cumming Library, Brandywine Elementary School, Mashburn Elementary School, Sharon Forks Library, Forsyth Central High School, East Forsyth High School, Post Road Library, Settles Bridge Elementary School, Hampton Park Library and Big Creek Elementary School. County officials said each of the five commissioners would host two sessions, one daytime and one evening, and residents could show up at any point during the meeting window regardless of where they live.

The project list is still subject to change, but the county’s materials make clear where the money would go if voters approve the ninth consecutive SPLOST program. Roads and sidewalks would receive the largest county share at 34.06 percent, followed by parks and recreation at 20.78 percent. Fire Department needs and water and sewer projects would each get 18.07 percent, the sheriff’s office would get 6.02 percent and the radio system would get 3.01 percent.

For commuters and fast-growing neighborhoods, that breakdown translates into concrete work. County materials list McFarland Parkway widening, McGinnis Ferry Road widening, Longstreet Church Road improvements, the Elmo Road at Bannister Road project, the Jot Em Down Road multi-use trail, Kelly Mill Road sidewalk work and other resurfacing, intersection, signal and trail projects. In District 1, Kerry Hill has identified the Bannister Road area as a top priority, and county materials say the bypass roadway there would be funded through SPLOST IX with bond financing helping move it faster.

The county also pointed to public safety and parks projects residents would notice quickly: a Fire Department training facility, sheriff’s office vehicles, Sharon Springs Park renovation, Big Creek Greenway repairs, Denmark Park development, Coal Mountain Dog Park, Midway Park and LanierLand Park. Water and sewer projects under review include implementation of the capital improvement plan, along with Lake Lanier raw water intake and other water system improvements.

County Manager David McKee said the SPLOST program has funded critical public safety, transportation, parks and other capital improvements since voters first approved it in 1987. The county says continuing the 1 percent sales tax would keep those projects moving without bonds, millage-rate increases or other revenue streams that could add more pressure on taxpayers, a question that lands squarely in a county that has grown to an estimated 280,096 residents as of July 1, 2024, up 11.5 percent from the 2020 census base of 251,285.

The county also launched an audio podcast mini-series with McKee, Sheriff Ron Freeman, Fire Chief Barry Head, Assistant County Manager Barry Lucas, Assistant County Manager Tony Tarnacki, Chief Financial Officer Brian Clark, Engineering Director John Cunard, Parks and Recreation Director Kirk Franz and Chamber of Commerce Vice President of Economic Development Alex Warner. Together with the meetings and survey, the effort is aimed at forcing a simple public question: which roads, parks, public safety facilities and utility projects Forsyth wants built next, and how quickly.