Some form of property tax relief could be headed to Liberty County property owners sooner than expected.

The state has enacted legislation that allows local governments to apply the one-cent sales tax collected through the FLOST, or floating local option sales tax, through June 30 to go toward property tax relief this year, instead of having to wait for an entire year of collections to be made.

“It won’t be the full year,” said county chief financial officer Samantha Richardson at the Chamber of Commerce’s State of the County luncheon.

FLOST proceeds can be used only to reduce the millage rate applied to property taxes. The millage rate will be reduced by the same amount needed to produce the same amount of money the FLOST raises. However, it does not prohibit government entities from raising millage rates otherwise.

Through May and the first five months, the county has collected more than $2.875 million in FLOST revenues.

“Every dollar that FLOST generates helps reduce financial pressure on taxpayers,” said county commission Chairman Donald Lovette. “This is a win for Liberty County.”

Lovette also praised what the one-cent special purpose local option sales tax, or SPLOST, has done for the county and what it could do in the future.

SPLOST helped make possible the new health department building, which also has state funding and was put on land donated by three local physicians.

“If there was ever a model of community collaboration,” Lovette said, “this is it.”

The county also is adding to many of its parks because of SPLOST, with new playground equipment at both Briar Bay and Jesse Stevens parks and a renovation of what Lovette called “a Liberty County showcase,” the Susie King Taylor Park on the Isle of Wight. That park also is getting support from Georgia Power, the Liberty County Historical Society, and the Liberty County Convention and Visitors Bureau.

County Administrator Joseph Mosley called Susie King Taylor Freedom Park the county’s parks’ “crown jewel,” and said more improvements are planned. The second phase calls for a raised walkway to be built through the wetlands and for an amphitheater that already is partially funded.

The third phase, Mosley said, will be a state permit to build a pier to go over Jones Creek. The county is looking for grants to help with the second and third phases of the park.

SPLOST also financed the soon-to-open EMS administration building, and the county has secured environmental permits for a marina and pier at Cattle Hammock on Colonel’s Island.

The county also is getting an independent assessment on the possibility of a new jail and its staffing requirements, Lovette said. A Georgia Sheriff ’s Association study called for a new jail, but a new county jail could cost close to $100 million.

“That’s a big-ticket item,” the chairman said.

The county also is looking at a number of road and transportation projects that are funded through SPLOST and the transportation special purpose local option sales tax, or TSPLOST.

Among the projects is the widening of Islands Highway to Brigdon Road, which will take the road to six lanes for a stretch.

“This is a heavy-lift project,” Mosley said, adding its price tag is expected to be $28 million.

Along with the Islands Highway widening, county engineer Trent Long has designed an inverted diamond for the Islands Highway/I-95 interchange, similar to the one at I-95 and Highway 21 in Port Wentworth.

Long said the county is requesting funding to replace the I-95 overpass at Highway 84 and Islands Highway. The county is working on traffic improvements on both sides of the span and has done a traffic impact analysis. The county also is pushing to have the bridge go from two lanes to four.

“We’ve got to have that coming along and we are actively seeking funding,” Long said.

The county also is looking at improving the lighting at exit 76. The current lighting there, Mosley said, is “horrible.”

“It’s almost nonexistent,” he added.

Better lighting at that interchange, Mosley said, could help draw tourists to stop here and help developers see the potential of that exit.

The county also is involved in constructing two roundabouts on Barrington Ferry Road. One, at Barrington Ferry’s intersection with Lewis Frasier Road and Highway 17, is a state-funded project. The projected cost is $4.1 million.

“You would be amazed at the traffic coming through there,” Mosley said.

A roundabout at Barrington Ferry and E.B. Cooper Highway is a locally- funded project and is expected to help traffic flow, Mosley said. Its cost is pegged at $3.5 million.

The county also is working on phase 2 of the Independence Parkway, the Hinesville bypass. The county has talked with the state Department of Transportation about funding for the scope of the next phase and it has been assigned a PI, or project identification, number. Phase 2 will connect the bypass to Highway 196 in the McIntosh area. The DOT has indicated a budget of $3-$5 million be established for scoping activities.

“This project will greatly ease traffic,” Mosley said. “This is something we’re trying to get moving and get it going.”

More growth on the way

Lovette said recent estimates put the county’s population at over 70,000, and a projection put that number at more than 71,000.

Last year, the county issued 733 building permits and completed 4,459 building inspections. There were more than 8,800 calls to EMS and more than 2,000 calls handled by the Liberty County Fire Department. The county also renewed 343 business licenses and issued 68 new business licenses.

In an effort to tackle blight, the county has made code enforcement a full-time position, a move that came out of the annual community retreat, Mosley said. The county also has adopted a new impact fee ordinance.

Lovette pointed to the planned Laurel View development, which will go east of I-95 and north of Islands Highway, adjacent to the Tradeport East business park, as a potential game-changer for the county. Developers are looking to build as many as 3,000 residential units on their 5,000-acre tract.

“This is huge for us,” Lovette said. “I can’t say enough about that development. The developer is being very thoughtful so we will all have access to riverfront properties.”

Liberty County remains the “jewel of the Coastal Empire,” Lovette added, and local leaders will start meetings soon to plan for projects to be funded through a SPLOST VIII, if passed by voters.

“Liberty County remains financially strong and well-positioned for the future,” he said. “We continue to invest in public safety, infrastructure, economic development and quality of life services while maintaining a responsible and disciplined approach to managing our resources.

“I offer to you the best political advice I ever received — stay focused. Stay focused on the potential that presents itself on our doorsteps to include a growing young population. Stay focused on the need for infrastructure that will determine the level of our future economic, commercial and residential growth. Stay focused on our successes and on the camaraderie among the government entities that has made them possible.”