Spalding County approves $78.77 million FY2027 budget, sets November LHOST referendum
The Spalding County Board of Commissioners approved a $78.77 million Fiscal Year 2027 budget on July 8, 2026, in a 5-0 vote, and authorized a request for a November 2026 LHOST tax-relief referendum on a 4-1 vote. The actions came during an extraordinary session that also cleared sidewalk construction bids, condemnation resolutions for easements, and several administrative contracts.
Budget and tax relief
The FY27 Budget Ordinance passed 5-0 at $78.77 million. The board separately authorized a request for a November 2026 LHOST referendum, which passed 4-1. LHOST and FLOST tax-relief options had been discussed at a July 7 work session. The board also approved the FY27 Public Defender contract at $560,472.64 in a 5-0 vote, and approved a SPLOST Resolution and Intergovernmental Agreement 5-0. A proposed SPLOST project list was discussed at the work session but the referendum details are not specified in the available record.
Sidewalk projects
The board approved two sidewalk bids, both from Piedmont Paving, in 5-0 votes: North Hill Street at $962,776.63 and Spalding Street at $936,532.23. Four condemnation resolutions for sidewalk easements also passed 5-0. Both sidewalk bids had been discussed at the July 7 work session before final approval on July 8.
Other approvals
The board approved surplus equipment disposal 5-0 and named Chairman Davis as the NACO Voting Delegate on a 4-1 vote. The board also approved entering executive session 4-0 during the July 7 work session.
Work session discussions
At the July 7 work session, commissioners discussed potential sales tax options for property tax relief, sidewalk improvements via T-SPLOST, a transition plan for countywide curbside waste collection, and surplus equipment disposal. A separate special called meeting the same day covered long-term funding cycles, county-owned parcels for potential sale or redevelopment, and a Budget Week scheduled for March 30 – April 3, 2026. No votes were recorded from that special meeting in the provided summary.
Naming Committee and Board of Assessors
The Spalding County Naming Committee was scheduled to meet July 14, 2026, at 4:00 PM in the Courthouse Annex, 119 E Solomon Street, Room 108, Griffin, GA, to discuss naming of the Heritage Park Event Center. Minutes were not yet published as of the available record.
The Board of Assessors met July 13 to consider disabled veteran homestead exemption applications for Douglas Chamberlain, Robert Williams, and Kathy Walden (2026) and Stephen Hovis, Emory Thomas, and Rodney Denney (2025). The agenda also listed new Conservation Use Valuation Assessment applications for Larry & Kathy Parker (23.92 acres) and William Jr & Kelly Smith (25.04 acres), renewals for Mactor M LLC (45.16 acres and 4.99 acres), and submission of the 2026 Tax Digest file to the Tax Commissioner by July 15, 2026. Minutes were not yet published.
Coming up
No upcoming meetings are listed for the next 14 days in the provided record.