Commissioners voted Tuesday night to proceed with plans to call for a Floating Local Option Sales Tax (FLOST) on the November ballot.
The Floating Local Option Sales Tax (FLOST) is a new sales tax which can be levied up to one percent and collected county-wide.
The board agreed to proceed with negotiations for an intergovernmental agreement with both Blackshear and Patterson. The agreement must be in place before the county can call for a referendum.
Funds will be split between the county and cities of Blackshear and Patterson based on the intergovernmental agreement. Offerman does not levy property taxes, so it will not be part of the IGA. However, Offerman residents will still benefit from the FLOST through the county’s millage rollback.
The FLOST is projected to generate up to $3 million per year. The funds would be used to fund the county’s and both cities’ maintenance and operations budget. The amount generated would then be rolled back from the millage rate.
The tax can be approved for up to five years and revenues will be used to lower property taxes and millage rates.
The referendum, if approved by the county commission and cities of Blackshear and Patterson, will be on the Nov. 4 general election ballot along with the special general election for two public service commission seats. City municipal elections will also be held that day.
