Michael J. Ross
AMERICUS — SPLOST (special purpose local option sales tax) and hotel/motel revenues have been very good over the last several months, according to local government and tourist officials.
SPLOST revenues have averaged over $389,000 over the last six months and the 12-month average is $370,755. SPLOST revenues exceeded $400,000 three out of the last six months.
County Administrator Lynn Taylor said the current SPLOST ends this year and the new one begins Jan. 1, 2009. The County has said often that SPLOSTs are good, because they take some of the burden off property owners, when it comes to capital and infrastructure projects.
Taylor said SPLOST funds are an excellent source of revenue. She said the completion of the new courthouse and part of the construction of the new Humane Society complex are two of the major projects that aren’t complete from the current SPLOST.
Melanie Grace, executive director of the Americus-Sumter Tourism Council, said the hotel/motel tax revenues in Americus were very good in 2007 compared to 2006. Hotel/motel tax is an additional tax a guest pays at a hotel beyond the sales tax.
Fred Boyles, superintendent of the Andersonville National Historic Site, said hotel/motel tax figures and tourism figures are directly related, because when out-of-towners visit local tourism attractions, they stay at local hotels or motels, so when tourism is up then hotel/motel tax revenues are up.
Boyles said much of this revenue is used for local economic development projects. According to Boyles, visitation at the park in 2007 was 154,680 as compared to 132,152 in 2006. That was an increase of 22,528 or 17 percent over the previous year.
