The prospect of building a new jail has loomed large over Habersham County taxpayers for years. Voters defeated a jail bond referendum in 2019. Now, county commissioners are being asked to consider a possible option for building a new jail and other major facilities through the creation of a Public Facilities Authority.
A Public Facilities Authority, or PFA, would have the authority to incur debt to buy land and build facilities. It could build a new jail and landfill, as well as facilities that the county could then lease for commercial and industrial use, with the lease payments going toward paying down the debt. A PFA could also assume the hospital debt.
And all of this could be done without voter approval.
“This topic is part of my initiative to educate the Board of Commissioners on all available options to finance capital projects in the future,” Vaughn tells Now Habersham. “This is just one option and I have been given no formal instruction to move forward with the PFA.”
In order to create a PFA, all five county commissioners would have to approve. The proposal would then be sent to the state legislature. At least one member of the county’s legislative delegation would have to sponsor the measure. Any dissenting vote among the commission would kill the measure.
Historically speaking…
Habersham County has not had much luck with authorities in the past. The Hospital Authority in 2013 faced financial issues that required the county to step in and assist in making payments to shore up hospital operations. Since 2015, a portion of the county’s special local option sales tax revenue has assisted with making payments toward the hospital’s bond debt.
In 2015, the Development Authority ran out of money forcing county taxpayers to assume the debt payments of the Miller Logistics building in the Industrial Park. It was reported that the debt was more than $1 million dollars. Also in 2015, the Airport Authority was dissolved and the Airport Commission was created.
According to the Habersham County 2021 Financial Report, the county is carrying $56,167,277 of debt in various forms.
Monday’s meeting will be the first time the county commission has publicly discussed possibly pursuing a PFA. The meeting is open to the public and will be held at 5 p.m. at the Administrative Building at 130 Jacob’s Way in Clarkesville.
The meeting will also be streamed live on the county’s website.
