Bulloch County Commissioners voted Tuesday evening to approve funding for an agreement to provide water and sewer infrastructure to the mega-site in Bryan County.
The funding mechanism is part of a previous agreement entered into in 2022 with Bulloch, Bryan, Chatham, and Effingham counties.
From the agenda:
Motion to approve a Federally-Funded Subaward Agreement with Bryan County in the amount of $7.5 million of Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds
In 2022, the County entered into an agreement with Bryan, Chatham, and Effingham Counties to share the costs of infrastructure needed for the Bryan County Mega-Site and to also share in future tax revenues resulting from the new industries located on the site. Under this agreement, Bulloch County’s share of the water and sewer infrastructure cost is $7.5 million and it needs to be paid to Bryan County as manager of the project.
Staff discussed various scenarios for funding this investment and determined the most favorable funding source to be the Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (CSLFRF) received by the County under the American Rescue Plan Act. This project falls under one of the statutory eligible uses for CSLFRF as a “necessary investment in water, sewer, or broadband infrastructure” in our region.
The subrecipient agreement presented for approval outlines provisions for Bulloch County to direct this federal funding to Bryan County and for all necessary monitoring and reporting to be completed as required by the US Treasury.
It is important to note that under the previously mentioned revenue sharing agreement, Bulloch County is expected to completely recoup this initial investment by 2030 and will continue to share in revenues generated from the Mega-Site through 2048.
While this subgrant was not included in the budget, Administration proposes using CSLFRF funding that was previously planned to be spent on a county-owned public water utility system in the southeastern portion of the County to be directed to Bryan County and explore other funding options to build out a county-owned system in the future.
Commission Meeting Discussion
Commissioner Timmy Rushing asked King what the return on investment estimate is for Bulloch County.
County manager Tom Couch said they expect $38 million over twenty five years, but payments will not begin until 2028. County employees further said the initial $7.5 million will be returned in 2028, 2029, and 2030.
With no further discussion, it was approved unanimously.
Public Comment
There was no public comment on the matter.
Read the agreement here.
