Effingham County commissioners are starting to think about what they want accomplished in any future rounds of special purpose local option sales taxes.

The current round of SPLOST, a five-year cycle, expires in June 2012. It’s authorized for $50 million, with the county’s receipt accounting for a little more than $40 million.

But once that $50 million threshold is reached, the SPLOST ends, under the current agreement.

Under one proposal for a next round of SPLOST, the sales taxes would be divided by intergovernmental agreement between the county and municipalities representing at least 50 percent of the county’s populace living inside a city limit.

In Effingham’s case, that would mean a pact between the county and Rincon, since Guyton and Springfield together would not reach that level, but Rincon does.

That also would mean the SPLOST could last for six years and run to its full term, even if it reached the projected level of sales tax receipts, County Administrator David Crawley said.

The current method, with the proceeds being divided by population, limits the SPLOST to five years or the agreed upon monetary level, whichever comes first.

“Right now, the county is in a five-year SPLOST for $50 million,” Crawley said. “If we collected $50 million in year 3, you couldn’t collect anymore.”

Of the county’s $40 million portion of the current SPLOST, it has collected about $18 million. County staff anticipates coming up short of its projected $40 million target by about $4 million when the SPLOST ends in 2012.

Commissioners are scheduled to select which projects to put forth on the next SPLOST round and hold a final workshop May 4. They will inform the cities of their wish list on May 5 and plan to have a May 18 workshop with the cities.

Under their timeline, intergovernmental agreements are hoped to be done by June 28, with a resolution detailing the projects passed on July 6.

From there, the SPLOST and its intended projects will go to a Sept. 12 referendum and then be on the ballot for the Nov. 2 elections.

“We need to get a detailed list and get better numbers for those projects,” he said. “We have more projects than we have money — there’s no doubt about that.”

Under the current SPLOST, at its projected levels, the county will spend $16.225 million on roads, streets and bridges. Another $8 million was projected for public buildings, $5 million for drainage projects, $4.3 million for recreation, and $3 million each for vehicles and equipment and water and sewer.

Another $1 million was dedicated for technology improvements.

“SPLOST has allowed us to do quite a lot of projects,” Crawley said, “and not use property tax to get those done.”

He also pointed that, though the extra penny is an additional tax, there are out of county residents who shop in the county and infuse money into the SPLOST revenue stream.

Crawley outlined potential projects for a next round of SPLOST, which would have to be approved in a countywide vote.

Among the potential building projects for the commissioners to consider are a new sheriff’s administrative complex and jail, fire stations, remodeling of the Treutlen Building, an environmental education center at the county landfill, a social services building, a new county administrative complex and a public works facility.

Possible recreation projects include an aquatics center, a gym at the Sand Hill park, a skate park, a park promenade in Springfield, expanding the recreation facilities at the county annex and new recreation offices.

Other possible county projects under another SPLOST include a records management facility, drainage improvements and water and sewer infrastructure for Meldrim.

Road projects that could be funded by another SPLOST include work on the Effingham Parkway, Old Augusta Road, widening of Blue Jay and Goshen roads and resurfacing.

“Roads are one of the most important factors we have at this point,” said Commissioner Myra Lewis.

Blue Jay is a heavily traveled road, Crawley noted, and the county may look at acceleration/deceleration lanes in front of some subdivisions.

The county’s emergency medical service fleet also is in dire need of new ambulances, according to Crawley.

Crawley also said there some countywide issues that should be taken off the top of the next SPLOST, it it’s approved, particularly road projects.