Bartow County Commissioner Steve Taylor approved the bond authorization for the tax allocation district for development of 2,400 acres on the Aubrey property near White. Attorney Boyd Pettit said he would file the application in Bartow Superior Court by the end of the week.
Taylor and Pettit stressed Bartow County isn’t guaranteeing the bond and isn’t obligated for them. The property owner will repay them with incremental tax increases, Pettit said. The bonds will pay for infrastructure, such as roads and sewer, in the area which will be turned over to the county when the project is completed, he said.
“It is just a great opportunity for the county to see increases and development of property out there,” Pettit said.
A tax allocation district (TAD) allows property owners and to pay the same level of taxes of undeveloped land throughout development even though development increases the land’s value. There is a set end date for the bonds to be repaid and the project completed. Then, the land is taxed at full value.
Taylor also approved other related documents to complete the deal. The Bartow County School Board approved the TAD previously.
Aubrey Village will be a mix of residential and shopping. It is estimated to take between 10 and 12 years to complete.
In other business:
Taylor approved spending $124,000 on four land parcels in and surrounding 267 acres the county already owns near I-75. The parcels make for a complete tract, officials said. One was an isolated tract in the middle of county land, meant for a cell tower. Others were small tracts used for billboards.
Taylor approved spending $948,870 for the company KM Davis to conduct a personal property verification review.
The commissioner approved the expense of moving three water lines at the intersection of Euharlee and Stiles Roads to accommodate a new round-about construction.
He approved a road abandonment request for Pettit Circle and approved grant applications for the Cass White Road Phase II project. Taylor said most of the cost of the corridor project is paid with grant money.
Melody Dareing is a freelance writer for publications in the U.S, Canada, the UK and Germany. She is a former news director of Adelphia Channel 4 and WBHF Radio. She is on Facebook,X,YouTube, content on Substack, and has a podcast on Rumble.