Baldwin council to consider Habersham FLOST agreement

BALDWIN, Ga. — The Baldwin City Council is scheduled to consider an intergovernmental agreement related to Habersham County’s proposed Flexible Local Option Sales Tax (FLOST) when it meets Tuesday evening.

The council will meet at 6:30 p.m. July 7 in the Baldwin Municipal Courtroom, 155 Willingham Ave.

The proposed FLOST agreement is expected to be the meeting’s primary item of old business. The agreement is part of a countywide effort to establish a 1% sales tax that would replace a portion of local property taxes while providing funding for county and municipal governments. Under Georgia House Bill 581, counties and cities must reach an intergovernmental agreement on how FLOST proceeds will be distributed before voters can consider the measure in a November referendum.

Habersham County and its municipalities have spent the past several weeks negotiating the distribution formula. Baldwin officials previously discussed multiple proposals presented during a regional meeting of county and city leaders. If approved by all participating governments, the agreement would allow the referendum to move forward later this year.

The council also is expected to discuss several items during its work session, including a proposed water and sewer billing adjustment policy, the purchase of a Georgia Crime Information Center (GCIC) LiveScan fingerprint scanner, the replacement of two city trucks and an updated 2026 council meeting calendar.

Council members will also review documents related to a Georgia Environmental Finance Authority loan.

Two zoning variance requests will receive public hearings before the council considers action later in the meeting. One request involves property at 739 Dawn Place, while the other concerns property at 580 Baldwin Falls Road.

Also on the agenda is consideration of a security camera purchase for the Baldwin Police Department.

City officials also announced that the community PIT-NIC event has been rescheduled. A new date has not yet been announced.

The meeting is open to the public.