Incentives

The most important incentive Griffin and Spalding County can offer is a favorable business environment at the beginning of your operations. Your company won’t have to eventually bear the economic burden of higher taxes in order for companies that move to the county after yours to receive costly incentives from the community!

Georgia is an Employment at Will state so that as a general rule, an employee may not sue his employer for wrongful discharge, but only on breach of contract or quantum merit theories. Georgia is a Right to Work state. There are several programs designed to lower your start-up costs and ease your entry into Griffin and Spalding County.

Inventory Taxes - Freeport
Griffin and Spalding County have 100% Freeport. This means that all three classes of manufacturing inventories held in factories and warehouses in Spalding County are 100% exempt from Griffin and Spalding County ad-valorem taxes. This is a local incentive approved by the voters in a referendum.

Tax-exempt Financing
A manufacturing project will likely qualify for State and Federally tax-exempt industrial development revenue bond (IDB) financing. The Griffin-Spalding Development Authority will serve as a conduit for IDB’s, which should bear interest rates considerably below market since the interest is exempt from Georgia and Federal Income Tax under the following conditions:

a. If funding a project costing below $10-million, and
b. Has no more than $40-million of other IDB's elsewhere.

Pollution Control Exemption from Property Tax
Georgia law provides certain exemptions from ad valorem property tax for air/water pollution control equipment.

Local Sales Taxes
The total sales tax collected in Spalding County is 7%.

The voters passed a one percent (1%) local general-purpose sales tax for the purpose of reducing the ad valorem tax on real and personal property. This local 1% general-purpose sales tax was set for the County to receive 62% and the City of Griffin to receive 38%. In January of 2004 the percentage changed for the County to receive 60% and the City to receive 40%.

In March 2007, the voters passed an extension of the one percent (1%) special purpose local option sales tax to pay principal and interest on the Griffin-Spalding County School System General Obligation School Bonds and for school construction projects.
These are in addition to a 4% Georgia Sales Tax.

Board of Tax Assessors
All real property is valued by a County Board of Tax Assessors and underwent a complete re-valuation in 2009. The Spalding County Net Maintenance & Operation Tax Digest showed a total of $1,437,932,339 as of 2011.

Homestead Exemption
Georgia law provides a $2,000 homestead exemption for all owner-occupied housing from all county and school district taxes. In addition, there are additional exemptions based on income for homeowners aged 62 and over of various amounts. There is a $50,000 homestead exemption for disabled veterans.

Police Protection
Police protection within Griffin city limits is provided by the Griffin Police Department. There is a full-time staff of 111 with 10 part time School Crossing Guards and 2 part time Parking Violation Officers, 57 Patrol Officers, 4 Secretaries, 4 Clerks, 1 Central Intelligence Analyst, 1 Assistant to the Central Intelligence Analyst. A Criminal Investigation Division of 28 Officers including 1 Drug Abuse Resistance Education Officer, 4 School Resource Officers, 4 Narcotics Agents, 5 Tactical Response Officers, 3 Juvenile Officers and 11 Investigators. There are 65 marked vehicles. Griffin and Spalding County participate in a computerized communication system.

The Spalding County Sheriff's Department provides protection countywide. The department is staffed with 157 personnel and there are 91 vehicles. There is one Sheriff, 1 Chief Deputy, 8 Administrative Assistants, 3 Office Assistants, 1 Systems Administrator, 1 Maintenance Technician, 1 Community Service Supervisor, 67 Detention Officers, 9 Criminal Investigators, 8 Narcotics Agents, 1 STAR Helicopter Pilot, 29 Patrol Officers, 7 Communications Officers, 5 Warrant and Civil Officers, 3 School Crossing Guards, 2 Resource Officers, 5 Court Service Officers, 1 Crime Scene Technician, 1 Coordinator Victim Services Unit and 3 part-time employees.

Fire Protection
The City of Griffin provides fire protection within the city limits and operates out of 3 stations with 65 full-time employees and 19 vehicles.

The Spalding County Fire Department operates out of 7 stations with 64 full time employees and 9 volunteers. Emergency calls are received and dispatched through Spalding County's Enhanced 911 Communication Center. Spalding County has adopted the latest edition of the Southern Building Code Congress International's Standard Fire Prevention Code to compliment the 2000 edition of the National Fire Protection Associations Life Safety Code.

Spalding County also offers Fire Safety courses for toddler through golden agers along with First Aid, CPR, Industrial Fire Safety and Fire Extinguisher classes.

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