Dorsey: Maintenance, Technology, CTAE To Be Focus of New E-SPLOST

As polls are set to open soon for Stephens County voters to decide whether or not to renew the school system’s E-SPLOST for five more years, school officials are again detailing the plans for the money that would be collected.

Stephens County School Superintendent Bryan Dorsey says that maintenance and technology needs across the system would be one major priority.

Dorsey said these are things the school system will need regardless and having E-SPLOST renewed would allow sales tax to cover it instead of relying on property taxes.

“We are in continuing need of upgrading our technology, our infrastructure and our technology that our teachers and students use,” said Dorsey. “We worked hard on that these last two years. We have quite a ways to ago.”

According to Dorsey, the system also has a lot of aging HVAC units in school buildings.

“That can run into the millions of dollars,” said Dorsey.

Dorsey said another priority for the E-SPLOST money would be upgrading the CTAE facilities at Stephens County High School for agricultural and technical classes.

“They were never renovated and they are in dire need of upgrades,” said Dorsey. “They are expensive programs, so it is something we could do on the sales tax side, instead of relying on property taxes.”

Dorsey said E-SPLOST helps keep the millage rate down as well.

According to Dorsey, the new E-SPLOST period, if approved by voters, would start in January 2018 and last for five years.

He said an estimated $15 to $16 million would be expected on the collections side.

Dorsey went on to say that this would not be a new one-penny tax.

“It is just a continuation of that one penny that we have been collecting,” said Dorsey.

Early voting starts Monday at the Stephens County Registrar’s Office to determine whether or not voters will approve renewing that one-cent Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax for Education.