Stephens Co. BOE Looking At E-SPLOST Resolution

The Stephens County school system is beginning work on a new E-SPLOST resolution to put before voters next year in order to continue collecting the one-cent sales tax for school projects.

Tuesday, School Superintendent Bryan Dorsey presented to the Board of Education a proposed E-SPLOST resolution and the board voted unanimously to table it until the November meeting.

E-SPLOST is a one-cent sales tax that is used for special projects for education that must be approved by voters.

Dorsey said the resolution proposes that the next E-SPLOST, if approved by voters, focus on maintenance needs throughout the system.

“What we are looking forward to is hopefully a ground swelling of community support for taking care of our schools,” said Dorsey. “The biggest amount of this money will be taking care of what we have. Whether it is making sure that our Career, Technical, and Agricultural programs are taken care of and the renovations that were promised there are done. Also, taking care of our other facilities.”

In the resolution, it would permit the school system to use the money for everything from CTAE renovations and HVAC work to purchasing technology, athletic and band field upgrades, purchasing buses or maintenance equipment or safety and security equipment.

The resolution would also allow the school system to use E-SPLOST funds to re-pay Stephens County School Building Authority bonds taken out this year by the school system to do maintenance work, such as the roof at the high school.

According to the resolution presented, the school system could collect up to $18 million over five years beginning on January 1, 2018, though Dorsey said that figure is high and the school system would not budget on collecting that much.

Dorsey said if it is approved, the board would then sit down before projects were started and set a priority list.

However, he said two areas in particular will likely remain at the top of that list.

“I would say that certainly our CTAE programs and certainly our HVAC needs have a good chance of staying incredibly high on that list of priorities because they are both in dire need,” said Dorsey.

If approved by the Board of Education, the proposed continuation of E-SPLOST could be put before Stephens County voters in a special election on March 21, 2017.

Dorsey said if the E-SPLOST is approved, work on some of the projects to be paid for with this E-SPLOST could begin next summer.