Voters Asked To Approve Sales Tax For Middle School Construction

Oconee County Schools plans to sell general obligation bonds before the middle of June and move forward with building and then opening a third middle school in the Fall of 2023 if voters approve the sales tax referendum on the March 16 ballot.

The issue is being put before the voters early–the current sales tax authorization does not expire until the end of 2022–in order to take advantage of low interest rates and to avoid increased costs due to inflation, according to school officials.

The tax referendum that voters are being asked to approve not only puts in place the collection of the tax but also authorizes the Oconee County Board of Education to issue the general obligation bonds for up to $42,950,000.

The tax itself does not go into effect until Jan. 1, 2023, and will run for five years, with a collection cap of $48.5 million.

In addition to the middle school, funds from the Education Local Option Sales Tax (ELOST) will be used for additions to three elementary schools, renovations of the three additional elementary schools, and renovation of the system’s sole primary school.

Money for the tax also will be used to build a new Instructional Support Center on 6.67 acres on North Main Street in Watkinsville.

No cost estimates are available for any of the projects, according to school officials, and there is no time line for any of the projects other than the new middle school, which will be built adjacent to the new Dove Creek Elementary School in the far northwest of the county.

Early voting starts Monday on the referendum and will run from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. through March 12 at the Civic Center, 2661 Hog Mountain Road, west of Butler’s Crossing. The school referendum is the sole issue on the ballot.

No voting will take place on Saturdays or Sundays. Absentee ballot requests are being handled through the Oconee County Office Of Elections and Registration.

For more on this story, please go to Oconee County Observations.