Douglas Schools Asking for Input on ESPLOST

The Douglas County School System is asking citizens to offer input on how Education Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax funds, or EPLOST, should be used.

A survey is being offered through April 15. Click here to fill it out.

In November 2011, the Douglas County Board of Education will seek the approval from voters for a five-year renewal of the current ESPLOST referendum passed in 2005, according to a release.

If approved, the current one-cent sales tax devoted to county education would continue.

“Historically, the primary source of local revenue available to most school systems for renovating and modifying existing educational facilities and construction of new schools (capital improvements) was property tax,” the release reads.

It adds: “Two options were available to local boards of education: ask voters to approve issuance of general obligation bonds to be repaid from property tax revenues, or use ad valorem tax revenues levied for the maintenance and operation of schools to fund capital improvement projects. Either of these options placed the burden for providing adequate local funding for capital improvements directly on property owners.”

The release says ESPLOST funding could be used for the following: specific capital improvement projects for education, to retire general obligation bond debt previously incurred by capital projects, or issuances of new general obligation bonds for capital projects.