Oglethorpe County voters approved a new Floating Local Option Sales Tax (FLOST) and the renewal of the Education Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (ESPLOST) on Tuesday.
FLOST, a new 1% sales tax that will help generate revenue for reducing property taxes, was supported by 68% of voters, or 1,917 total votes.
“I am very pleased with the results, and I am confident FLOST will benefit all property owners in Oglethorpe County,” Board of Commissioners Chairman Jay Paul said.
ESPLOST, a continuation of an existing 1-cent tax to support the school system, was supported by 72% voters, or 2,044 total votes.
“The tax burden will really be covered by everybody who purchases things, not just on the property owner,” Superintendent Beverley Levine said. “So very glad that the community chose to support that and continue the 1-cent sales tax.”
This approval of FLOST will raise the county tax rate to 9%. It was previously 8% — made up of a 4% state sales tax, a 1% local option sales tax (LOST), a 1% special purpose local option sales tax (SPLOST), a 1% transportation special purpose local option sales tax (TSPLOST) and a 1% education special purpose local option sales tax (ESPLOST).
The senior homestead exemption was also overwhelmingly backed by county voters, with nearly 89% voting in favor.
It’s the first time the exemption has been on the ballot, Levine said, and the goal was to “look after the seniors in the county.”
“This has been something that's been in the works for over a year,” she added. “To pass at almost 90% shows it’s very necessary, and I feel much appreciated by the community.”
Approximately a quarter of registered county voters, 2,876 in total, showed up to the polls this election cycle, which was only slightly higher than election assistant Steve McCannon predicted earlier that day. More than 1,200 voted early and nearly 130 voted by mail, McCannon said.
“We were (ranked) number 15 out of 159 counties in the whole state of Georgia that’s voted so far,” McCannon said the morning of Election Day.
Democrats Alicia Johnson and Peter Hubbard won the District 2 and 3 Public Service Commission seats statewide, although incumbent Republican candidates Tim Echols and Fitz Johnson dominated the Oglethorpe County vote.
Echols and Johnson both received 62% of the county’s vote, even though they lost at the state level.