Voters in Henry County on Tuesday approved the extension of a local sales tax for education, while residents of Clarkston were choosing a new City Council member.
The referendum in Henry County extends a current E-SPLOST, a special purpose local sales tax for education, keeping the one-cent tax in place for five years. It was first approved in 1997.
The tax is projected to raise $325 million and Henry County plans to use the money to buy 125 buses over the next five years, expand six schools and build three new ones, including a STEM high school. The projects are a response to rapid growth. Henry County has seen its student population and number of schools more than double since 1999,
Collections would begin in 2022 when the current SPLOST ends.
In Clarkston, voters were choosing among three candidates to fill a seat given up by Yterenickia “YT” Bell, who qualified to run for mayor of Clarkston during a 2020 special election. Bell lost to Beverly Burks.
On the ballot for the council seat were Shana “Tiny” McAllister, a small business owner; Dean Moore, a campus engineer; and Mark W. Perkins, a consultant for a nonprofit.
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Henry County seeking $325 million school SPLOST to address growth
