CLEVELAND, Ga. – White County residents who had questions or concerns about the FLOST, Floating Local Option Sales Tax, referendum currently on the ballot turned out Tuesday night for a public information open house. Hosted by White County and the Cities of Cleveland and Helen, the open house provided officials with an opportunity to answer questions about how the tax would be collected and how the proceeds would be used.
The FLOST, if approved by the voters, will be used exclusively to help provide property tax relief for all White County property owners.
Cleveland City Manager Kevin Harris said, “So many people come here to Helen and to Cleveland and to White County, and the sales taxes they bring here, they could be directly beneficial to lowering your property taxes. So it was just a good opportunity to show really what this FLOST is, how it could work, and how it could save money in future tax bills.”
Citizens spent time visiting different information stations set up in the county administration building.
White County Manager Derick Canupp said they had lots of questions, “And I think tonight we were able to answer all of their questions that they had and make a lot of things that might have been a little muddy, I think a little more clear to them now,” commented Canupp.
White County voters can cast a ballot on this referendum during the advance voting currently underway. Tuesday was the first day of advance voting, and White Elections Supervisor said, “We had 57 voters cast a ballot, and 20 Absentee By Mail (ABM) ballots were mailed out.
Advance voting, which includes a special public service commission election, will continue through October 31, at the White County Election and Registration office in the Mauney Building on the Helen Highway. You can cast a ballot between 9 AM and 5 PM, including two Saturday voting dates.
For more information on FLOST, visit https://www.whitecountyflost.com/.
