MT. AIRY, Ga. — School officials and economic development leaders continued a countywide push for renewal of Habersham County’s education sales tax Wednesday during a town hall at Mt. Airy Town Hall ahead of a May 19 referendum.
The Habersham County Board of Education and Partnership Habersham have held a series of town halls across the county to explain the proposed Education Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (ESPLOST VII), which funds capital projects for the school system.
Funding, safety and growth
Superintendent Patrick Franklin said the penny sales tax is central to maintaining a low property tax rate while funding critical school needs ranging from transportation to technology and infrastructure.
“It is so important for the future of our students and our school system,” Franklin told Now Georgia. “We have one of the lowest millage rates in the area. We want to keep it that way.”
Franklin said ESPLOST revenue allows the district to address rising costs and capital needs without shifting the burden onto property owners.
“There’s about $10 million coming in a year to be used,” Franklin said. “We receive enough money from the state to buy half a school bus every year.
Keeping our fleet modern and upgrading them and the safety things they need, we couldn’t do that without this penny.”
He said costs tied to infrastructure and technology continue to increase, citing HVAC systems, radio communications and transportation needs.
Franklin pointed to a recent county radio system upgrade that cost roughly $800,000 and said school system participation is essential given its role as a major user.
Franklin also highlighted planned transportation technology upgrades, including a bus GPS system that would allow parents to track student routes and receive real-time alerts.
“It just makes our kids safer,” Franklin said. “If I’m getting updates on my phone when my Amazon package is coming, our kids are more important than an Amazon package.”
He said the system also helps the district manage growth while maintaining appropriate class sizes and facility conditions.
“That can be funded through this penny and help us deal with any growth that comes to our schools so our class sizes stay appropriate and our facilities stay in correct condition,” he said.
Tax structure and voter pitch
When asked what he would say to voters on the fence, Franklin said the sales tax structure spreads costs broadly and helps limit property tax increases.
“I think sales tax is very fair,” Franklin said. “Everybody’s been spending, and then on top of that, you get a lot of folks moving through here that are not from here that are gonna spend it.”
Franklin said the proposal is a renewal of an existing tax rather than a new levy.
“It’s not a new tax. We’re just renewing like the same one that’s been in place,” he said.
He also tied the measure to growth pressures seen in other counties.
“You see these other counties where growth has jumped on. Well, who’s paying for that?” Franklin said.
Partnership Habersham’s campaign role
Alex Robinson, executive director of Partnership Habersham, said the organization is leading the public information campaign on behalf of the school system as part of its broader economic development mission.
“We are the ones running the campaign on behalf of the school system,” Robinson told Now Georgia. “Partnership is the private-public partner that combines your school systems, your government, your private businesses to promote economic vitality.”
Robinson said ESPLOST supports both school improvement and broader economic competitiveness.
“It provides opportunities for our school systems to continue to improve and modernize while not burdening our property taxpayers,” she said.
She said the organization also works to connect students with local employers through career pathways and workforce development programs.
“You have students that are learning skills as a part of CTA pathways, fine arts pathways, different programs, getting them connected with the business community earlier rather than later,” Robinson said. “That gives them exposure to what a career would look like here.”
Robinson said businesses have been strongly supportive of the effort and are actively helping promote it.
“They have been wildly supportive of it,” she said. “They do think this is a way to continue the improvements in the school system.”
She said many businesses also see ESPLOST as a way to capture revenue from visitors and tourism spending.
“We do have an increase in tourism,” Robinson said. “It’s an opportunity for those tourists to be paying it, and they don’t even realize they’re paying it when they’re coming in, getting gas or sitting down to eat at a restaurant.”
Robinson said businesses have been distributing campaign materials and encouraging community support.
“They’ve been bringing campaign signs home with them or putting them outside of their businesses,” she said.
Town hall outreach
The ESPLOST VII discussion is part of a broader outreach effort that includes four town halls across the county ahead of the vote. Robinson said the goal is to give residents direct access to information and answer questions about funding and project priorities.
“We have had great questions come out of it, and people are understanding,” she said. “We wanted to meet people where they were at and give them a space where they could actually learn and ask the questions they wanted to know.”
She said attendees have asked detailed questions about funding, facility upgrades and transportation projects.
“People wanting to know a little bit more before they vote yes for it,” Robinson said.
When asked what she would say to voters on the fence, Robinson said rejecting the measure could shift costs back onto taxpayers.
“You may not have a student that’s in the school system anymore, but if you’re a property taxpayer and you’re considering voting no, then you’re putting your property taxes at risk of potentially going up,” she said.
Habersham County is the only school system in the Pioneer RESA region with both a Governor’s Office of Student Achievement score above 81 and a millage rate under 10.
Two additional ESPLOST VII town halls remain ahead of the May 19 vote, both running 5:30 to 7 p.m., including a May 7 meeting at Common Ground in Cornelia and a May 14 meeting at Alto Town Hall.
For more information on ESPLOST VII, visit Partnership Habersham’s ESPLOST page.
