Whitfield approves SPLOST

Published 11:45 pm Tuesday, September 19, 2006

Whitfield County voters approved the county’s third educational Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) by a wide margin Tuesday.

Final unofficial results from the Whitfield County Board of Elections and Registrars showed 3,103 voters — 75.65 percent — voting for the measure, and 999 voters — 24.35 percent — voting against it.

Just 11.58 percent of registered voters cast a ballot in the election.

The 1 percent SPLOST, which will continue a SPLOST already in place, is projected to raise $115 million over five years that will be split between Whitfield County Schools (70 percent) and Dalton Public Schools (30) percent.

“I’m very grateful. It shows that our community understands that when you have to make provisions for growth, when you have to have brick and mortar solutions, when you have to provide safe and effective classrooms, this is the fairest, most sensible way to pay for it,” said Whitfield County Board of Education chairman Chuck Oliver.

Whitfield County Schools superintendent Katie Brochu said she was also gratified by the result.

“As a relative newcomer, I’m truly thankful that the community continues to make education its top priority,” she said.

Dalton Public Schools officials also expressed excitement.

“This is a great day for Dalton and Whitfield County,” said Dalton superintendent Orval Porter.

SPLOST III will pay for a new high school, new elementary school, new buses, and renovations and additions for Whitfield County Schools, and additions, modifications and renovations to five Dalton city schools.

“I believe tonight’s results show that the community not only supports education but backs the plans that we put forth,” Brochu said.

Porter said preliminary work on the additions planned for Dalton schools should begin in spring of 2007, and the new classrooms should be ready to be used by fall 2008.

“That will be just in time to keep us from having to buy new mobile classrooms,” he said.

Brochu said Whitfield schools officials will begin site selection for that system’s new schools as quickly as possible.

The SPLOST took a big early lead as the first precincts came in and never relinquished it. But it did have its opponents.

“I hate to see it go that way, but there was really very little chance of it not passing,” said Perry Elrod of Tunnel Hill.

Elrod and others were critical of the choice by school officials to call for a special election instead of putting the measure on the November ballot.

“Wasting $25-30,000 of taxpayer money to have this election instead of holding it in November when it would have cost nothing or very little shows they aren’t good stewards of our money to begin with,” Elrod said.

Oliver defended the choice to hold a special election.

“When you have a single-issue ballot, people know exactly what they are voting on,” he said.