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Sunday, Nov. 01, 2009

Bibb school system paying tab for election

For the first time in the county’s history, the Bibb County school system will be footing the bill for Tuesday’s special election.

On the ballot is one question: whether to keep collecting an extra penny of sales tax on the dollar for school construction and school improvements.

Elaine Carr, the county’s elections supervisor, said the school system will pay about $82,000.

In the past, county commissioners have paid for education-related referendums, including the most recent one in 2004.

Commission Chairman Sam Hart said that was only because, up until November 2004, Bibb County was the state’s only school system without fiscal independence from its county commission.

“In the past, we were connected,” he said.

Typically, when Georgia school systems call for an education local option sales tax and it’s the lone item on the ballot, the school systems pay to hold the election, Hart said.

The school system will use money from its reserve fund to pay that bill, said Ron Collier, the school system’s chief financial officer.

The system proposes to raise up to $198.5 million from the 1-cent sales tax in 2011 through 2015.

About $176 million would be earmarked for rebuilding Heard Elementary and to build four replacement elementary schools for aging buildings at Barden, Bernd, Jones, Morgan, Porter and Rice. Some of the school populations would merge.

Other projects include athletic upgrades, technology upgrades and replacing school buses.

If Tuesday’s vote passes, shoppers in Bibb County will continue to pay 6 cents in sales tax on the dollar when the current education local option sales tax expires in December 2010.

“I believe the community has shown trust and confidence in the Bibb County school system and will continue the support,” Superintendent Sharon Patterson said.

If the vote is unsuccessful, the school system would be required to wait at least 13 months before asking voters for help again.

As of Oct. 1, among the state’s 159 counties, all but two have an education-related sales tax in place, according to the Georgia Department of Revenue.