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E-SPLOST: A good thing for our children and our wallets
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Cooper Embry Chairman, Citizens for Better Education 2015
community who are visiting our stores, dining in our restaurants, and purchasing gas on their way through town.
The fifth round of the next Education Sales Tax referendum, or E-SPLOST, is approaching quickly with early voting starting at the Hall County Government Center on October 12, and then at the polls on Election Day on Tuesday, November 3.
I am certain that if every voter took the time to study the benefits of the E-SPLOST, the Yes vote on the ballot would be unanimous.
I have been privileged to be involved in every referendum campaign for E-SPLOST since its inception in 1997. It takes a lot of time and effort to go around the community promoting E-SPLOST and speaking to civic groups and voters, but it’s one of the most rewarding volunteer efforts that I do.
Check out these numbers:
My motivation is very simple. It’s just looking into the faces of my son, my two daughters and all their friends. It’s also in the faces of every child that our family comes into contact with at church, on the ball fields, and all around town.
• E-SPLOST revenues have eased the pressure on property taxes. In fact, the education portion of our property tax bills has been rolled back as a result of lower debt payments made possible by E-SPLOST.
Children are at the heart of E-SPLOST. But there’s another side that is less about emotion and more about finance. With each dollar spent in Gainesville and Hall County, an extra penny of tax is used to fund local education needs. That’s smart financing, and it appeals to the banker side of my brain.
• E-SPLOST funds are used in conjunction with state funds for local education capital expenditures, so we are receiving even more bang for the penny.
• Our local school systems, for the first time in many decades, are now debt-free. This feat was accomplished after using E-SPLOST dollars to pay off long-standing debt from earlier construction bonds.
• And as we all know, a large percentage of our local sales tax is paid by shoppers outside our
So, I encourage everyone to visit the websites of the Hall County Schools and Gainesville City Schools where you will find all the information you need about E-SPLOST expenditures (past funding as well as what’s proposed for the future) to make the most educated and informed decision. Let’s keep a good thing going. The one-penny Education Sales Tax truly does make “good cents” for our children – and for our wallets.
Wednesday, October 7 7:30 am - 1:30 pm Gainesville Civic Center
Free Health Screenings • Free Seminars Open to the Public • No Admission Fee Shuttle Service • Door Prize Drawings Over 60+ Wellness Exhibitors
Save the Date Tuesday, October 13 Small Business Seminar Wednesday, October 21 Lunch 'n Learn Thursday, October 22 Business After Hours
OCTOBER 2015
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