On Tuesday, the Educational Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax passed with 472 votes in favor and 209 against the continuation of the 1-percent sales tax in Liberty County.
“We are very pleased that the voters of Liberty County chose to continue their support of public education. The board of education and the administration of the schools promise to spend every penny wisely to continue to
support and improve education
in Liberty County,” Superintendent Dr. Judy Scherer said. “I wish more citizens would take advantage of the opportunity
to vote in this and every other election.  However, those citizens who cared or felt strongly
one way or the other did in fact vote and that is what is important.”
The funds from the tax will go to building renovations, school construction, repairs and other costs. The money collected from the tax also can be used to purchase school buses and for the Liberty County School System’s technology department. Only the projects listed on the ballot can use ESPLOST funding.
“It’s great that the local citizens are allowing ESPLOST to continue,” Assistant Superintendent Jason Rogers said Tuesday evening. “These funds are an invaluable asset to our entire district and go a long way in helping to provide a safe and secure learning environment for all of our students.”
Board of Education member Marcia Anderson was happy to hear the news of the ESPLOST tax passing under its third resolution.
“I am very grateful to the voters of Liberty County for passing the ESPLOST again,” Anderson said. “Having it allows us to provide maintenance and upkeep on current buildings and to construct new facilities such as the new Career Academy … It is imperative for us to provide safe, comfortable buildings for our children to learn in. Our system is seeing an increase in enrollment and the ESLPOST will allow us to plan for this growth without the burden of additional property taxes for homeowners.”