The Fayette County Board of Education is looking to put a continued ESPLOST (education special purpose local option sales tax) question on the November ballot.
The current ESPLOST expires in March 2019, with the school board at the April 10 work session reviewing the idea of continuing the sales tax initiative. The final decision for ESPLOST III will be made by the end of July so the initiative can be put on the November ballot.
An advisory committee is currently developing projects for ESPLOST III. The project list will be finalized in June, with revisions coming in July before calling for the referendum.
ESPLOST III comes with anticipated revenues of $130-140 million, up from the potential $107 million under the current ESPLOST II. The increase is a sign that sales tax revenues are expected to continue to rise.
Project categories for the current ESPLOST include debt payments, facilities, technology and equipment, transportation and textbooks and instructional material.
By comparison, during the time of the recession, the first ESPLOST generated $97 million in revenues.
