ATLANTA – State Representative Randy Nix (R-LaGrange) urges Georgia voters to vote yes on Amendment 5 on the November 6 ballot. The fifth amendment would affect counties with more than one school system and would allow the system or systems with a majority of the students to call for a sales tax referendum to fund school construction.
“Amendment 5 will assure the open, transparent and fair allocation of E-SPLOST funds,” said Rep. Nix. “Currently, in Georgia if a county wishes to call for an E-SPLOST referendum, all school districts within the county must agree before it can be placed on the ballot. This means a school system with a tiny percentage of students can prevent the referendum from going forward to the voters. Some of these smaller school systems take advantage of this and essentially hold the majority ‘hostage’ and will not agree until they are guaranteed an inordinate amount of the proceeds. For example, a school system with less than one-half of one percent of the students may demand four percent of the proceeds before agreeing to the referendum.”
“Amendment 5 will allow the school system, or combination of systems, representing over 50 percent of the students to call for the referendum,” added Rep. Nix. “If the voters approve the E-SPLOST and there is no agreement between the school systems designating how the funds are to be allocated, the proceeds will be allotted based upon the number of county students in each school system. This is a more open, fair and predictable method for allocating education sales tax proceeds.”
Early voting for the general election began on Monday, October 15, 2018 and ends on Friday, November 2, 2018. Election Day is Tuesday, November 6, 2018.
Representative Randy Nix represents the citizens of District 69, which includes all of Heard County and portions of Carroll and Troup counties. He was elected to the House of Representatives in 2006 and currently serves as Chairman of the Ethics Committee and Secretary of the Banks and Banking Committee. He also serves on the Appropriations Subcommittee on Education and the Economic Development & Tourism, Education, Legislative and Congressional Reapportionment and Natural Resources & Environment committees.
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