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By Editor Becky Watts
ZEBULON - Advance/Early Voting in Person for the March 2025 Special Election for the Board of Education E-SPLOST began on February 24, 2025 and will continue Monday through Saturday 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. through Friday, March 14, 2025 including Saturday, March 8, which is an Advance/Early Voting Day from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Election Day Voting will be held on Tuesday, March 18 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. (There will be NO voting on Monday.)
Advance/Early Voting in Person will be held at the Board of Elections and Registration Office located at 81 Jackson Street in Zebulon (next to the Sheriff’s Office). Election Day Voting will be held at local precincts around the county.
Written ballots must be deposited in the ballot box located inside the Pike County Board of Elections Office located at 81 Jackson Street in Zebulon (next to the Sheriff’s Office).
The City of Molena had a Call for a Special Election, but that Special Election was cancelled when only one candidate qualified for office unopposed. Christy McCrary qualified as for Molena's Post 1 Council position.
Pike County Times is covering this election as breaking news because of the many phone calls and messages that it has received asking for information about the election.
What is an E-SPLOST?
An Education Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (E-SPLOST) is a one penny sales tax which allows the school to collect the tax and use if for school improvements. Voters voice their opinion in a yes or no vote on the referendum that is the only item on the ballot in this election.
E-SPLOST funds must be used for the capital projects that are listed in the referendum or to retire debt and cannot be used for operational expenses such as salaries.
The Board of Education has advised that this is not a new tax, but a continuation of the existing one cent sales tax that has been used to fund projects such as renovations for the auditorium, competition tennis courts, enhancements to the high school and middle school softball and baseball complexes, new HVAC system for Pike County Middle School, new buses, security upgrades, a remodeled field house, a land purchase for a future school campus, and technology resources such as the purchase of new computer hardware.
Current and Renewed E-SPLOST
Pike County Times confirmed that current E-SPLOST funding has provided funds for the following:
Facility and Equipment Upgrades $7M
Campus Paving $500k
Technology Upgrades $490k
Campus Security Upgrades $423k
Land Acquisition $1.5M
[Note from the Editor: Thank you to Finance Director Debbie Woerner for this information.]
The 2021 E-SPLOST (1 cent tax for education) was passed with an 8.76% turnout out of 13,992 people who were eligible to vote. 871 voters cast yes votes. 352 voters cast no votes.
This proposed E-SPLOST is for the amount of $25.4 million or 5 years, whichever comes first and is a renewal of the ongoing E-SPLOST.
The renewed E-SPLOST will fund several projects including traffic for safety and accessibility, purchasing new buses, expanding technology for student learning, upgrading instructional materials, facility upgrades, and conducting essential building repairs and maintenance. The school system is proposing to sell bonds in conjunction with this E-SPLOST in order to begin renovations and repairs immediately rather than waiting until a later date in order to avoid inflation costs.
The school system applauds the passage of previous E-SPLOSTs as a way that Pike County has been able to modernize school facilities and equipment without creating a burden on citizens through property taxes.
Closing
Is there a difference between the Education SPLOST and the Pike County Commission SPLOST? The answer is yes.
The E-SPLOST is a one penny sales tax that must be approved by Pike County citizens before that funding can be collected and used for school facility improvements, debt reduction, and other items such as technology equipment and school buses.
The county SPLOST is a one penny sales tax that must be approved by Pike County citizens before that funding can be collected used for county projects such as paving roads or the extension of the county courthouse that took place more than 10 years ago.
For more information about the Pike County School System E-SPLOST and the school system in general, click here: build.pike.k12.ga.us. Readers can scroll to the bottom of the page to click on the E-SPLOST 2025 Frequently Asked Questions page for more information as well.
Advance/Early Voting in Person for the March 2025 Special Election for the Board of Education E-SPLOST began on February 24, 2025 and will continue Monday through Saturday 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. through Friday, March 14, 2025 including Saturday, March 8, which is an Advance/Early Voting Day from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Election Day Voting will be held on Tuesday, March 18 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. (There will be NO voting on Monday.)
Advance/Early Voting in Person will be held at the Board of Elections and Registration Office located at 81 Jackson Street in Zebulon (next to the Sheriff’s Office). Election Day Voting will be held at local precincts around the county.
For more information about this election and to verify the location of voting precincts on Election Day, go to the Pike County Board of Elections page at govotepikecoga.wixsite.com/mysite.
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