How they voted
Catoosa County Yes: 65% - 8,359 No: 35% - 4,571 Dade County Yes: 70% - 2,285 No: 30% - 980
While the nation watched the Republican and Democratic presidential primary races on Super Tuesday, two counties in North Georgia made another important decision.
Voters in Catoosa and Dade counties overwhelmingly chose to continue a 1 percent sales tax for five more years to maintain financial support for public education. The tax passed in Dade County with 70 percent of the vote and in Catoosa County with 65 percent.
The education special purpose local option sales tax, or ESPLOST, was first approved as a constitutional amendment by Georgia voters in 1996, freeing the counties' hands to create another stream of funding for capital outlay projects in their schools. In Georgia, 157 of 159 counties since have approved the tax for their own school systems.
The tax is revisited every five years by county residents who can choose to do away with it, but this is the fifth election in a row that both North Georgia counties have chosen to support it.
In 2015, Catoosa ESPLOST collections totaled close to $9.6 million, and according to the county school board provided an additional 30.9 percent in revenue for much-needed capital outlay projects such as a new gym for Lakeview- Fort Oglethorpe High School.
The money also was used to build a theater at Ringgold High School, renovate a media center at West Side Elementary School and buy another 24 school buses.
"Catoosa County citizens have overwhelmingly supported ESPLOST in the past because our community values public education," Catoosa County Superintendent Denia Reese said.
Supporters of the sales tax argue out-of-town shoppers make up a large part of the increased revenue, especially since major interstates run through both counties.
"With Interstate 75 intersecting Catoosa County, we are considered to be the Gateway to Georgia," Reese said. "I believe our community also values using pennies from out-of-town shoppers to build and maintain schools for Catoosa's children."
Ted Rumley, Dade County Commission chairman, said the situation in Dade is similar and a large part of the $200,000 that is generated by the sales tax every month can be attributed to people traveling through the county.
"Every time they buy anything, they're giving a penny back," he said. "And you wouldn't think a penny would generate that much money."
Contact staff writer Emmett Gienapp at 423-757-6731 or egienapp@timesfreepress.com.