As a way to fund infrastructure improvements in their counties, Coastal Georgia voters in recent years have repeatedly demonstrated a preference for sales taxes over raising property taxes or borrowing money and incurring debt.
LIBERTY COUNTY – Education 1% Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (all precincts reporting)
• Yes: 1,554
No: 574
Turnout: 4.41% Total votes: 2,128 of 48,268 registered voters.
BRYAN COUNTY – Education 1% Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (100% of precincts reporting)
Yes: 1,859
• No: 1,894
Turnout: 11.04% Total votes: 3754 of 33,997 registered voters.
CAMDEN COUNTY – 1% Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (100% of precincts reporting)
• Yes: 1,624
No: 1,043
Turnout: 6.92%, 2694 ballots cast of 38,912 registered voters.
CHATHAM COUNTY – Education 1% Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (100% of precincts reporting)
• Yes: 7,879
No: 4,361
Turnout: 5.81%. Ballots cast: 12,251 of 211,005 registered voters.
On Tuesday, they did so again.
In a special election notable for remarkably low turnout, voters in Camden, Chatham and Liberty approved the continuation of a one-cent sales tax on retail purchases for another five years. Only fast-growing Bryan County, where capital outlay needs are especially pressing, proved an exception.
In Chatham, Liberty and Bryan, the question on the ballot was whether to extend a one-cent sales tax to generate funds specifically for building and renovating public-school infrastructure — an Education Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax, or ESPLOST…