ELOST group reports spending
The financial filing deadline approaches for candidates and committees in elections this year.
The committee advocating for passage of the ELOST closed out its campaign with a zero balance in its account.
Sunday is the deadline for committees and candidates in elections this year to file year-end financial reports. However, state law allows a grace period through Jan. 8 before a $125 fine is assessed.
Rome City Commission and Cave Spring Council members who spent over $2,500 are required to file, along with the SPLOST advocacy group Rome/Floyd Citizens for Progress
The ELOST group — Rome/Floyd Citizens for Better Schools — reported spending just over $5,700 to get the word out about the education local option sales tax.
Voters passed the $80 million ELOST package in November by a 70 percent margin, with wins in all 25 precincts. The package contains prioritized lists of construction projects, including new Pepperell Middle and Main Elementary schools.
Chaired by Buster Young, representing Floyd County Schools, the committee reported taking in and spending a total of $5,767.26.
Major donations of $1,000 each came from Ra-Lin and Associates and J & R Construction of Carrollton and Austell-based Southern A&E. The legal firm of Brinson, Askew, Berry in Rome gave $500.
Other local donors were Etowah Employment and United Community Bank, at $250 each, and Floyd County Schools Superintendent John Jackson and Profile Welfare Association, who gave $200 each.
The money was spent locally on print brochures, yard signs and ads — online and in print. A $500 donation from the nonprofit Armuchee-Glenwood Foundation was returned to close out the books.
The SPLOST group reported a balance of $7,683 in its previous report, which was filed 15 days before the Nov. 7 election.
Elected officials and candidates in the 2018 state and county elections have a Jan. 31 filing deadline, with a grace period to Feb. 7.
Georgia General Assembly lawmakers last filed on June 30 and will be barred from accepting contributions when the new 40-day session starts Jan. 8.
Of Floyd County’s delegates, Sen. Chuck Hufstetler, R-Rome, reported $88,094 cash on hand; Rep. Katie Dempsey, RRome, had $13,962; Rep. Eddie Lumsden, R-Armuchee, had $31,537; and Rep. Christian Coomer, RCartersville, had $56,218.
A host of statewide races, including governor and attorney general, also will be on the ballot in November 2018. Locally, the posts held by County Commissioners Larry Maxey, Rhonda Wallace and Scotty Hancock and County Board of Education members Chip Hood and Tony Daniel are up for election.