Dougherty County voters also face six ballot initiatives at the polls

ALBANY — It’s safe to assume when Dougherty County voters head to the polls on Tuesday (or to vote early before the Nov. 4 deadline), most will have already made up their minds as to their favored candidates.

But in addition to the presidential and statewide-elections for U.S. Senator and the U.S. House of Representatives and state House races, voters will also decide the fate of two local initiatives and four statewide amendments. Here, in brief, is what voters can expect to see:

Local Ballot initiatives

Dougherty County School System E-SPLOST-SPLOST V

Voters will be asked to approve a 1 percent sales tax that is capped at $100 million over the next five years. The E-SPLOST can be used only for capital improvement projects such as school renovations. The funds can also be used to pay off construction bonds.

It cannot be used to pay teachers.

Dougherty County/City of Albany SPLOST VII

Infrastructure is the buzzword among city and county leaders as they’ve put together a $92.5 million SPLOST projects list that would include $59.2 million for the city and $33.3 million for the county. If approved, the seventh SPLOST referendum would be in effect for the next six years with no cap on how much of the 1 percent tax city and county officials are allowed to collect.

Among the projects on the city’s list are street resurfacing and improvement projects — including some of Albany’s most notoriously bumpy railroad crossings — alley paving, sewer improvements, street light upgrades, emergency communications equipment and completion of the long-delayed transportation center.

The county, meanwhile, has first-responder equipment and improvements, jail improvements, road improvements, storm drainage improvements and an upgrade of properties it owns among its primary concerns.

Statewide Constitutional Amendments

Amendment 1, also known as the Opportunity School District Amendment.

The ballot language reads, “Shall the Constitution of Georgia be amended to allow the state to intervene in chronically failing public schools in order to improve student performance?”

A “Yes” vote supports authorizing the state to form an Opportunity School District that would govern certain elementary and secondary schools determined to be “chronically failing.” A “No” vote opposes authorizing the state to form an Opportunity School District, and schools would continue to be under the control of local school boards and district supervision of their schools.

Both supporters and detractors of the Amendment have poured more that $4.75 million into ad campaigns in support of their positions.

Amendment 2, also known as Georgia Additional Penalties for Sex Crimes to Fund Services for Sexually Exploited Children Amendment.

The ballot language reads, “Shall the Constitution of Georgia be amended to allow additional penalties for criminal cases in which a person is adjudged guilty of keeping a place of prostitution, pimping, pandering, pandering by compulsion, solicitation of sodomy, masturbation for hire, trafficking of persons for sexual servitude, or sexual exploitation of children and to allow assessments on adult entertainment establishments to fund the Safe Harbor for Sexually Exploited Children Fund to pay for care and rehabilitative and social services for individuals in this state who have been or may be sexually exploited?”

A “Yes” vote supports providing penalties for court cases involving certain sex crimes in order to allocate the generated revenue for the Safe Harbor for Sexually Exploited Children Fund. A “No” vote would deny the additional funding.

Amendment 3, also known as Georgia Replacement of the Judicial Qualifications Commission Amendment.

The ballot language reads, “Shall the Constitution of Georgia be amended so as to abolish the existing Judicial Qualifications Commission; require the General Assembly to create and provide by general law for the composition, manner of appointment, and governance of a new Judicial Qualifications Commission, with such commission having the power to discipline, remove, and cause involuntary retirement of judges; require the Judicial Qualifications Commission to have procedures that provide for due process of law and review by the Supreme Court of its advisory opinions; and allow the Judicial Qualifications Commission to be open to the public in some manner?”

A “Yes” vote supports replacing the Judicial Qualifications Commission with a new commission designed and governed by the General Assembly, while a “No” vote would keep the existing Judicial Qualifications Commission in its current form.

Amendment 4, also known as Georgia Uses of Revenue from Taxes on Fireworks Amendment.

The ballot language reads, “Shall the Constitution of Georgia be amended so as to provide that the proceeds of excise taxes on the sale of fireworks or consumer fireworks be dedicated to the funding of trauma care, firefighter equipping and training, and local public safety purposes?”

A “Yes” vote would dedicate revenue from fireworks sales taxes to trauma care, fire protection services and public safety. A “No” vote would not dedicate the excise taxes to the funding of public safety services.

Carlton Fletcher contributed to this report