TITLE 48 REVENUE AND TAXATION

Section 8. Sales and Use Taxes, 48-8-1 through 48-8-278.

ARTICLE 2A HOMESTEAD OPTION SALES AND USE TAX (HOST)

48-8-109.4. Role of election superintendent.

1. Whenever the governing authority of any county whose geographical boundary is conterminous with that of the special district wishes to submit to the electors of the special district the question of whether the sales and use tax authorized by this part shall be imposed, any such governing authority shall notify the election superintendent of the county whose geographical boundary is conterminous with that of the special district by forwarding to the superintendent a copy of a resolution of the governing authority calling for a referendum election.Upon receipt of the resolution, it shall be the duty of the election superintendent to issue the call for an election for the purpose of submitting the question of the imposition of the sales and use tax to the voters of the special district for approval or rejection.The election superintendent shall issue the call and shall conduct the election on a date and in the manner authorized under Code Section 21-2-540.Such election shall only be held in conjunction with a referendum submitting to the electors of the special district the question of whether to approve a special purpose local option sales and use tax pursuant to the provisions of Part 1 of Article 3 of this chapter.The electors of the special district must approve both of the sales and use taxes in order for either of them to be implemented.If either of the taxes is not approved by the electors, the homestead option sales and use tax under Part 1 of this article shall be continued in full force and effect.If the sales and use tax under Part 1 of Article 3 of this chapter is not renewed, the sales and use tax under Part 1 of this article shall replace the sales and use tax under this part upon expiration of the sales and use tax under Part 1 of Article 3 of this chapter.The election superintendent shall cause the date and purpose of the election to be published once a week for two weeks immediately preceding the date of the election in the official organ of such county.The ballot shall have written or printed thereon the following statement which shall precede the ballot question specified in this subsection:

   "NOTICE TO ELECTORS: Unless BOTH the equalized homestead option sales and use tax AND the special purpose local option sales and use tax are approved, then neither sales and use tax shall become effective."

   Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, the statement and ballot question referred to in this subsection shall precede any and all other ballot questions which are to appear on the same ballot.

2. All persons desiring to vote in favor of levying the sales and use tax shall vote "Yes," and those persons opposed to levying the tax shall vote "No."If more than one-half of the votes cast are in favor of levying the tax, then the tax shall be levied in accordance with this part; otherwise, the sales and use tax may not be levied, and the question of the imposition of the sales and use tax may not again be submitted to the voters of the special district until after 24 months immediately following the month in which the election was held.It shall be the duty of the election superintendent to hold and conduct such elections under the same rules and regulations as govern special elections.It shall be the superintendent's further duty to canvass the returns, declare the result of the election, and certify the result to the Secretary of State and to the commissioner.The expense of the election shall be borne by the county whose geographical boundary is conterminous with that of the special district holding the election.
3. If the imposition of the sales and use tax provided in this part is approved in a referendum election as provided by subsections (a) and (b) of this Code section, the governing authority of the county whose geographical boundary is conterminous with that of the special district shall adopt a resolution during the first 30 days following the certification of the result of the election imposing the sales and use tax authorized in this part on behalf of the county whose geographical boundary is conterminous with that of the special district.The resolution shall be effective on the first day of the next succeeding calendar quarter which begins more than 80 days after the adoption of the resolution.With respect to services which are billed on a regular monthly basis, however, the resolution shall become effective with the first regular billing period coinciding with or following the otherwise effective date of the resolution.A certified copy of the resolution shall be forwarded to the commissioner so that it will be received within five days after its adoption.

Such statement shall be followed by the following:

"( ) YES Shall an equalized homestead option sales and use tax be levied and the regular ( ) NO homestead option sales and use tax be suspended within the special district within ______________ County for the purposes of reducing the ad valorem property tax millage rates levied by county and municipal governments on homestead properties?"

(Code 1981, §48-8-109.4, enacted by Ga. L. 2015, p. 217, § 2/HB 215; Ga. L. 2016, p. 864, § 48/HB 737.)

The 2016 amendment, effective May 3, 2016, part of an Act to revise, modernize, and correct the Code, substituted "geographical" for "geographic" in the first sentence of subsection (a).