- FLOST was approved with 2,866 votes in favor and 405 against, though mail-in ballots are still being counted.
- The one-cent sales tax is projected to generate $10 million per year, offsetting property tax costs.
- Tax collection begins in July 2025, with property tax relief expected by 2026 and full impact by 2027.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
After a full day at the polls, voters have made their decision—FLOST has passed.
I'm breaking down what this means and how it will impact neighbors moving forward.
Thomas County voters have approved a new sales tax that will change how property taxes are funded for the next five years.
This decision comes after 3,296 neighbors cast their votes—2,866 in favor and 405 against.
Frank Scoggins, Thomas County’s elections supervisor, says turnout was lower than expected, but he’s focused on what this means for the community.
"We’ve got 35,000 registered voters. And you can see that that's kind of a drop in the bucket. Of course, this affects all of Thomas County. So that's why I'm concerned," said Scoggins.
The Flexible Local Option Sales Tax, or FLOST, is a one-cent sales tax expected to generate over $10 million a year, helping to lower property taxes by shifting some of the burden to local sales tax.
For homeowners like Scott Braswell, that means seeing their property taxes cut in half.
"A friend of mine texted me about an hour ago and asked if we'd come to vote. And I told her I didn't know anything about it. She said, well, they're voting on the FLOST thing, you know. And we said, well, we're headed up there then. So we came on up here, called my neighbor and picked her up," said Braswell.
Braswell says this will make a big difference for people on a tight budget.
"Because this is a fairly small town, you know. Like me, I don't work. I'm on Social Security disability, so I need all the help I can get," said Braswell.
The county will start collecting the sales tax on July 1, 2025. But property tax relief won’t kick in until 2026, with the full impact expected by 2027.
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