THOMASVILLE — Tuesday is D-Day for the Grady County Board of Education’s 2009 Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax referendum.

The called special election is 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and the proposed five-year SPLOST is projected to raise a maximum of $15 million.

Superintendent of Grady County Schools Dr. Tommy Pharis describes the SPLOST as a “continuation” of the current one-cent tax that ends June 30, 2010.

“Its primary purpose is to pay off the debt,” he said. “We want to be debt free in 2015.”

Using SPLOST funds for this debt payment will allow the system a little relief with the property tax budget and help purchase necessary items or pay for maintenance needs, he said.

The ballot includes the following projects, along with the maximum amounts:

- payment of existing debt, $6.7 million;

- purchase of buses, equipment and text books, $2,350,000;

- acquisition of classroom technology to include networking, network infrastructure and administrative systems, $500,000;

- renovations and modifications of buildings of Southside Elementary School, including roof, fire safety system, restrooms, classrooms, refurbish plumbing, electric and HVAC system, $3,950,000;

- renovations and modifications of vocational and vocational agricultural buildings of Cairo High School, $1.5 million.

Also included in the ballot is that the school system can budget additional funds for projects, if necessary, and any money left over at the end will be used to either reduce “indebtedness” or roll back its millage rate, according to the ballot.

Pharis said the millage rate, 12.9 mils, will not be increased this year.

The superintendent encouraged all residents to exercise their right to vote.

There are 12,542 active registered voters in the county. Early voting began Aug. 12 and ran through Friday.

“We’ve had 346 total early voters, so far,” clerk Leila Gomez said Tuesday afternoon.

Residents who are registered to vote can take part by bringing in a valid photo I.D. to their precinct.

“All 13 precincts will be open on election day,” Gomez said.

The tax, if approved, will begin July 1, 2010, and end June 30, 2015.