Supplemental School Levy Narrowly Passes Voters

A two-year, $500,000-per-year supplemental levy designed to purchase books, buses and maintenance supplies was approved by voters Tuesday.

The levy, which needed only a simple majority to pass, received 1,117 yes votes and 1,030 no votes.

In setting the levy amount, school officials tried to avoid any tax increase for property owners by keeping the estimated tax rate the same as last year.

The money is needed, they said, to help catch up with building maintenance needs, to upgrade social studies and math textbooks, and to purchase three new school buses.

This year was the seventh in a 10-year district maintenance plan that relies on supplemental levies.

In 1993, the district had to hold two elections to pass a two-year, $450,000-per-year supplemental levy.

The local property owners association publicly opposed the latest levy proposal, taking out a full-page advertisement in a local newspaper.

The pro-levy campaign was relatively low-key. Campaign volunteers relied primarily on mailers and yard signs.

School Board members had said before the vote that any levy would be difficult to pass given the anti-tax political climate.