Safety vestibules and metal detectors, purchase of Lawrence County Community Center costs $$$
A Citizens view: LAWRENCE CO. TAX RAISE IS ‘CROCK OF BULL’
By Lora-Don Epling (on Facebook)
What a crock of bull ! Lawrence County…
Lawrence County School Board approves 4% tax rate adjustment.
Before the Lawrence County School Board meeting started, a public hearing was held to gather thoughts from the public on a 4% tax rate increase proposal.
Many said they were for the new rate increase, citing reasons such as “school upgrades” and “investments into their children’s future.” However, others say they were against a tax adjustment saying an increase could put some in a tough situation financially.
At the end of the meeting, after years of failed tax levy proposals, the school board approved the increase.
As Superintendent Katie Webb explained, this will only cost each taxpayer $1. “Say you have a piece of property that’s assessed at $100,000. It would be $31 more dollars for the year. Not the month, the year. That last dollar, that 31st dollar, if you own $100,000 worth of property, that’s the only amount that’s subject to recall,” Webb says. The dollar that will not be refunded will be used used for what’s known as state equalization, allowing more state funding to be distributed to county schools to make some much-needed upgrades to schools that were built more than 60 years ago.
“It will take our bonding potential, which is right now between $14 and $15 million to $25 million,” Webb says. The new tax rate will go into effect immediately. Phase one of the project includes adding security to schools including safety vestibules and metal detectors, and purchase the Lawrence County Community Center to allow them to close campus after school hours.
As for when this phase will begin, that has not been released yet, but Webb says with the approval, “this is an investment in our students and the facilities that they go to.”
