$40 Million Issue Will Go To Voters In November Election (or sooner)
By Susan Salyer
LOUISA, KY. — After the Lawrence County, Ky. Board of Education and Supt. Dr. Rob Fletcher imposed a double nickel (actually 12.5 %) tax on property owners last month, petitions have been circulated, as the law requires, to overturn the board’s decision.
The number of signers required is 10% of those who voted in the most recent election and the number calculated by County Clerk Chris Jobe was 705. But leaders in the petition gathering said Friday they turned in nearly twice that amount with many voters still asking to sign.
The news was not released until after the clerk’s office closed yesterday, so Jobe could not be reached for comment. He will now have thirty days to certify the signatures to see if they are all qualified voters on the correct petition. Jobe required the petitions be signed on a specific petition for their voting precinct.
The near $40 million package adopted by the board includes a $27 million K-2 elementary school to replace Louisa West, a new roof for Louisa Middle School and cafeteria type buildings at Blaine and Fallsburg among other projects. Also 7 & 8th graders from Blaine and Fallsburg would be transported to Louisa Middle School.
The tax, which is in effect now, will be imposed for twenty years at which time it can be renewed.
Petition gatherers say they are not against a new school but they believe voters should have the opportunity to vote after saying current board members, “did not contact any of their constituents” about their vote on the issue which was unanimous.
Fletcher and the BOE attempted a single nickel tax five years ago which was soundly defeated by voters. The petition will force another vote by the public in the Fall 2023 election or in a special election at an earlier date.
A special election would cost the BOE and taxpayers more than $35,000, Jobe said.
SEE EARLIER LAZER STORY ABOUT THE TAX HERE
Comment from petition committee member Kay Swafford:
“…Today was the last day of collecting signatures. I would like to thank the many volunteers for all the time and work they put into this. The petition is filed. We needed 705 signatures and actually got close to 1400. I am still hearing from people who wanted to sign and apologize that we couldn’t get to everyone.
“… (County Clerk) Chris Jobe will now tell the board that we got the signatures and the petition is filed. He will check these on computer to make sure everything is correct on them. Some may not be accepted. For example, if the person isn’t a registered voter in Lawrence County or if they signed in the wrong precinct. I am confident that we will have enough to get this on the ballot this fall. That is the goal.
“…I would like to encourage everyone who lives in this county, if you are not registered to vote please register. You can do so in Chris Jobe’s office or online at ky.gov.com
Once again we are not against building new grade schools. We need them. We need to work together to find a way to do so without endangering the future of our county.
Make your voices heard this Fall
God bless.
Kay Swafford
Great Job now let’s see if there’s any way we can make Fletcher and his rubber stamp board pay for the special election
The board doesn’t have to pay if it’s on the ballot this fall is my understanding. If they have a SPECIAL ELECTION for this is when they have to pay. They may have a special election and count on low voter turnout to possibly pass it. If they do the taxpayers do not need to fund which is what will happen.
Get rid of Fletcher. He is a disease.
Absolutely
Replace your board member. That’s the only way to get rid of Fletcher.
I agree. The entire board needs replaced. They follow his commands, without hesitation.
So, Kay and the people of Lawrence County have spoken. ” We care more about our money than we care about our children.”
The people do speak and should speak loudly, Joe. That is how it is supposed to work, the people, not the Fletch and board. The problem is Fletcher and the administration does not care about the children. Some are natural born liars. Open your eyes and you shall see. All in and all, the false narrative they push? Transparency? Pretty words with no definition. He only cares about himself. Joey, It takes money to raise children also. What a claim you make? Money more important than children? What is more important? It will always be the children, but this district does have a habit of neglecting them also. Throwing them under the bus. Taxing more and taking what little money people have from the children at home? To glorify this horrific district. No thank you, Joey.
👏👏👏👏👏👏
You speak a lot of words to be of such low intelligence.
Joey has to be in line for a big check if Fletcher’s dime tax passes
If there are too many words, just read what KAG said. It is simple. Democracy, America. Land of the free. The people, Joey? So, this is your comment and you attempt an insult, like you tried with Kay. Put words in others mouth. Thank you, I truly appreciate it. You made my day. You just proved your intelligence with your comment by attacking instead of bringing a single thought. You wasted your own time. If you are for it, go donate directly to the board. No one will fault you for that. Do not forget to bow down to them and thank them for wanting to steal from the families, that kind of sort of voted them in, but does not care what the people have to say, or how the children are treated. All in the name of children. Come on Joey?
Joey it’s called a Democracy
That is not a fair comment. You can’t expect people to be ok with what they can’t afford. No one is against the children. That’s ubsurd! People are hurting financially!
If he,s such a great man looking out for the children of this county,let him take a pay cut,let’s see how much he really is(All in)
Let’s make sure the children of this county continue to go to schools that were falling down back in the 70’s when i attended. Keep following the Republican model they set in Martin county, keep ‘em dumb, destroy the area and move to the next county and screw it up too!
It’s not the Republican motto! Lol both parties suck they are all the same in the end! What is the problem is the way Democrats are now a days! They stand for everything immoral and sickening you can image. Can’t keep giving free money all the time! All the government is, is a middle man. They take from someone who works to give to someone who won’t work which is what they prefer! So think again! No one wants kids is a dump. The problem is they CANNOT manage money! You said it yourself. It was falling down in 1970! Why wasn’t tax money used to upstate it in 40years!? That’s the whole issue! They need held accountable for that just like you and I are for our own property and well being. Hope I wasn’t too mean!
Not sure how anyone thinks we will raise $27 million for a new school without this tax. Have you ever tried raising money? It doesn’t matter how many people work together, that kind of money would take decades to raise. Most counties are lucky to get any sort of grant for anything and any type of grant we could ever received would be for a small fraction of this amount. If anyone wants to see a new elementary school built in our lifetime, the nickel tax needs to pass. Not being a downer, just realistic. $27 million is a lot of money. And that’s not the only money needed. All of our schools need repairs.
Finally! Someone with the intelligence to understand how things work and how improvements are made!
$27 million for a building and nowhere to put it. Well thought out. Just maybe, if they’d quit raising the super’s salary, they could put that amount in savings toward new buildings. Also, instead of allocating funds for ball fields and such, allocate it towards a building fund. Putting a questionable turf down, one being tested now to see if it’s the source of cancer and causing more physical damage, is showing a complete lack of caring about the children. Buying a fleet of 4×4 vehicles makes no sense with their price, upkeep and gas prices. Why are they buying textbooks when everything is online? Why are we wasting money building a new school if everything is online? Stop and think before you show your ignorance. What happened with the money for a college? Come up with something new to help the situation. All this arguing and name calling gets us nowhere. We are all here for the children. People can’t afford to live here now. Do you really think they will stay, with their children, if they are taxed more? Go to the courthouse and see how many couldn’t pay their taxes. See how many got bought by companies they either buy back at outrageous prices or lose their homes. Remember there aren’t very many good paying jobs here. This is a poor county. Get out of your comfort zone and look around. No one is against the children.
Talk about showing your ignorance! Your post says so many idiotic things, I don’t know where to start! Other than the schools or the medical field, Lawrence County has never had that many “good paying jobs”. Most people have always driven somewhere else for work and you know it. And you obviously will never understand the allocation of funds and how the money for the turf COULD NOT be used anywhere else.
You have shown time and time again how little you care for the children.
Joey. You have some serious issues. Maybe we are all ignorant (and sometimes deceived) because not all is put on the table so that everybody can understand. Many things are hidden, Joey. Is that all you know how to do is attack because others believe differently than you, or may not understand something that you think you do. Educate us, Joey. So that we may understand. I don’t believe anyone is against the children (the school itself might be), just more taxes. A building is a building and stands for nothing. Do you seriously think people are against children because they do not want more taxes or have questions that you do not deem worry of asking? Did you read the part that said people were not able to pay their current tax?
They were going to set 12 million dollars aside for property acquisition . Where in the hell in Lawrence County is there property worth 12 million dollars??? Sounds like Fletcher had something to hide. He did t say where!!!????
Up by Walmart is where he said would be prime real estate. Which is owned by Jim Booth. I’m sure they were pals coming from the same county! I mean why not? Sure that money could be better utilized to the hard working faculty and staff members so we could truly be comparable to Boyd county since he likes referencing them so much to pass this.
That is not worth 12 million dollars. Sounds like an inside deal to me. I see now why he wanted it to pass so bad. Nothing was mentioned about property acquisition the last time it was up for a vote. Just my opinion.
They were gave the money already to do those exact things and they blew the money pop on the high school and now they can’t fix what was voted on already so now they want to tax us more like the working class don’t have it hard enough. The bills we pay charge u schools taxes on every item on every bill. I am all for fixing the schools but they were given enough money to do all that and it was all spent on one school for stuff that was not a have to things and was told that it was gonna be used on a all the repaired that was Nablus needed. Now they saying that the double buckle tax is for the goods of the school. Well it probably won’t go on what is needed it will go where they want it to.
Well said Tina
Tina’s post was painful to try to read. I think we need to invest in English teachers.
I am glad Trump didn’t endorse the double buckle tax.
The high school of which I THINK you were writing about was built in 1977…… It’s not like it is a new school……