2008 Year in Review

Sales Tax Issue Takes Another Step Forward

by Ben Wolf - The Morrison Post

At a special meeting of the Morrison School Board last Tuesday, the board resolved to support a 1% sales tax increase county wide. The sales tax issue was discussed in the previous meeting, but needed to appear in the agenda of a meeting so that it could be acted upon.

Dr. Suellen Girard suggested that the money would be used to pay down the $5.5 million bond needed for HVAC improvements for the high school, which are required by the State of Illinois. Girard said in the previous meeting that the district has this option, which could help avoid future property tax increases.

Morrison joins River Bend, Montmorency, Rock Falls Elementary and Prophetstown-Lyndon-Tampico as districts who have resolved support for the sales tax hike. Sterling and Riverdale districts will decide at their August 6th meetings. Morrison stands to gain around $500,000 yearly of the $4 million raised county wide by the increase. If districts representing greater than 51% of the county’s student population agree to the increase, it will be presented to the county board. If the county board agrees, it goes on the November 4th ballot as a referendum.

Counting the districts who have already agreed brings the total percentage to 46.5%. One school district may be all that is needed to put the total over 51%. Although Riverdale and East Coloma together would not individually reach the total, together they would. There is also Erie, River Bend, Sterling and Rock Falls High School left to weigh in.

by  Editor, theCity1.com
August 6, 2008