Shirley Anderson, Supervisor of Elections, addressed the school board with estimated cost analysis for putting the half-cent surtax referendum on the ballot.
She presented five options which would have the following associated costs:
- All Mail Ballot Election estimated costs: $244,150
- Special Election at 33 polling locations: $232,512.50,
(with early vote option at 4 locations: add $25,450.00) - March 1, 2016 Presidential Preference Primary: $45,120
- August 30th 2016 Primary – no cost – nonpartisan items on the ballot
- November 2016 General Election – no cost- also nonpartisan
The school board is considering the following timeline:
- Beginning of April Dr. Romano will present cost estimates for polling information and public information strategy.
- In May or as late as June 1, they will vote on adopting a resolution asking the BOCC to set a special election regarding the surtax.
- As Ms. Anderson needs 5 months to prepare for the special election, the special election would occur in November 2015.
- If the half-cent surtax passes, it would take effect January 1, 2016.
School board members seem to be leaning towards going with the special election option since they would like to have the $8.5 million budgeted for the 2016 school year. If they wait to put it on the ballot during the primary or general election in 2016, they would save $232K in election costs, but then the tax would not take effect until January 1, 2017 if it passes.
The school board discussed setting up a political action committee to advocate in favor of the change. The committee will face an uphill battle to convince voters the school board will be good custodians of the tax revenue. The school board admits that their mistake in joining with penny for projects will cost the taxpayers $232,000 for a special election. Additionally, it is also difficult to claim they are in dire financial trouble, when they can afford $232,000 for a special election on an issue addressed in a previous election. The PACs job may be easier if they did not hold a special election. The PAC could then point to good stewardship by the school board not having spent this money. With ingenuity, they could take this opportunity to show how they were able to adapt to the loss of the half cent sales tax revenue in the November 2014 election.