The Lowndes County School Board would like you to know that the main reason last summer’s school bond issue failed at the polls was because of some truly awful messaging.
When pressed, the board will admit that they were largely responsible for that, too.
Monday evening, the board met in a work session to determine what projects would be included in a second attempt to fund the second phase of the district’s building plan through a bond issue.
The board considered three options, ultimately agreeing by a 3-2 vote to ask voters to approve a $44 million bond issue. The board expects the vote to be held in conjunction with the special election that will be held to fill the seat of U.S. Representative Alan Nunnelee, who died earlier this month. Gov. Phil Bryant has yet to set the date for the election, but it will probably be held in April or May.
In August, voters rejected a $47 million bond proposal. Fifty-two percent of voters voted to issue the bond, but the proposal needed a 60-percent majority to pass.
Monday, board member Brian Clark asked a couple of relevant questions: If the bond issue is such a good idea, why did voters reject it at the polls in August? Given that, why would voters reach a different conclusion this time?
“The voters were misinformed,” board member Bobby Barksdale responded. “Everybody I talked to said they believed their taxes would go up if we passed the bond. That simply isn’t true. Taxes will not go up.”
That depends on how you look at it. Presumably — without this $44 million loan — county taxpayers would pay less in taxes than they currently do as the county continues to bring in more revenue from area industry. So while there would be no tax increase, per se, the tax reductions new inflows would permit won’t take place either.
The August bond issue fell victim to poor communication from the district.
This time, the ducks are in a row and voters, at last, have a clear picture of the issue when they go to the polls this spring.
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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