Beaver schools chief: Levy won’t bring new taxes

STAFF REPORT

ROGERS — Sandi DiBacco, superintendent of the Beaver Local School District, wants to stress this point when it comes to Tuesday’s special election: No new taxes.

District residents will go the polls to vote on a 5.3-mill emergency renewal levy.

DiBacco said Friday she wanted voters to be clear the levy is a renewal.

“There will be no additional costs to the taxpayers by passing this levy,” she said.

Levy funds will pay for basic operating expenses. If voters do not renew the levy, the district will lose $1.2 million in funding for general operations.

The levy has been in place since 1994. In the beginning, the levy was for 10.3 mills. It was renewed in 1999 and 2004. The millage, however, was reduced to 5.3 mills because of the growth in the community.

An attempt was made last November to renew the operating levy, but it was defeated.

The superintendent said the levy is critical to the district’s financial well-being.

The district also has been struggling with old buildings that are in need of repair. But that is a separate issue.

The district failed to get voter approval of a levy that would have allowed the district to get funds from the state to build modern facilities.

That plan, “is in limbo,” the superintendent said.