Voters in the Watson Chapel School District will be asked to consider a 5-mill increase to the current district millage of 31.8 in a special school election Tuesday.
District superintendent Danny Hazelwood says the increase is needed because the district’s infrastructure is aging and the present millage is not providing adequate funds.
“We are trying to make sure that people understand the district is in a place where we need to generate more money,” Hazelwood said. “We are falling behind. Other districts have had building projects and we haven’t. We have maintained our buildings so well that many of them are at the end of their life cycle.”
“We know that there is no good time to ask for a tax increase but it is very important to get a little increase from the local population,” Hazelwood said.
Hazelwood said that the 5 mills will be divided into 2.3 mills for debt service and 2.7 mills for maintenance and operations.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
Hazelwood said in March that passage of the millage increase would still give the Watson Chapel district the lowest rate in Jefferson County at 36.8.
Millage rates at the other three county school districts include 40.8 in Dollarway, 39.2 in White Hall and 41.7 in Pine Bluff, according to data provided by the Arkansas Department of Education.
New middle school
Hazelwood said in March that site selection for a new middle school has been put on hold until the results of the millage election are known.
During the December board meeting Hazelwood explained how the decision to build a new middle school was made.
“The thinking that went into the decision to build a new middle school took into account the fact that the state has not been spending money for new buildings in districts that were either losing students or just holding their own,” Hazelwood said in December. “So we decided to plan on building the least expensive type of school building, which is a middle school.”
The school is planned to encompass the fifth and sixth grades.
Vote information
The Jefferson County Election Commission has set up a special precinct for the millage vote which incorporates all of the Watson Chapel School District.
The sole polling site is Goodfaith-Carr United Methodist Church located at 3703 Ryburn Road.
The election day polling site will open at 7:30 a.m. and close at 7:30 p.m.
Early voting will be held Monday at the office of the County Clerk at the Jefferson County Courthouse during the normal business hours of 8:30 a.m. until 5 p.m.
Millages explained
The Arkansas Assessment Coordination Department provides an example of how much each one-mill increase will cost an average taxpayer in taxes.
“To calculate the tax, take the house value you have chosen, $75,000 for example, and multiply this value by 20 percent, which is the assessment level. In this case it would be $15,000. Multiply the $15,000 times one mill or .001, which is $15. So, it can be stated that a one mill increase on a $75,000 home will cost the taxpayer an additional $15 a year in taxes.”