The Harmony Grove School District in Camden is seeking a 5.6-mill increase Tuesday for the second time within five months to fund construction projects and make improvements to its existing facilities.
This time, Superintendent Walton Pigott said he will better inform his patrons on the need for the increase.
Voters began early voting Monday. If approved, the 5.6 mills would increase the millage rate in the district in Ouachita County to 45.7 mills and raise about $4.6 million a year, Pigott said.
A mill is one-tenth of 1 cent. One mill levied on an assessed value of $1,000 yields $1 in property taxes. Arkansas counties tax property at 20 percent of appraised value, meaning a $100,000 house has a taxable value of $20,000. In the Harmony Grove district, that $20,000 multiplied by the proposed 0.0056 increase would result in a $112 tax increase on a $100,000 home.
Voters turned down a similar proposal Sept. 15 by a 299-274 vote.
"We lost by 25 votes," Pigott said. "After that election, people called us and said they thought it'd pass easily and didn't get out to vote. We want to make sure they get another chance."
The new Jacksonville/North Pulaski School District, which separates from the Pulaski County Special School District on July 1, is also asking voters Tuesday to approve a 7.6-mill school property tax increase to help finance new schools and additions. The De Queen School District in Sevier County is seeking an additional 8 mills to help replace its high school and upgrade other facilities, and the White Hall School District in Jefferson County is asking for a 5.7-mill increase for improvements to its auditorium and fine arts center.
Pigott said the Harmony Grove district mailed information about the election to registered voters letting them know about the intent of the millage and the election's date.
"We are doing a better job this time communicating with our patrons," Pigott said.
As of Friday, 60 people had cast early ballots , said Britt Williford, the Ouachita County clerk.
If the measure passes, the school intends to build a multipurpose center on the high school campus that contains a new gymnasium, six academic classrooms and a 2,000-square-foot digital computer lab that students can use for taking college credit courses and ACT preparation courses.
The school also will refurbish its current gym, which was built in 1966, for elementary physical education courses. Plans call for an upgrade of its electrical system to provide more digital learning opportunities, new roofs on buildings and parking lot improvements at its Sparkman campus, Pigott said.
The district has a student enrollment of 965 students, Pigott said.
If the millage passes, the district is eligible to receive $1.8 million in state funds to help with the project, said Terry Granderson, director of the Arkansas Division of Public School Academic Facilities and Transportation.
"They expressed a need, and we accepted that need," Granderson said. "We reviewed their application. It was for academic space and it suited the criteria suitable to house the student population that we require."
He said the state approved the request April 30 and will fund the district -- provided the millage issue passes. The school has four years to use the money to build the project, Granderson said.
Pigott said he expects bids to be let soon after the millage passes, and construction on the multipurpose facility should begin in June.
State Desk on 02/06/2016