MOUNT VERNON – For the first time since 1994, Knox County Career Center and technical center district will have a 1.5 continuing permanent improvement (PI) levy on the November 7 ballot that would raise $2.8 million yearly.
The cost is $53 a year per $100,000 property value.
A PI levy can be used for permanent enhancements for the district like building improvements, expansions and lab equipment and capital projects.
The district has been serving communities since 1968 when one section of the main building on Martinsburg Road was built, according to a release sent by Knox County CC. The district consists of a preschool, Knox County Career Center (KCCC) High School, and Knox Technical Center (adult education.) Currently, the district serves over 630 high school students, 44 preschoolers, and over 230 adults. The district employs over 210 team members.
Superintendent Kathy Greenich points to the desire to create larger academic classrooms as one way the PI levy funds could be used.
“And for example, one of our labs we had over 50 students apply for that lab this year and we only had 22 spots. So we opened an additional section of that lab this year,” Greenich said.
The Knox County CC board and staff have been working on preventative maintenance and scheduling replacement of computers, boilers, HVAC units, roofs, buses/vans, etc. proactively since 2015, according to the release, also noting an assessment of all buildings and grounds was conducted in June of 2022 and a permanent improvement plan along with a strategic plan for growth and expansion has been developed.
The district currently has three operational levies–one from 1971, 1986 and 1994.
Knox County auditor certified collections for this fiscal year July 1, 2023, to June 30, 2024, for $3,694,410 for real estate taxes and $1,113,670 in public utility taxes, according to Kox County CC treasurer Tracy Elliott.
Greenich points to sharing the district’s strategic plan and preventive maintenance program which describes a five-year plan of what needs either repaired or replaced–air conditioning units, roof sections, buses and computers.
“We know how much those things are going to cost, and we try and budget for those. But in the long run, the costs just start becoming more than we could even budget for. So that’s why we saw, the board saw, the need for a levy request,” Greenich said.