MOUNT VERNON — Voters once again rejected Mount Vernon City Schools’ proposed 1-percent earned income tax levy.
The proposed levy failed 55.14 percent (6,388 votes) to 44.86 percent (5,198 votes), according to final unofficial results from the Knox County Board of Elections.
This is a significant gap of 1,190 votes compared to the May primary, when the proposal failed by only 115 votes.
The failure leaves the Mount Vernon Board of Education facing difficult budget decisions, including potential cuts to staffing, programs and supplies.
Future plans to be made
“While we are disappointed in the outcome, we respect the community’s decision and appreciate everyone who took time to learn about the proposal, ask questions, and vote,” Superintendent Bill Seder wrote in an email.
“We recognize that this is a challenging financial time for many families, and we do not take requests for additional support lightly.”
If voters had approved the levy, the district would have collected the 1-percent earned income tax for 30 years. A $30,000 annual earned income would have been taxed $300 per year.
The Board of Education originally developed the levy to fund the renovation of various school buildings across the district. However, the board modified the proposal to supplement operational costs in September, when the district discovered future financial challenges.
“The facility and financial challenges that led to this proposal remain,” Seder wrote. “As we shared during our community presentations, without additional revenue, significant expenditure reductions will be necessary, including supplies, programs, and staffing.”
Seder said the board must review the district’s financial outlook and discuss options for moving forward, with a focus on how to address the aging buildings.
Two of the district’s elementary buildings are more than a century old. Wiggins Street Elementary dates to 1904 and East Elementary dates to 1908.
Seder previously stated the district cannot maintain all six elementary buildings, whether the levy wins or loses.
“We’ve got to right-size ourselves so that we can right-size our personnel, which is 80% of our operations to make sure that we’re in better shape,” Seder said during a public discussion last month.
“No decisions have been made about specific reductions or building changes,” Seder wrote. “We will approach those discussions thoughtfully and keep our staff, families, and community informed. Our commitment remains to provide the best education possible for our students while responsibly managing the resources entrusted to us.”
