Last week, a group of Graves County residents opposed to the tax hike turned in a petition with more than 2,500 signatures in hopes of putting the measure on the ballot. If verified by the Graves County Clerk's Office, it will be up to the Graves County Board of Education to decide whether to proceed with a special election. The special election would come with a $40,000 price tag, for which the Board would have to pay.
Graves County Schools approved a tax rate increase last month. The tax increase is 3.9 cents per $100 of assessed valuation, with 1.1 cents to go into the general fund and 2.8 cents to go into the building fund.
Of the proposed tax increase, Graves County Schools Superintendent Kim Dublin said the 1.1 cent portion will go toward new student resource officers. The 2.8 cent portion will go to renovate Lowes Elementary School and replace the HVAC at Farmington Elementary. Without the increase, Dublin says renovations to Lowes will not happen.
Dublin said the increase in a resident of Graves County's total tax bill would be in the neighborhood of $3 to $6 a month for most people.
