CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The Kanawha County Board of Education voted Monday to put the school system’s excess levy on the ballot in November.
Thet tax, which is approved by voters every five years, makes up 19 percent of Kanawha County School’s current budget. If approved, it will go into effect on July 1, 2019.
The proposed levy will include an increase of seven cents per $100 in assessed value. This means an $8.39 increased payment from taxpayers for every $10,000 of the fair market value of their home, and by $1.68 for every $1,000 of the fair market value of their vehicles.
According to Kanawha County Schools communications director Briana Warner, the excess levy has been capped for decades while neighboring counties do not have a cap on their levies.
“They’re at the maximum rate allowed by law,” she said. “Our board of education has decided to uncap our levy as a potential to raise revenue to potentially work on some of these bigger issues that we have in the county.”
More than half of the collected funds will go toward wages, with additional money spent on HVAC improvements, roofing projects, turf installation at seven high schools and safety and security improvements.
The board also voted Ryan White as its next board president, succeeding Jim Crawford, and Ric Cavender as president pro tem. Both positions are for two years. White and Becky Jordan also took the oath of office, as did new board member Tracy White.