Board clarifies tax-rate vote; county clerk reports recall petition committee formed

A Mercer County Board member clarified that the board on Sept. 4 voted to keep the county’s tax rate the same as the previous year and said the county clerk informed the board that a petition committee has formed to challenge the approved rate.

“On September 4, the Board… voted to maintain the same tax rate as the previous year,” the unidentified board member said. The speaker said social-media claims that the board increased the tax rate were incorrect and that the board is consulting legal counsel after learning of the petition committee.

“We were informed yesterday by the County Clerk that a Petition Committee has been formed to challenge the approved rate,” the speaker said, adding the board was consulting with legal counsel “to determine the appropriate course of action and lowering the rate to a recallable, subject to recall a rate that’s not subject to recall.” The speaker said the board is proud of the school system’s financial health and contingency and is weighing options while maintaining commitment to stewardship of taxpayer dollars.

No formal vote or change to the tax rate was recorded during the portion of the meeting captured in the transcript. The board member’s remarks were presented as clarification for the public record; the board did not announce a final legal strategy or a new tax-rate motion in this session.

The board did not provide specific details about the petition committee’s membership, the legal timeline, or whether the board will seek to lower the rate to a figure that might not be subject to recall. Those items were described as under legal review.