At a school board meeting, the Taylor County School board approved a contract with ClearView Research to conduct polling and help draft ballot language for a proposed half‑cent local option sales tax intended for school capital outlay.

The ClearView presentation was delivered by Steve VanCour, president of ClearView Research and Vancor Jones Communications. VanCour said a half‑penny local option sales tax is restricted under state law to capital outlay — “things that have a five‑year or longer life expectancy” — and is distinct from a millage increase, which he said is limited to salary uses and has a four‑year statutory cap. VanCour recommended conducting a scientifically balanced live‑operator poll (he said 300 responses would be a reasonable sample for Taylor County) to test public support and to shape ballot language that reflects local priorities.

VanCour explained why pre‑ballot polling and careful wording matter: the Legislature has increasingly limited how districts may educate voters about referenda, and accurate, locally aligned ballot language can materially influence electorate response. He described the process steps the district would face, including a required audit by the state Office of Policy and Government Accountability (OPOGA). “OPOGA needs a hundred and eighty days to do that,” he said, and the audit report must be posted publicly before the measure may appear on a ballot.

Board members asked specific questions about allowable uses. VanCour reiterated that capital outlay projects — examples he cited include air conditioning systems, roofs, buses and law enforcement vehicles — are permissible under the half‑cent authorization; salaries are not. He addressed safety and school‑hardening projects, noting generally that “if it’s infrastructure, yes,” but recommended the district seek written guidance from its attorney on particular hardening projects such as ballistic glazing or door upgrades.

The board first amended the agenda to make the ClearView presentation an action item. Board member Mathis moved to hire ClearView to perform the polling and related ballot‑language development; the motion was seconded and carried on a voice vote. The contract before the board covered polling and follow‑up consultation and, as discussed during the meeting, VanCour said his firm would provide guidance on draft ballot title and summary and on next procedural steps but would not act as the district’s political campaign consultant unless hired separately for those services.

Clarifying details discussed at the meeting included a locally cited estimate that a half‑cent sales tax could raise about $1,900,000 per year for Taylor County (the estimate was presented to the board by a staff member and attributed in discussion to local calculations). VanCour recommended testing several project examples in the poll so that the final ballot language reflects voter preferences.

Board members and staff noted timing constraints if the district seeks to place a half‑cent sales tax before the next general election: the OPOGA audit timeline and the statutory notification schedule mean the district would need to complete several steps many months in advance. VanCour advised the board to begin with polling to establish public appetite and then, if support exists, move to finalize ballot language and sequence the required hearings and state audit.

The board approved the ClearView contract to begin the polling work; the motion was made by board member Mathis and carried by voice vote.