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Sweetwater continues talks on acquiring high school; city awaits finance figures
Summary
City staff said negotiations and technical work are underway on a potential city acquisition of Sweetwater High School. Attorneys for the city and county are coordinating, and the city is seeking State Department of Education guidance on maintenance‑of‑effort and tax split; specific cost and tax implications are not yet known.
City leadership told the workshop that discussions with the county over acquiring Sweetwater High School continue and that attorneys are compiling budget and maintenance‑of‑effort information needed to evaluate the fiscal impact.
A staff member said the city's attorney, Chuck Cable, is coordinating with the county attorney and gathering the financial details and that the State Department of Education has begun to provide information on the mixed revenue split and maintenance‑of‑effort implications. "I do have a meeting next week with Janet and Rodney. And, hopefully, sometime in the middle of next week, I might have an idea about ... maintenance of effort," the presenter said.
City staff reiterated that any acquisition would require a formal agreement between the two governing bodies and subsequent approval by the city as the funding body. Staff noted that the city currently contributes about $667,000 annually to the local school system and that accepting the high school would change the city's fiscal responsibilities, though exact numbers are not yet available.
Officials said attorney work is aimed at producing concrete numbers for what the city's annual obligations would be if it took over the high school so the board can evaluate the proposal before any public vote.
