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Morton board discusses county school facility sales tax proposal and a plan to use proceeds for mental‑health, security and to abolish registration fees
Summary
Board reviewed an administration proposal for messaging and allocation should a county school facility sales tax pass — personnel and services for mental‑health, school safety and facility maintenance — and discussed using alternate revenues to eliminate registration fees.
Administrators asked the Morton CUSD 709 board to consider a messaging and allocation plan in case voters approve a county school facility sales tax on Nov. 3.
Administration presented estimates—based on consultant figures—of roughly $3.5 million annually in county sales‑tax revenue and proposed dividing that revenue among bond abatement, mental‑health staffing and services, safety and security, and facility maintenance. Superintendent/finance lead materials suggested earmarking funds to abate an existing bond payment, to fund mental‑health personnel and programs, to cover safety and SRO (school resource officer) costs and equipment, and to set aside facility maintenance money for HVAC and other deferred work.
The administration also proposed an “alternate revenue offset” that would allow the district to eliminate roughly $500,000 in annual registration‑fee revenue borne by families, if the new sales tax produced stable alternate revenue to the education fund. The superintendent emphasized that messaging would be essential to explain the proposal to voters and that board approval of allocations and talking points would be needed before public outreach.
Board members asked about the length of the commitment, how long buckets would be fixed, what happens to abatement dollars after bonds mature and how to avoid promising permanent changes. Administration suggested setting allocations through 2034 for bond abatement while retaining flexibility on other buckets and pledged to draft clear public messaging and a timeline to return with a formal proposal in July.
Board members generally supported further development of messaging and recommended cautious language about long‑term commitments. Several members noted the value of returning registration‑fee money to families if alternate, dedicated revenue streams could fund related services and pointed to mental‑health staffing increases in recent years as a reason to prioritize services.
No binding vote on the sales‑tax messaging or allocations was taken; the board asked administration to produce proposed language and a formal allocation plan for a future meeting.
