Union County school board votes to rescind recent millage increase after reassessment

The Union County School Board voted to rescind a millage increase it approved on June 9, the board chair said, after members raised legal and procedural concerns tied to a county property reassessment that emerged after the budget vote.

The motion to rescind was made by a committee member during a specially convened meeting called to address “a legal matter pertaining to our annual budget and the motion that was made to increase tax millage,” the superintendent told the board. The motion was seconded and carried on a roll-call vote the chair declared approved.

Board members said they had not realized the county’s reassessments would affect the district when they approved the June budget and that the timing of reassessments, which members said were distributed in September, changed the millage calculation. At the meeting a member pressed that the board must follow policy DB and the public-notice requirement tied to millage changes; one board member cited a 15-day public-notice window for first readings and said the public hearing did not include an increase in millage.

“I’d like to make a motion that we rescind our previously approved millage increase from the June 9th school board meeting,” a committee member said during debate, arguing the action reflected “responsiveness to our community and their needs.” The transcript uses the spelling “rescend”; the board’s action and this article use the conventional spelling “rescind.”

Members discussed the district’s authority to set the tax levy and cited statute 6-1-320 during the exchange. One member said the board could “go back three years” to adjust millage, and others noted that reassessment timing and how the county provided information affected the board’s options. Several members said they voted yes while reserving the right to gather more information and potentially reopen the matter later.

The superintendent framed the meeting as a narrow legal discussion about the budget and the millage vote; the chair led the roll call. The transcript records affirmative roll-call responses from multiple members and the chair declared the motion approved. The meeting concluded with the chair calling for adjournment.

What happens next: Board members said they will gather additional legal and financial information; several indicated they could reopen millage decisions in a future, non-reassessment year if circumstances warrant. No new levy amount or implementation date was specified at the meeting.

Vote at a glance: The board approved the motion to rescind the millage increase by recorded voice/roll-call; the chair declared the motion approved. The transcript records affirmative responses from a majority of board members including Mr. Jeter, Mr. Brewington, Mark Ivy, Miss Anthony, Mr. Ley, Mr. Bowington, Miss McMorris, Mr. Robshshire and Mr. Massie.