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Morton board weighs county school facility sales tax; staff to model scenarios and outreach
Summary
Board members reviewed a proposed county school facility sales tax for the November ballot, heard an updated district revenue estimate (about $3.8 million), and discussed possible allocations including a one‑time bond abatement (~$721,000), mental‑health funding (~$750,000), school safety (~$350,000), eliminating registration fees and facility maintenance; staff will run scenarios for the finance committee (July 27).
Morton CUSD 709 trustees spent a lengthy portion of the meeting reviewing a proposed county school facility sales tax that would appear on the November ballot and could generate an estimated $3.8 million for the district.
Administrators described several possible allocation buckets. One scenario would use about $721,000 to abate outstanding bond debt, which would reduce the tax levy; roughly $750,000 could fund additional mental‑health personnel and services; about $350,000 could be reserved for school safety and security to offset school‑resource‑officer costs; and one proposal under consideration would eliminate registration fees as a community ‘give back.’ Remaining proceeds would be funneled into facility maintenance and longer‑term capital needs.
The board discussed tradeoffs, including whether to return levy reductions permanently or treat the abatement as a one‑time offset, and whether voters in a conservative county with historically low tax appetite would support the measure without visible, long‑term offsets. Trustees asked staff to produce scenario modeling, to estimate the district’s share and local impact (including number of resident accounts), and to prepare informational materials for community education and the finance committee meeting on July 27.
Superintendent and staff emphasized constraints on allowable uses under the statute (facilities, debt service, safety and mental‑health personnel) and noted that some categories (for example, transportation) are not eligible. Administrators also highlighted the age of district facilities and rising operating costs, and said concerns about deferred maintenance underlay the recommendation to pursue a blended revenue approach.
No final decision to place a specific levy amount or a specific allocation plan on the ballot was made; staff were directed to return with multiple scenarios and messaging options.
