Funding plans in the works

Where will the money come from to build the new Hayesville Primary School?

This is the question facing Clay County's elected officials, including members of both the Clay County Board of Education and the Clay County Board of Commissioners. Both groups know the growing county is in need of a new school, but what they must get together and come up with is an answer to the question of how to pay for it.

Bottom line - as the local elementary school has continued to grow over the past several years, the state and federal government have provided money to pay for additional teachers to teach the growing student body. But no state or federal revenue is provided to Clay County Schools to help construct new facilities to provide classrooms for students and teachers or pay for all the additional costs (desks, chairs, etc.) involved in educating a growing student body. It is up to each local community to provide facilities and the resources necessary for their up-keep through local tax dollars.

During Monday night's school board meeting, School Superintendent D. Scott Penland said that although talks with the Clay County Commission have been on-going, it is now time to get together and begin making some decisions. Both groups have shared their desire to sit down and begin taking a serious look at the option available to the county as far as funding the construction of a new school is concerned, so Penland said it is time to schedule the meeting.

Penland and the board members agreed that next week would be a good time to set-up a meeting if the Commissioners were available. Penland told the board that he would begin working on scheduling a meeting and would let them know as soon as he had a confirmedday and time.

Penland told the board that among the options available to the county are an increase in the land transfer tax, an increase in the sales tax, or a property tax increase. Penland said he is currently in favor of a land transfer tax increase which would be an increase on the tax an individual would pay when a piece of property is sold locally. For example, on the sale of a piece of property totaling $200,000 the tax an individual would have to pay might increase from $400 to $800.

Penland said that he would be in favor of this type of tax increase because it is a one-time tax on an individual who is selling a piece of property, versus a property tax increase which affects everyone, every year. In addition, Penland said the normal trend is for property tax increases to never go down, once they are increased they are rarely ever decreased.

Penland also made the argument that the land transfer tax affects those individuals who are moving into our area and buying land and homes in this area and sending their children to our schools which is in turn increasing the enrollment and making it necessary to construct a new school.

Any tax increase would have to be approved by county commissioners and placed on a ballot for public vote. Board members pointed out that any referendum to be voted on by Clay County residents must be announced 45 days prior to the vote.

Reader Comments

No comments have been posted. Be the first!

Other Stories With Comments:
Article	Comments
Land transfer tax-- let the voters decide	1