On Tuesday, Graves County residents lined up outside of their voting districts, to determine whether or not there will be a school tax increase. The tax levy was voted down, 74 percent to 26 percent.

The school board approved a seven cent tax increase back in August. However, with over 1,700 signatures from a Graves County group of people, the county was forced into a special tax referendum. The Graves County School Board wanted to increase property tax by 18.4%. The money was supposed to go into rebuilding county schools.

All county precincts were affected, including 150 voters inside the City of Mayfield. Graves County Clerk Barry Kennemore told West Kentucky Star that once the election is over, his office would print up tax bills, with hopes of having them in taxpayers’ hands by Dec. 1. Kennemore also said that voting numbers were down, which may be because there is only one item on the ballot. Polls were open form 6 a.m to 6 p.m.

State and federal grant and budget cuts over the past five years have led to a decreased state funding of $5 million. Superintendent Kim Harrison said that the tax increase was needed for rebuilding schools, maintenance, and education programs for Graves County students.

Harrison said that the tax levy would have doubled taxpayers’ contributions and triple the district’s bonding potential. Graves County will still have one of the lowest tax rates in the state, while the increase would cost taxpayers on average, less than 11 cents per day.

A member of a committee that worked to bring the decision to a vote, William Bell told WPSD, “We felt it was our responsibility to get it out before the public, present the facts, and let the people decide.” Bell said it proves people are skeptical of how the Graves County school district spends money. “It all boils down to a position of trust. The people don’t trust this board in the spending of our tax dollars,” he said.

In response, Harrison said, “When your tax rate is the lowest in the The Jackson Purchase area, ninth lowest in the state of Kentucky out of 173 districts, yet you perform well academically… That speaks well for the management in Graves County,” she said.

Because the vote was ‘no’, any renovation plans for new schools will be held off until 2024, including much-needed improvements to the high school’s HVAC system. An efficiency study is scheduled for sometime in December. Results from the study will help the board find cuts to help find money that is needed for school renovations.