Survey weighs ballot potential for South Washington County schools

The South Washington County School District has two voter-approved levies set to expire in the next two years, and if it seeks to have them renewed, chances are good they'd be approved.

So good, in fact, that Bill Morris, president of Decision Resources Ltd., has put the odds of voter passage at 90 percent.

But there is a chance, too, that the district could ask taxpayers in November for more money in addition to the renewals, and then things could get tricky, according to a survey conducted in late April and early May by Decision Resources.

Three possible ballot questions — two renewing the current levies with annual inflationary increases and a third seeking an additional $5 million a year in operating or capital money — were presented to 400 survey participants, and 46 percent of them said they'd back the entire package, Morris said in a May 9 report to school board members.

That's less than a majority, of course, in a district with what Morris described as a "modestly hostile tax climate."

But as the board sets out in the coming months to determine what to put on the ballot, he advised that there were ways to get buy-in on the new money. And according to the survey, proposals to maintain class sizes and to ensure student safety have a good chance to succeed.

Both were part of a list of proposed uses for additional operating funds, and according to the survey, maintaining class sizes had 78 percent support and enhancing security had 73 percent support.

Morris said that other factors in the district's favor include trust in its leadership, and the absence of "pothole" or "red flag" issues — things people are angry about.

"By and large, you've got an open-minded electorate," he said.

After the presentation, Board Chairman Ron Kath advised against getting overconfident. He said that he planned to work with Superintendent Keith Jacobus to arrange a workshop session on the levy possibilities, perhaps as early as next month. State law requires ballot language to be finalized in August.

Soon the district also is expected to learn more about what it will receive in state education funding, as well as potential tax impacts, resulting from the current legislative session, information that Board Member David Kemper said he'd like to have before moving to complete any levy proposal.

The two levies up for renewal include one that raises $164.38 per pupil, or about $3.4 million annually, and a second that generates $57 per pupil, or about $1.2 million.

According to the survey, passage of the three levies would increase property taxes on a $200,000 home by $10 per month, or about $120 per year, and on a $300,000 home by $16.50 per month, or about $198 per year.

A breakdown of survey results by community revealed 53 percent of Cottage Grove respondents backing the entire package. Woodbury participants were less enthusiastic, with 43 percent supporting all three measures.