Indiana will host four special elections, all involving school referendum questions Tuesday.
Two of the questions come out of Lake County, where voters in the School City of Hobart, Indiana and the School City of Hammond, Indiana will be asked whether they will accept a slight raise on property taxes in return for extra cash for the school districts.
School districts in Lake County also asked voters four different questions during a special election in May 2017. All four questions involved property tax increases so school districts could have extra money. Three of the four questions passed, the question in East Chicago, Indiana, failed by a wide margin.
The School City of Hammond, which is next to East Chicago, Indiana, is asking a pair of questions to district voters. The first of which asks voters whether they will accept a rise in property taxes of 44 cents for every $100 in property value. The district wants to use the money to help raise salaries of its employees, including teachers. The tax raise would last seven years.
The second question also touches on property taxes. The district wants 35.98 cents for every $100 in assessed value in order to raise $110.6 million for capital projects, including a pair of new high schools. The tax raise would last until the district has raised enough to pay back the bonds it issues.
The School City of Hobart is also asking its voters a pair of questions. The first raises property taxes by 24.6 cents for every $100 in assessed value in order “for the purpose of funding and maintaining current educational and operational programs including student safety and transportation,” as stated on the ballot.
The second asks if voters will accept a 80 cent property tax raise for every $100 in value so the district can sell bonds or enter into a lease of $41.21 million for the repair and restoration of district schools. The tax increase would last until the loan is paid back.
West Clark Community Schools, which is located in Clark County, just north of Louisville, Kentucky, is asking voters if they will approve a property tax raise of 73.14 cents for every $100 of assessed value so the district can sell bonds or lease no more than $95 million for repairs on eight buildings in the district.
The West Clark referendum has caused local controversy, as the district school board has allowed groups advocating for either side of the referendum access to email and phone lists of district parents and voters.
Westview Community Schools in LaGrange County is also asking for a property tax increase. The district is seeking a property tax increase of 29.4 cents for every $100 in assessed value for eight years.
Westview approved the referendum at a school board meeting in July.
Statewide, over 125 different polling places will open Tuesday, including over 100 in Lake County alone.
Polls are open from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Voters must have been registered to vote on Oct. 10 or before in order to participate and must bring a valid, state-issued I.D. in order to receive a ballot.
Contact Sam Barloga with comments at sabarloga@bsu.edu.
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