Christian County Public School board members heard from students and community members before approving a proposed tax increase Thursday night that would fund the building of two new academic buildings at the high schools.
During a tax levy hearing held before the regular board meeting, members heard from several students who attend Hopkinsville High School.
Junior Micah Perkins asked how is it acceptable to have a school in such a bad condition.
Senior Ethan Bailey has attended Hopkinsville High School for the last three years, but this year he has felt the least comfortable within the school building.
Numerous community members spoke on the importance that both schools have on Hopkinsville and Christian County. Dottie Faulkner is concerned about the tax increase for the elderly residents, including her parents who still live on their own and pay every bill with limited income they bring in monthly.
Superintendent Mary Ann Gemmill says it is time to do something to get a new academic building at both high schools.
Gemmill adds it’s heartbreaking that the district has the 7th lowest real estate tax rate in Kentucky.
After comments were heard, board members voted unanimously to approve the 5.5-cent per $100 tax rate increase for real and personal property. The rate which is now set at 48.3-cents per $100, would cost a person who owns $100,000 worth of property $55 dollars more a year.
The additional funding the tax rate increase will bring in will raise the bonding potential for the school district from $15 million to over $50 million.
The tax is recallable if 10 percent of voters registered in the 2016 presidential election in Christian County sign a petition to put the measure on the ballot for a local referendum. Crittenden County passed a similar 5-percent tax in 2017 to raise money for a new high school only to see the tax measure voted down by residents.
Hopkinsville High School would see a new academic building built first, followed by Christian County High School.
