By Jalen Maki
Tomahawk Leader Editor
TOMAHAWK – School District of Tomahawk voters will once again vote on a referendum this spring.
The district’s Board of Education during its Tuesday, Jan. 12 meeting voted unanimously to approve a pair of resolutions: One authorizing the district budget to exceed revenue limits by $3.25 million per year for four years for nonrecurring purposes, and another green-lighting the referendum question.
The April 6 referendum will be $250,000 less per year and a total of $1 million less than the $3.5 million per year requested and subsequently rejected by a razor-thin 51-vote margin in November.
District Administrator Terry Reynolds noted that if the district asked for $3.25 million per year, taxpayers would see about a $7 decrease in taxes per year on a $100,000 home and opined that taxpayers would presumably be more likely to vote “yes” on the referendum if they knew it wouldn’t increase their taxes.
Reynolds told the board that the lower amount could potentially lead to a one-year pay freeze, and added that the district could make up the costs by not refilling certain vacant staff positions.
“We may end up having to pay a little more out of the fund balance to get there, but I think it’s something that we could probably financially handle in the long run and be OK,” he stated.
Reynolds said the district will seek the assistance of CESA 10 to raise public awareness about the referendum, and short educational video promoting the referendum is on the horizon.