CCSB Passes Millage Election Resolution

RISON - The Cleveland County School Board officially approved a resolution during a special called meeting Tuesday night to hold a special election on Nov. 18 to ask voters to approve a 6-mill tax increase to fund construction of a new gym.In addition, the board also voted to have three polling sites open for the election, including Rison, Kingsland and New Edinburg.Tuesday’s meeting came a little more than a week after the board voted 7-0 to ask for the 6-mill increase during a special meeting held Aug. 25. While the school board is scheduled to hold its regular monthly meeting this Monday night, election deadlines forced Superintendent Davy King to call Tuesday’s special meeting. State law requires the school board to approve a resolution declaring the election and file it with the county clerk’s office no less than 70 days before the election date. That deadline for Nov. 18 is this Saturday, Sept. 6.Under a new state law, school districts can only have millage elections in November or  March. During its Aug. 25 meeting, the Cleveland County School Board voted 5-2 to hold the election in November with some school board members expressing concerns about rising construction costs is the district waited until March.Jason Holsclaw of Stephens, Inc., the school district’s financial adviser, was at Tuesday night’s meeting. Stephens is assisting the district in meeting the deadlines required to put the millage request before voters.The proposed millage, according to the resolution, would fund the sale of $13.165 million in bonds that can be used for construction. The Cleveland County School District’s current millage rate is 38.1 mills: 28 mills for general maintenance and operations, and 10.1 mills for existing debt.Should voters approve the additional 6 mills, the total millage would be 44.1 mills with 28 mills remaining for maintenance and operations, 10.1 mills for existing debt ser...