Next week the Great Bend USD 428 Board of Education will tour the district bus barn, so its members can see first-hand whether a new building proposed by the administration is merited. Since the administration has also proposed remodeling the District Education Center on Patton Road, perhaps a tour of that facility is also in order.
Superintendent Brad Reed indicated that months of study preceded the presentation to the school board last month. Before the board takes the first step to start the two projects, with a combined estimated cost of $2.1 million, the board and the taxpayers need to know some of the rationale that went into the recommendation.
This purchase, if approved, would be made with capital outlay funds, so no “additional” taxes would be required. However, the district levies a capitol outlay tax which the board can always lower if there is more money in the bank than needed.
Capital outlay taxes – and keeping a surplus on hand – are a good idea, since unforeseen needs do arise. They also allow the district to proceed with large projects without passing a bond issue. That can save money, but it also means the district can bypass the possibility of a protest that would place the issue on a ballot.
At this point, if these building projects were voted on in a general election they probably wouldn’t pass. But that might change as the public and the board members learn more about the need.
Meanwhile, the Barton County/Kansas State University Extension Council has received the Barton County Commission’s nod to combine with the Ellis County Extension Council, forming an extension district that would also have an annual mill levy. That proposal, should it move forward, could be protested and the question would go to voters. If we do get this new district and new tax, the Barton County budget will no longer include more than $200,000 a year that it allocates to the extension. But will the county cut its mill levy to match the cost of the new extension district’s mill levy?
The good news on both issues is that our locally elected officials are taking time to study them, and they are a fiscally conservative group. While they ponder these issues, our elected officials also need to share with the public their insights on how our tax dollars will be used.