New school board member weighs in on upcoming special election

This Monday the USD 480 Board of Education will be holding a town hall forum at the Depot. The forum will be hosted by the Liberal Chamber of Commerce and will focus on the special Capital Outlay election that will take place on Tuesday, October 13.

Reid Petty who just joined the Board of Education in July said the voters will have two options to select from when they go to the polls.

ź??The voters really have two options when they go to the polls. If this resolution were to pass the capital outlay mill levy would be set at four mills for the school year. If it fails it would actually go to zero, so it would not stay at four. Now there is $2.8 million that is being carried over from last year so it wouldnź??t actually affect this school year in progress, but it could potentially cause some cuts in the following year,ź?ť Petty said.

Petty admits there has been a lot of controversy surrounding this issue and hopes the forum will help address these issues.

ź??This (special election) has definitely been a hot topic around town. The good thing is that the people ultimately will get to decide how their tax dollars are spent. I also think this forum is great because itź??s a great way for the board and the community to interact with each other and hopefully get back on better terms.ź?ť

Petty said he is hoping for a packed house on Monday.

The forum will air from the Depot on Talkradio 1270 from 7-9 p.m. All members of the public are invited to attend.