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Signatures Needed To Get Tax Issue On Ballot

Posted at 3:39 PM, Aug 15, 2018
and last updated 2018-08-15 15:39:14-04

LEXINGTON, Ky (LEX 18) There are about two weeks left to collect signatures for a petition to add Fayette County’s School Safety Tax to the November ballot.

When the tax was approved by the school board in July, Dan Rose got to work. 

"It was like, wait a minute, that’s going to affect a lot of people," said Rose. 

The five cent property tax is estimated to bring in $13.5 million to help pay for numerous safety improvements at Fayette County Public Schools, but it would force property owners, like Rose, to foot the bill, leaving the average homeowner to pay about $88 more a year.

"The school board gets a tax off utility bills, they get a part of the property tax, there also is a tax in your paycheck that’s paid every week to the school board so, the taxpayers are being hit from all directions," said Rose. 

Rose said it is not the safety improvements they’re against, but the way the district is trying to pay for it. He alleges the district has a $30 million contingency fund they could use now to get the job done.

With two weeks until the August 31 deadline, Rose said that they still need quite a few of the 14,000 signatures to get the issue on the ballot. 

Click here for more information on the petition.