MONTGOMERY — The Barr-Reeve School Board took the next step in getting a referendum question put on the May primary ballot Tuesday night.

The board unanimously approved a resolution on the referendum that will levy up to 25 cents per $100 of assessed property valuation. The new referendum, should it pass, would replace the referendum that was put in place in 2013 and this time, the school corporation is asking for 10 cents less.

Barr-Reeve Superintendent Dr. Travis Madison said the corporation’s referendum question which reads,”For the eight (8) calendar years immediately following the holding of the referendum, shall Barr-Reeve Community Schools, Inc. impose a property tax rate that does not exceed twenty-five cents ($0.25) on each one hundred dollars ($100) of assessed valuation and that is in addition to all other property taxes imposed by the school corporation for the purpose of replacing the expiring referendum tax levy with a replacement referendum tax levy that will provide continued funding for small class sizes, athletics and extra-curricular programs, elementary music/physical education programs, and school safety/mental health resources?” has been pre-approved by the Indiana Department of Local Government and Finance.

“The process officially starts with this resolution that I’ll send off to the DLGF tonight. They then have 10 days to approve or reject our question,” said Madison. “After it’s approved, I’ll take a copy down to the county clerk’s office and the county council. The county election board will then have to adopt a resolution to put the question on the ballot.”

Madison said more public information meetings will be scheduled leading up to the May 5 primary.

“We have a frequently asked questions section on our website now where people can go to learn more about the referendum too,” said Madison, adding he is also available to meet with groups wanting to learn more about the referendum.
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