GREENFIELD — Voters resoundingly rejected tax referendums for the Southern Hancock and Mt. Vernon districts on Tuesday – sending a strong message that the local school districts will have to make do without additional tax revenue. 

    “I think the people have spoken. What else can you say?” said Bruce Fleming, an opponent of the Southern Hancock referendum. “And that’s the way it’s supposed to be. It’s still America, and people have said what they wanted to say.” 

    SH sought a $1.5 million tax increase, while MV sought $1 million more; both numbers represented maximum amounts and could have lasted for up to seven years. The defeat of the two referendums follows the defeat of the Eastern Hancock referendum in the primary. 

    “We got a lot of good positive feedback at the polls today, but we knew we were swimming upstream,” said Southern Hancock supporter Kip Bancroft. 

    Opponents questioned whether the western school districts have been responsible with taxpayer money in the past. Some also argued that future school budgets won’t be in the dire shape that people are led to believe. 

    On Tuesday, voters turned out in droves in the county’s western precincts. For example, the late afternoon line at McCordsville Elementary stretched nearly to the front door. It became apparent to election workers that much of the unusually large turnout was due to the school referendums. 

    Mt. Vernon Superintendent Bill Riggs was among those who crowded the county courthouse annex Tuesday evening to watch the election returns. He said MV supporters knew it would be a difficult campaign given the pervasive anti-tax sentiment. 

    “I’m very disappointed,” Riggs said after it became apparent the MV referendum would be defeated. “I guess our next project will be to start looking at how we’re going to make cuts, and it’s not going to be a pleasant discussion.” 

    Riggs said Mt. Vernon leaders will meet with parents and teachers in the coming days to discuss how to best use their existing resources. Decisions about layoffs will need to be announced around the end of February, he added.
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