Just 464 votes were recorded in the mail election, representing 6.2 percent of the registered voters in Piper.
Exactly 300 voted "yes" to support the additional one-percent increase in the LOB, while 164 voters said no.
As a result of winning the election, the Piper Board of Education will have an additional $150,000 in revenue to spend.
More information on the financial ramifications, courtesy of the school district's Website:
By increasing our Local Option Budget authority by 1%, we will gain at least $150,000 dollars extra that will be put back into the classroom and off-set the reduced amount of base state aid per pupil.
18% ($27,000) of the $150,000 dollars is state aid that we will leave at the table each year if we do not take advantage of the opportunity to increase our budget authority by 1%. The aid could increase in 2014/15.
The remaining amount of the $150,000 dollars (minus the state aid) is the revenue that we would collect through mill levy. With our current assessed valuation and enrollment, the anticipated mill levy, and additional state aid into Local Option Budget, the mill levy increase may range from no increase to ½ mill increase – or approx. $1.35 per month on a $275,000 house. The variable is based on enrollment and assessed valuation.
A 1% additional budget authority will sustain programs, keep our mill rate lower than most districts in the area and fund student instruction.
If voters deny the 1% budget authority increase, the district will have to cut expenses by more than $350,000 during the next two years 2014 – 2016, which will impact jobs, programs, and services.
