Cumberland Times-News
Cumberland — Mineral County voters made a wise choice last Saturday when they voted nearly three to one to continue a school tax levy that has helped pay for public education since 1952.
Had the levy not passed, $6 million of annual funding would have been lost for the county’s 4,600 students.
The loss would have been a financial devastation for the school system.
The levy vote originally was scheduled for Feb. 6 but was called off because of a recent snow storm.
But polls were open last Saturday and by the end of the day the levy had passed by a 1,802-
522 margin.
Some of the votes were cast in January as people took advantage of an early voting option.
State law requires the levy to come up for a vote every five years, meaning the tax is now in place until 2015.
Steve Peer, treasurer for the Mineral County Board of Education, said that funds generated from the levy are separate from money the system receives through local property taxes.
The $6 million of levy money represents about 15 percent of the school system’s operating budget for 14 schools and 4,600 students.
Money is tight these days because of the recent recession.
Despite that, a majority of Mineral County voters apparently see the education levy as a good investment in the county’s future.
