Ashland Daily Independent reports: (Photo by Kevin Goldy)
Fighting for a tax that voters are certain to rescind isn’t worth the animosity, Fairview school Superintendent Bill Musick said Monday.
Musick asked the board of education to drop plans to put a utility tax on the November ballot if a recall petition drive is successful. Board members didn’t act immediately, favoring a last-ditch attempt to sway public opinion.
“I don’t want this thing dragging on all through the summer,” Musick said. Disagreement over the levy has divided an otherwise close community, he said. “I’ve lost sleep over it.”Musick said he didn’t want the tax issue to become personal but it has anyway.
He still favors the tax but doesn’t think it can prevail at the ballot box. “The chances are slim to none,” he said. In fact, a petition drive to take the issue to a vote had around 700 signatures at last count, said Jamie Hinkle, one of the organizers.The signatures have to be validated by the county clerk’s office, but since only 191 are required to get the issue on the ballot, there’s little doubt, Hinkle said.
“(Musick) probably feels like he doesn’t want to do anything against the community. We respect that,” Hinkle said.
The board enacted the 3 percent levy in February; it would be added to all electric, gas, water, telephone, cable and cell phone bills.A previous similar utility tax was struck down by voters in 2005 by a wide margin.
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