Sales tax vote fails

Jeremy Nash news-herald.net

Lenoir City voters rejected a sales tax increase earmarked for school safety improvements.

The vote failed 1,372 to 964.

Lenoir City Mayor Tony Aikens said there was no city contingency plan for financing additional school resource officers, social workers, registered nurses and fencing around Lenoir City High School that a school safety committee Aikens chaired said was needed.

“Obviously, it failed and unfortunately those funds are not there, certainly on the city side and I don’t know, talking to Dr. (Jeanne) Barker, I don’t think they’re there on the school side,” Aikens said. “So we’ll just hope and pray that nothing happens at any of our schools or any other school as far as that goes in the country.

“Unfortunately, I think it’s the world we live in, but we just hope that nothing happens out there,” he added. “I’ve said from day one the fairest way is to put it on the ballot. The majority of people voted it down, even though it didn’t get voted down by a lot. It did get voted down and I’m going to abide by their wishes.”

Lenoir City officials proposed a half-cent increase to the sales tax earlier this year that could have generated nearly $2 million annually. Lenoir City Council in July approved putting the proposed increase on the November ballot to allow voters to make the final decision.

A list of wants for the school system previously provided the News detailed $1.4-$1.6 million in expenses, but only $845,000 in annual recurring costs.

Jim Shields, city councilman, supported letting voters decide on the sales tax.

“I think that the people they are concerned about school safety and school concerns, keeping the kids safe, but I don’t think they really was in line with the tax increase,” Shields said. “Maybe there’s some other way to look at it, some other way of going around and getting it done. We’ll just have to look at it and see.”

Aikens said he doesn’t know of a way to afford the city school district’s wants without a sales tax increase.

“I don’t know what that compromise would be. I mean I don’t know of anything else out there,” Aikens said. “The only other choice, city council is very limited on what they can do, and the only other choice would be to have a property tax increase and I am totally opposed to that. And we gave the voters the opportunity if they wanted to have a (increase). From what we was asking I certainly don’t believe it was out of line and it was going to not — obviously people that’s coming through Lenoir City that’s spending their sales tax dollars.

“We need to focus, and this is something Dr. Barker and I totally agree on, is having counselors in schools and talk to these kids and see what’s troubling those children whether it be a home or school or wherever, to try to talk to them and prevent something like this from happening,” Aikens added.

Jeanne Barker, Lenoir City director of schools, could not be reached for comment despite multiple attempts.

Bobby Johnson Sr., Lenoir City Board of Education member, said he didn’t believe a sales tax hike was necessary.

“I mean that’s my opinion about it,” Johnson said. “I mean we may have to have it. ... I thought maybe it might go through because it was on the education purpose for safety of the kids, but we’re doing pretty good so far with what we’ve got. We’ve not had that much of a problem. I don’t know, we’re just going to have to probably get together and try to work with what we’ve got. Tighten up our belts.”

Johnson also serves on city council. He said some of the school district’s wants may still be a possibility.

“Just have to wait and see how we can do it or not,” he said.