The special school levy went down to defeat yesterday, with 1,672 citizens voting against (56 percent) and 1,323 voting for the levy (44 percent.)<\/p>\n
Twenty five percent (3,008) of the eligible voters (11,955) in Morgan County, West Virginia voted in the special referendum.<\/p>\n
It was the first time since 1958 — when the levy was first voted in — that it was defeated by the voters.<\/p>\n
The levy was defeated by a coalition of citizens calling themselves Citizens Against Excess Levies (CAEL), led by Jeannie Ford, the wife of County Commissioner Bob Ford.<\/p>\n
Jeannie Ford said that her core group included Frieda Ickes, Brooks McCumbee, Eric Pritchard, Terry Edmisten and Denise Edmisten.<\/p>\n
In an interview, Jeannie Ford said she and her husband \u201care not on the same page on the levy.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAs soon as I mention the levy, he leaves,\u201d she said. \u201cMy household has been in disarray ever since this levy thing started.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are not on the same page on this and we don\u2019t agree on fracking,\u201d Jeannie Ford said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m against fracking and will work to defeat it in Morgan County.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFracking will not come to this county,\u201d she said. \u201cI will run a campaign against fracking. I would sell my house to raise money to stop it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ford estimated that her group spent upwards of $3,000 on the campaign to defeat the levy.<\/p>\n
She said her group had 250 regular sized signs and five large ones.<\/p>\n
\u201cI would say the other side outspent us ten to one,\u201d Ford said. \u201cThey had Charles Trump, Daryl Cowles, Jeanne Mozier, Connie Perry. They had a website<\/a>.”<\/p>\n About 40 percent of the average Morgan County resident\u2019s property tax bill is the special levy that goes to the schools.<\/p>\n Ford says her property tax bill is about $6,000 a year, so about $2,400 of that goes to the special school levy.<\/p>\n Now that it is defeated, starting June 2014 — Ford\u2019s $2,400 school portion will be reduced to zero.<\/p>\n Unless the county votes again and approves it.<\/p>\n The next vote will probably take place in December, Ford said.<\/p>\n The levy raises $5.8 million a year for the schools.<\/p>\n \u201cWe don\u2019t need that $5.8 million,\u201d Ford said.<\/p>\n She said that eleven other counties in West Virginia have no special levy.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd many of them — including Pendleton, Pocahontas, Hardy, Grant and Tucker — have better WESTEST scores than we do,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n She said that the superintendent of the schools, David Banks, told a group of citizens at Greenwood Elementary School at a town hall meeting that if the levy didn\u2019t pass, Greenwood would have to be closed down.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s not going to happen,\u201d Ford said.<\/p>\n Voters in Precinct 24 — Greenwood Elementary School — voted to defeat the levy 247 against (66 percent) to 130 for (34 percent.)<\/p>\n Why would the people around Greenwood vote against the levy?<\/p>\n \u201cBecause they are tired of paying taxes,\u201d Ford said.\t\u201cWe are in a recession. There are people with families living in cars. There are houses where kids are living with their parents. The children aren\u2019t getting any smarter. What is our money being used for? It\u2019s being used for the higher ups.\u201d<\/p>\n Ford said she would support a levy that \u201cpeople can afford.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI would support a levy at 24 percent,\u201d Ford said. \u201cI\u2019m not going for a 100 percent levy. The Department of Education in Charleston told me their first mistake was raising the levy rate right before (two weeks ago) the election last night. You don\u2019t raise a levy rate right before the election.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The special school levy went down to defeat yesterday, with 1,672 citizens voting against (56 percent) and 1,323 voting for the levy (44 percent.) Twenty five percent (3,008) of the eligible voters (11,955) in Morgan County, West Virginia voted in … Continue reading