Date set for meals tax referendum

By JIM TALBERT\Staff
RICHLANDS – A request for a referendum on a meals tax has been filed but at least two school board members say it will not change the decision to close Pocahontas High School.
County Attorney Eric Young field the petition in Circuit Court April 17 asking that a referendum be placed on the ballot to decide whether or not a meals tax should be imposed. The petition asks that the election be held July 29 but does not set a specific amount of tax to be imposed.
It does specify that the money would be used to subsidize operation of Pocahontas High School for two years and for teacher pay raises and school facility improvements. State code does not require specific uses for a meals tax. It does make it a felony to use those funds for any other purpose if one is specified.
In a letter dated April 18 School Board Chairman Mike Dennis, Member Steve Davis and Supervisor Seth White stated that the school board would welcome additional funds but the issue of consolidating PHS was over and not open to further debate.
The letter also asks that the referendum not include any language on subsidizing specific schools. They also ask that the referendum specify whether the new revenues will be in addition to a certain level of funding or replace funding from other sources.
Young said those and other questions posed by the school board would have to be dealt with by the board of supervisors. He said the board would decide what percentage of tax it wished to impose when and if the referendum was approved.
Supervisor Mike Hymes moved at the April 1 meeting of the Board of Supervisors to request the referendum. Hymes asked that the issue be placed on a ballot before Aug. 1 and he asked for a tax of five percent.
That motion passed 4-1 with White as the only Supervisor voting against it. White stated at that time that he was not opposed to the tax but did not want to give people false hope that the action would keep PHS open.