UPDATE: Randolph County School Levy vote fails

Randolph County voters did not pass their school excess levy, according to the superintendent.

Unofficial numbers provided to 5 News by Randolph County officials indicate 3,726 ballots were cast against the levy (66 percent), while only 1,903 people voted for the levy (33 percent).

In just days the Randolph County Schools excess levy will be up for a vote.

"Say Yes to Children" committee launched a new site that includes a calculator showing what could be the possible increase in personal property taxes.

This would be for the assessed value of your property. That means 60% of the real estate property tax value.

An example is if your home is assessed at $90,000, then according to the calculator, you would pay $148.32 annually...$12.36 monthly in addition.

While a person on a Homestead Exemption, a tax exemption for residents 65 and older, it would drop your assessed value by $20,000, those residents would pay $115.36 annually...$9.31 monthly.

If you own a vehicle with an assessed value of $6,000, then annually you would pay $19.78...$1.65 month, additionally.

This proposed five year levy would equal to $16,150,685, or $3,230,137 annually, if passed.

The way it's broken down, according to school officials:

A. To provide funds for school safety and student instructional

materials, including the purchase of new textbooks and the

purchase of and upgrades to technology hardware and software,

as well as instructional materials to support the band, music, art,

and theater programs within Randolph County Schools.

APPROXIMATE ANNUAL AMOUNT OF: $900,000

B. To provide funds to support the hiring of new professional staff,

as well as to provide salary and state benefits to those staff to

increase the teacher to student ratios at Randolph County

Schools.

APPROXIMATE ANNUAL AMOUNT OF: $500,000

C. To provide funds for upgrades to facilities, including installation

of new turf at the Tygarts Valley High School football and

baseball fields, new turf and new bleachers at the Wimer football

field, new turf at the Elkins Middle School softball field, and

new turf at the Elkins High School soccer and baseball fields.

APPROXIMATE ANNUAL AMOUNT OF: $1,000,000

D. To provide funds for maintenance of and upgrades to facilities,

including the completion of a new gymnasium at Tygarts Valley

Middle/High School.

APPROXIMATE ANNUAL AMOUNT OF: $520,137

E. To provide funds to enable Randolph County Schools students,

Randolph County Schools employees and the senior citizens of

Randolph County to attend athletic activities at Randolph

County Schools at no cost.

APPROXIMATE ANNUAL AMOUNT OF: $100,000

F. To provide funds to support the extra-curricular activities of

Randolph County Schools students, including providing

transportation to extra-curricular activities.

APPROXIMATE ANNUAL AMOUNT OF: $180,000

G. To provide funds to supplement the budget of the public libraries

within Randolph County, and the WVU Extension Service to

provide continuing 4H programming.

APPROXIMATE ANNUAL AMOUNT OF: $30,000

To use the calculator, click on Related Links.