After months of talk and preparation, the Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) School Board voted 6-0, with one abstention, to place a property tax referendum on the November election ballot.  Board Member Tiffany Pascoe was the abstention. Pascoe, in a brief conversation with LarryInFishers, says her abstention is due to her concerns the school district budget is not being handled correctly.

The Fishers City Council met jointly with the school board Wednesday evening and unanimously approved a resolution backing the HSE referendum.

The current operating referendum, passed overwhelmingly by voters in 2016, expires at the end of calendar year 2023, with a property tax rate of .2275.  The referendum to be placed on the November ballot is calling for a slightly lower rate of .1995 beginning in 2024, if voters approve.

State law controls most of the language of the  measure, as it will be shown on the election ballot. School officials expressed concern about the ballot language required by the state, which implies the local tax rate will increase, when the rate will actually go down if the referendum is approved

Here is the ballot language:

Shall Hamilton Southeastern Schools continue to impose increased property taxes paid to the school corporation by homeowners and businesses for eight (8) years immediately following the holding of the referendum for the purpose of funding academic and educationally related programs, maintaining class sizes, retaining and attracting of teachers, essential safety initiatives, and changing the previously approved maximum referendum tax rate from $0.2275 to $0.1995? The property tax increase requested in this referendum was originally approved by the voters in May, 2016 and if extended will increase the average property tax paid to the school corporation per year on a residence within the school corporation by 20.8% and if extended will increase the average property tax paid to the school corporation per year on a business property within the school corporation by 20.8%.

Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness emphatically endorsed passage of the HSE referendum, telling board members Fishers residents feel good about the community and a major factor is the fact they “are able to live in a place where they genuinely believe that by living here, their children will have a better opportunity than they had, greater future than they had.  And that is due, in no small part, to the institution you represent.”

A political action committee (PAC), Advance HSE, has been formed to advocate for passage of the referendum. Co-chairwomen, Sneha Shah and Laura Smoots will lead this grassroots effort, aiming to rally support for the operating referendum renewal.

“We are thrilled by the overwhelming number of volunteers who have joined our cause so far,” Advance HSE Co-Chair Sneha Shah said. “We welcome all residents of Fishers to get involved and support the referendum.”