The Vigo County School Corporation is asking for an increase to the county property tax.

The increase will help pay for a raise for teachers in the Vigo County School system and to pay for resource officers to continue to be in each school.

The 8 year increase in property taxes will also fund school nurses and behavior counselors.

Property taxes will increase by not more than $.1622 per $100 assessed home value.

When the referendum passes this November school officials hope to follow up with another referendum in a year or two to raise property taxes again to fund building repairs.

School Corporation officials hope the next referendum for building projects will total $200 million dollars and raise property taxes for 20 years.

Estimates place this at an additional $15.39 per month for a home assessed at $100,000.

The combined property tax increase for the proposed 2019 referendum and the 2021 referendum would add an additional $43.96/month or $527.60 each year to the tax bill for a $200K home.

Property tax caps passed by the Indiana Legislature would not limit the amount raised by the local referendum(s)

School leaders plan to cut $4 million in spending in conjunction with the new revenue due to shrinking school populations.

Enrollment in Vigo County Schools is down and the County continues to decrease it’s population.  Class sizes continue to fall and school populations are shrinking.

More and more students are living in poverty and raising taxes is one way according to the VCSC website to help keep pace with inflation.