McComb tax for new school passes

McCOMB — Voters living in McComb Local School District have approved a levy that will fund the replacement of their 103-year-old main school building. Unofficial election results Tuesday night showed 790 votes for the bond issue and 526 votes against. The levy includes a 0.25% annual income tax beginning January 1, 2027 along with a bond issue totaling $23.8 million, to be repaid annually over a maximum of 37 years, with a property tax estimated to average 6.99 mills for each $1 of taxable value, or $245 for each $100,000 of real property, to be levied to pay the debt charges on those bonds. The conceptual design for the new school includes a two-story elementary school building centered around an auditeria, with a one-story junior/senior high school to the west. The district already owns 74 acres to the west of the current school, a former golf course, and the new school will be located there. Superintendent Jeremy Herr told The Courier in August that the new school will offer more space, as some parts of the current school are cramped. It will also be climate-controlled. Herr said the most common complaint he hears from staff, students and parents is that the current school is often too hot or too cold. Along with climate control, the 1923 roof and the sewer, much of which is original, have been concerns with the current school building. The traditional income tax of 0.25% will be in addition to a 1.5% traditional income tax already in the district. The project is expected to cost a total of $55 million, including $21.5 million to be provided by the state. The district has $5 million already saved for capital projects, and is asking the community for the remainder. The levy committee has estimated that the median property value in the district is $185,500, meaning a 6.99 millage would cost $453.56 per year, or $1.24 per day. The median household taxable income is $89,583, meaning a 0.25% income tax would cost $223.96 annually, or 61 cents per day. The target is to open the new school in fall 2029.