Galva tax referendum: No, at least for now

Galva School District taxpayer won’t have a tax referendum facing them when they step into the polls in November. The Galva School Board announced Aug. 23 that it won’t put the issue on the ballot.

Superintendent Doug O’Riley said at Monday night’s board meeting that a lack of community support at an Aug. 9 referendum forum and the announcement of the Bob Evans plant closing, which put 66 employees out of work, were reasons the board cited for not wanting to put the issue before voters in November.

“The board felt there were too many variables right now to proceed,” Board President Gary Edmonds said Tuesday morning. “With state funding a relative unknown, the idea of a state income tax increase, and the overall local economic conditions, it was just not theright time to have a positive reaction to a potential referendum. We still see it as a viable way to wrest control of our finances from the state, but November wasn’t the right time."

O’Riley said Monday night that the board will “revisit” the idea at its December meeting.