Board clears language for 1.0-mill renewal focused on school safety and pay; adds citizen oversight language

Board members reviewed draft ballot language for a renewal of an existing 1.0 mill at the March 24 workshop, with a stated objective of funding school safety (including police officers and associated services) and competitive compensation for district employees. Legal counsel and staff emphasized the technical constraints of ballot drafting — a 15-word preamble and 75-word summary — and said the current draft had been reviewed by legal staff and the supervisor of elections.

The draft adds an independent citizens oversight committee (modeled on an existing sales tax oversight committee) to strengthen transparency. A board attorney said ballot-language litigation is common and that the current language should “withstand a challenge,” subject to strict compliance with word limits and clarity requirements.

Board members agreed there was consensus to add the ballot-language item to the next formal agenda for a vote and to transmit the language, if approved, through the Board of County Commissioners and the Supervisor of Elections as required by process. Staff noted the proposal is a renewal, not a new tax, and said the draft aims to make the use of proceeds explicit.

What happens next: staff will add the ballot-language agenda item to the upcoming agenda so the board may vote on placing the renewal on the ballot; if approved by the board, the item will proceed to county review and the elections office on the statutory timeline.