South Western Schools Will Revisit Levy

10 TV: The South-Western City Schools board of education voted on Wednesday night to proceed with placing a levy issue before voters for the third time this year. The proposed 7.4-mill levy would be headed to the November ballot once the board gives final approval at a scheduled meeting Thursday night…

The new levy is lower than the 8.3-mill levy rejected by voters in May and again in August. In addition to reducing the levy amount, the school board plans to introduce a pay-to-participate option for athletics and other extracurricular activities, which were eliminated after the previous two levy defeats.

Hundreds of mostly pro-levy supporters gathered at Wednesday night's board meeting to hear how the board plans to sell the levy to a bitterly divided community. If passed in November, the new levy would cost the owner of a $100,000 home an additional $227 a year.