SELBYVILLE, Del. (AP) - More than three months after rejecting a tax referendum by just 30 votes, residents in Sussex County’s Indian River School District voted resoundingly to approve the referendum.
The $7.35 million referendum passed Thursday by an unofficial margin of about 7,100 to 5,400.
Indian River Interim Superintendent Mark Steele says the referendum was the result of unprecedented growth within the district. Had the referendum not passed, Steele says 10 percent of the district’s staff would have been cut.
Officials said the tax hike would increase the average district taxpayer’s annual property tax by about $95.
Voters shot down the referendum in November after the state auditor released a report highlighting district money allegedly used for frivolous purchases. The state auditor recently said more accountability measures have since been put in place.
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