Sussex County enjoys referendum success

Since 2011, Sussex County has held nine referendum votes to increase taxes.

Only two have failed — the Indian River School District vote on Nov. 22, 2016, and one in the Seaford School District held Feb. 27, 2014.

However, the tax increase that failed in the Indian River School District in 2016 passed 100 days later by a margin of 1,701. Even with the Nov. 22 measure's failure to pass, it failed by only 30 votes.

These votes generate a lot of interest, said Ken McDowell, the director for the Sussex County Department of Elections. Out of all the elections, he said, these tax increase votes require the most thought.

The referendums often have higher voter turnout than school board elections, he added.

"You see a far greater number of people come out for referendum because of the pocketbook issues," McDowell said. "There is great interest in it."

While Sussex County has the highest success in the state in passing referendums since 2011, school officials understand it's no simple task. They stress a few key components to the success of the recent votes — community support, effective outreach, transparency and already low tax rates.

Kent County, too, has had relative success passing referendums.

Since 2011, Kent County has passed six out of the eight referendums related to county schools.

However, the support districts receive in Sussex and Kent counties trends a little lower in New Castle County.

BACKGROUND: Indian River referendum passes by almost 2,000 votes

For comparison, New Castle County has only passed 10 out of the 17 referendums held since 2011. Most recently, a referendum in the Colonial School District held on Feb. 28 that failed 2,961 to 2,067 on additional taxes that would have generated $10.9 million. A bond question to authorize the district to take out $4.7 million in bonds for school security upgrades that was voted on at the same time as the tax increase also failed by a count of 2,733 to 2,193.

That's roughly a 59  percent success rate, while Sussex and Kent voted to raise taxes more than 75 percent of the time.

Districts with lower taxes, such as Indian River, will only go to a referendum if they need to construct a building or raise money for the budget, said Brian Baull, mayor of Dagsboro and a member of the Indian River High School Band Boosters.

"The district doesn't come to the voters unless there is a serious need," he said.

Keeping taxes low

For Alyssa Titus, public information officer for the Cape Henlopen School District, the difficulties the district faces while campaigning for tax increases are made easier by community support.

"I know other districts have a tough time, but we have so much support," she said.

The Cape Henlopen School District broke ground on a new H.O. Brittingham Elementary School on March 23, exactly one year to the day a tax increase to fund the school — along with several others — was passed.

The tax increase was passed by a count of 2,947 to 1,031.

Voters in the Cape Henlopen School District approved the $130.18 million dollar tax increase — with those living in the district responsible for paying for $48.1 million of it — to help rebuild or renovate the district's four elementary schools as well as add a new Sussex Consortium.

This referendum raised property taxes by 33 cents per $100 of assessed property value.

In April of 2014, the Cape Henlopen School District passed another referendum to build a new elementary school in Lewes, which raised the property tax rate by 27 cents.

The tax increase in the Indian River School District approved on March 2 raised taxes by 49 cents per $100 of assessed value, with 33 cents going toward dealing with growth, 8 cents going toward student safety improvements and 8 cents going toward student services, such as textbooks, technology and student clubs and organizations.

BACKGROUND: Indian River referendum fails in razor-close vote

The property tax rate in the Indian River School District has increased by 63.7 cents since 2011. Property tax rates increased by 60 cents in the Cape Henlopen School District during that same time period.

Despite seeing a combined $1.237 worth of tax increases, the Cape Henlopen and Indian River school districts still have the two lowest tax rates in Sussex County, with Indian River being the lowest at $3.068 and Cape Henlopen the second lowest at $3.213.

Even though Sussex County has had recent success in passing such tax increases, Indian River School District Superintendent Mark Steele said the measures, particularly tax increases for current expense funds, are not easy to pass.

"I think the tendency to pass a major capital referendum may be a little easier than passing a current expense, and I think the reason that is with a major capital, people in the community can see what their tax dollars are going toward," he said. "They can see a new building or an addition, whereas when you have a current expense, it’s operations. So you don’t really see that money."

The approval of the tax increase in the Indian River School District came just weeks before Delaware Gov. John Carney announced there would be a $15 million cut to operation funds and a $22 million cut to the Education Sustainment Fund.

Under the proposed budget, Carney wants to empower schools to raise the match tax, the tax that funds things such as minor capital improvements, without going to referendum in order to cover reductions to the Sustainment Fund.

However, school district officials have said they would be reluctant to use that option

It takes a community

Steele and Titus both agreed it's community turnout that helps these tax increases pass.

When Titus receives pushback from the community about the tax increases, she reminds people the funds raised go toward schools, and better schools raise property values.

"I think it’s cool that a lot of young families are moving and they care about our public education being great, and they understand what it takes for schools to be great, with new buildings and new teachers and new resources," she said. "I definitely attribute to our community being very, very forward thinking understand in the changing needs of the district."

READ MORE: Tax vote bears fruit with Cape school groundbreaking

Steele said reaching people helped in passing the March 2 tax increase.

Facebook Live sessions in the days and weeks leading up to the vote, Steele said, helped him reach people.

For Steele, that made all the difference.

"I think in having a chance to talk to the superintendent from Colonial, I think one of the big things is you need to get to people," he said. "And if you can’t get to people you’re in bad shape, because you will have the group who will not support it no matter how many times you go. So you have to make sure you go out to spread the message."

Titus, too, said making administration highly visible during the days leading up to the votes makes a large difference.

She said on the days leading up to tax increase votes, Cape Henlopen Superintendent Robert Fulton and Cape Henlopen Director of Facilities Operations Brian Bassett are often in the community once a day spreading information about these votes.

"They are addressing concerns citizens may have, she said. "That has been extremely helpful in moving a referendum forward."

Baull, the Dagsboro mayor, said he feels it is important these tax increases are passed because they are not only important for the students themselves but for teachers, as well.

BACKGROUND: Voters approve Cape schools referendum

Approving the referendum to increase taxes helps to keep teachers in the district for years to come as well as ensure they are fairly compensated, he added.

"No one wants to hear that their taxes are going up," Baull said. "But a referendum to benefit our students' future is a good thing."

Overall, McDowell, the election organizer, gets very excited when he sees a large turnout for a vote, such as the one for the Indian River School District.

For that vote, 12,489 people voted — the most for any tax increase vote in the history of Sussex County, he said.

McDowell said these high turnouts are symbolic of democracy in action.

"Democracy is a great thing," McDowell said. "There are countries in the world who would love to have a say in their government, schools and towns."

rghughes@delmarvanow.com

On Twitter @hughesg19