As of 10 AM Tuesday, County Clerk Carmen Finley was in custody of more than 1,000 signatures — calling for a special referendum of the Trigg County Schools and its plans to implement a state-supported nickel tax on property values for bonding potential and a building fund.
Finley noted that she’d be delivering a drafted letter to district officials Wednesday morning, informing them of this recent measure from the voting public.
Finley also said that Lisa Champion — a chairperson of the “Citizens Right To Vote On Tax Increase” Committee — dropped off the petition on behalf of the organization.
According to KRS 132.017, the motion from Trigg Schools now falls into suspension until Finley and her staff determine the efficacy and legitimacy of the petition and its applicants. Her office then has 30 days to determine whether the petition has enough signatures from qualified voters to place a motion before voters.
Needing 10% of the voter turnout from the 2020 presidential election, this means Finley needs to confirm no less than 741 signees to force the next step. A final determination of sufficiency is also subject to a review by the Trigg County Circuit Court.
Furthermore, if certified, the Trigg County School Board can then cause the cancellation of its ballot presence by amending, tabling or canceling its order.
If an election is necessary under these provisions, there are options. The district board of education can decide for this to be held as a common school election not less than 35 days, but not more than 45 days, from petition certification, or it can be posed as a question at a regular election — primary or general.
