Voters share mixed feelings on Cabell County School Excess Levy ahead of primary election

HUNTINGTON, WV (WOWK) — A school excess levy that’s been making headlines for months has been added to the primary election ballot, and voters are sharing mixed feelings about it.

Protests, lawsuits and overturned court rulings have led to the Cabell County School Board Levy being added to the primary ballot.

The controversial levy includes cutting county parks and libraries funding significantly. However, this would help the school district balance their budget for past and potential future decline in student enrollment.

Taxpayers have asked if they’ll be paying more taxes, and the answer is “no.”

Property taxes would stay the same, but funding for parks and libraries would be divvied up into other needs in the school district.

For Cabell County Public Libraries, they’ll lose around 20% of their funding . As for the parks, their funding will be reduced by approximately 64% .

13 News spoke with county voters and the majority said this doesn’t sit well with them.

“Well, I’m definitely not a fan of it, if it does get passed,” said Makenzie Stacy.

Lauren Vega said she hasn’t made her decision yet, but she’s “leaning towards going against.”

Others, who prefer to remain anonymous, were either unsure or in favor of it. Those who are in favor of the levy passing said they agree with the school board.

“Having schools provide funding for parks and libraries is important given the educational resources that each provide to children and adults, but the amount offered to each entity should not be so significant that, if taken away, would put parks and libraries in a financial crisis,” an anonymous voter told 13 News.

The financial crisis the individual is referring to is the “Plan of Action” released by the Cabell County Public Library to what the plan is if the levy were passed.

The plan includes a hiring freeze, reduced hours for staff, library closures, removing resources like eBooks and community programs, along with possible layoffs.

For some, this is another reason why they’re voting against this, but people like Jana Tigchelaar said they’re not against revising the excess levy.

“We’re saying ‘no’ now, so we can say ‘yes’ later. This isn’t a vote for schools or against schools. That’s a false dichotomy. It’s possible to have an excess levy that supports all three of those entities,” Tigchelaar said.

In the end, the decision on the levy will determine the future of parks and libraries that many families use frequently.

Early voting has already started for residents in West Virginia and in-person voting for the primary election will take place on May 14, 2024.

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