30 October 2023
SILVER LAKE (KSNT) – The small town of Silver Lake has a few big decisions that will be on the ballots this November.
Silver Lake residents will soon get to decide the future of USD 372 which is undergoing major renovations as well as the addition of a new sales tax starting in 2024. Silver Lake Schools are presenting a bond issue that would go towards funding renovation projects at all three schools in the district, at some cost to tax payers.
The school district plans on using those funds to construct, furnish, renovate, improve and add to the following areas:
Pre-K classrooms, kitchens and library/ innovation lab renovations and improvements at Silver Lake Elementary School
Science classrooms, counselor center, career and technical education and weight room renovations, improvements and additions at the Silver Lake Junior/ Senior High School
Parking, baseball, softball and track and field improvements and renovations.
Silver Lake Superintendent told 27 News in September these renovations are necessary to keep the old buildings up-to-date with new technology.
“These buildings were built so long ago that everything from electrical outlets, to technology drops and those kinds of things make it very difficult to expand the programs the way they needed to be expanded so the kids can engage,” USD 372 Superintendent Brad Womack said.
This 30-year bond issue would raise the mill levy by 3.75. According to the Silver Lake Schools website, this bond issue would raise the property taxes on a $150,000 home by almost $65 per year.
The City of Silver Lake will also have a sales tax question on this year’s ballots. According to the Shawnee County Election Office, the sales tax will be levied to 1% in the City of Silver Lake, also known as the “penny tax.” This additional revenue would help fund public services within the city like funding repairs, replacements and improvements to the City’s infrastructure and other capital improvements in the best interest of the City of Silver Lake.
If approved, this sales tax would go into effect April 1, 2024. It would be limited to a 10-year term.
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