Amherst schools hit pause on sales tax referendum idea

Amherst County Public Schools officials are pausing, for now, from seeking a referendum on whether a 1% sales tax should be implemented to fund school construction projects.

Interim Superintendent Tim Hoden said the state legislature passed a measure allowing localities to pursue a 1% sales tax for a school construction project through a referendum. Hoden said he was initially gung-ho about proceeding, but on second thought, he feels it is necessary to hit pause.

“The runway on this is short and we would need a referendum in place by Aug. 14 and I think asking the taxpayers for an additional 1% on sales tax right now without really getting our ‘why’ out there would be a mistake, because if it got shot down then it would be hard to rebuild that,” Hoden said at the Amherst County School Board’s July 9 meeting.

The timeline is not enough to properly inform the school community and taxpaying residents about the need for additional funds, Hoden said. He proposes discussing the matter with the Amherst County Board of Supervisors in early spring to identify a better timeframe for bringing a referendum forward in the November 2027 general election.

The division needs a plan to properly inform the public so residents can know specifically where the sales tax money would go if a referendum were approved, Hoden said.

He said he has spoken with County Administrator Jeremy Bryant, who agrees, and that the board of supervisors has been informed.

David Childress, the school board chair, said most of the state’s localities in recent years were not allowed to seek the additional sales tax measure for school construction projects. Now that it has opened to localities, Childress agrees with waiting after coming through a tense and tight budget season.

“Just because it’s there and available doesn’t mean it’s something we need to push for unless we have a plan,” Childress said. “Before we really even consider asking the board of supervisors to put this as a referendum so the community can vote on it, we need to understand how to utilize it.”

He said the additional funding stream, if approved in the future, doesn’t have to be for new construction projects only and can toward renovation work and existing projects.

Pushing it now would not be a responsible decision if the public support isn’t there, Hoden said.

“I feel if we can talk about it next budget season and get the word out properly, it would give us more time moving forward,” Hoden said.