County board discusses school-related election costs
</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[In the upcoming primary election on March 20, a referendum will be placed on the ballot regarding a 1 percent sales tax to be used for school facility renovation and construction. At Tuesday night's meeting of the Saline County Board, members discussed the sales tax referendum.
Under the old law, if the school board wanted a sales tax referendum to be placed on the ballot, the county board would have to vote and agree to put the referendum on the ballot. Under the new law, the county board does not have to consent to putting the sales tax on the ballot.
Some board members feel this takes authority away from the county board.
County board member Bruce Tolley asked questions about who would be paying for ballot preparation since the referendum is for the schools. Because people can vote on the referendum without drawing a party in the primary, the cost for printing and preparing ballots may be higher than usual. County Clerk Kim Buchanan said she would estimate the cost and they will discuss it further at the next meeting.
During the meeting:
-Doug Young spoke to the board about gun laws. He suggested the board pass a measure allowing Saline County residents with a FOID card to carry concealed weapons. No action was taken.
-Sarah Farmer, from the Southeastern Illinois Regional Planning and Development Commission, asked the board to sponsor a grant for the Saline Valley Conservancy District to extend water lines. The board voted unanimously in favor of sponsoring the grant. This will be the third year the board has sponsored the grant.
-The board voted to keep the same schedule for next year's meetings that they had this year. Meetings will be on the fourth Thursday of each month.