§18-9-1 School levies; when levy election necessary; special election.
§18-9-1. School levies; when levy election necessary; special election.
The board of education of every school district or independent school district, wherein a majority of the votes cast on the question of school levy at the last general or special election at which the question of school levy was submitted to the qualified voters of such district or independent school district were in favor of such levy, shall annually, at the time and in the manner provided by law for making levies, levy a tax on all taxable property in its district or independent school district for the support and maintenance of free schools therein: Provided, That upon petition of not less than forty percent of the registered voters in any district or independent school district, as shown by the last registration of voters therein, addressed to the board of education of such district or independent school district, requesting the submission of the school levy to the voters of such district, the board of education of such district or independent district shall submit the question of authorizing a levy for school purposes to the voters of such district at the general election held next after such petition is presented; and the board of ballot commissioners of the county of which such district constitutes a part shall prepare or cause to be prepared separate ballots from the official ballot to be voted at said election, which separate ballot shall have printed thereon the following:
BALLOT ON SCHOOL LEVY
/ / For school levy.
/ / Against school levy.
The officers conducting the general election at each place of voting shall conduct the election on the question of the school levy and canvass and certify the result thereof to the commissioners of the county court in the same manner, so far as applicable, as they are required to conduct and certify the result of the general election; and such commissioners shall promptly certify the result of the election on the question of the school levy to the board of education of the district or independent school district within which the election was held, and such certificate shall be entered by the secretary as part of the minutes and records of such board of education. If a majority of the ballots cast at said general election in any district or independent school district on the question of such school levy be in favor of the levy, the board of education of such district or independent school district shall annually thereafter levy a tax on all the taxable property in its district, for the support and maintenance of the schools in the district, until such time as an election may again be held on the question of such school levy in the manner hereinbefore provided.
In the event that a majority of the votes cast in any school district or independent school district upon the question of the school levy submitted at any general election be against the levy, the board of education of such district or independent school district shall have authority to call a special election for the purpose of resubmitting the question of authorizing such school levy to the voters of such district or independent district. Such special election shall be held in accordance with the provisions of the next succeeding section of this article, so far as applicable, and the ballots shall be similar to those heretofore described in this section. If a majority of the ballots cast at such special election in any school district or independent school district be in favor of the school levy, the board of education of such district or independent school district shall annually thereafter levy a tax for the support of the free schools in its district or independent school district, in the manner provided by law for school levies, until such time as the question of school levy may again be submitted at a general election upon a petition signed by not less than forty percent of the registered voters of the district or independent district, as hereinbefore provided, and a majority of the votes cast at such election be against the levy. If a majority of the votes cast at any such special election be against the school levy the board of education of any such district or independent district shall again submit the question of a school levy to the voters of its district or independent district at the next general election: Provided, however, That upon petition of not less than forty percent of the qualified voters of the district, as determined from the last registration of voters, such board of education may again submit the question of school levy at a special election to be held for that purpose, in the manner hereinbefore provided, prior to the next succeeding general election.