Bill > SB223

This bill modifies the requirements for a petition to refer an excess tax levy of a school district to a vote, which is a mechanism allowing school districts to raise additional revenue from property taxes beyond the standard limits. Specifically, it changes the number of signatures needed on a petition to trigger a public vote on an excess tax levy from at least five percent of registered voters to either five percent of voters who participated in the most recent school district election or fifty voters, whichever is greater, and extends the deadline for filing such a petition from twenty days to forty days after the initial public announcement of the tax increase. Additionally, the bill mandates that the ballot for any such election must clearly state the duration of the excess tax levy and the total maximum dollar amount of taxes expected to be collected over that period, and it clarifies that the election must be conducted similarly to other special school elections, with the vote taking place on or before October first of the year preceding when the taxes would be payable.

Education, Government Affairs

https://sdlegislature.gov/#/Session/Bill/26500