ELECTION 2026: Taylor County voters renew 0.25 mill school tax

Posted on November 3, 2026

Taylor County voters on Tuesday narrowly approved the school board’s request to keep its 0.25-mill property tax in place for another four years, according to unofficial election-night results from the Supervisor of Elections Office.

With 14 of 14 precincts reporting, 3,578 voters (54.58%) voted yes and 2,978 (45.42%) voted no, according to unofficial election results released Tuesday evening.

The ballot asked whether the School Board of Taylor County should “have the authority to continue to levy 0.25 mills of ad valorem millage dedicated for school operational needs to fund teachers, as well as technology and academic programs for the fiscal years beginning July 1, 2027 and ending June 30, 2031.”

This is not a new tax. The quarter-mill has been in place for years, and voters have renewed it in four-year terms. The current authorization runs through June 30, 2027.

The vote allows the district to keep levying the tax from July 1, 2027, through June 30, 2031.

In the board’s resolution calling the referendum, the district said the levy is needed to “preserve school operational needs of the District while enduring declining state revenues.”

The stated purpose of the levy has changed. In past referendums, the quarter-mill was presented as a “critical needs” tax supporting programs such as music, physical education and transportation.

This year’s ballot language instead says the money would “fund teachers, as well as technology and academic programs.”

When voters last renewed the tax in November 2022, the measure passed with 4,338 votes (62.22%) to 2,634 (37.78%). At that time, the tax raised about $470,000 a year, roughly 2% of the district’s operating revenue.

Half-cent sales tax results withheld

The quarter-mill renewal was one of two school tax questions on Tuesday’s ballot. The other asked voters to approve a new half-cent sales tax for school capital projects.

Supervisor of Elections Dana Southerland’s office announced Monday that, “Due to a recent judge’s order,” it would not release election-night results for the half-cent referendum until a final hearing is held.

A lawsuit filed Oct. 15 challenged the half-cent measure’s ballot summary and title. A judge agreed that the 90-word summary is longer than the 75-word limit allowed under state law and that the ballot title, “School Operational Purposes,” does not fit a tax that is limited to capital outlay spending only.

The quarter-mill and half-cent measures are separate. The property tax pays for operations, including teacher pay and programs, while the half-cent sales tax could only be used for capital costs such as construction, roofs, HVAC, security and technology.

All results are unofficial until the canvassing board certifies them.

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