Voters in Fairfield School District deciding revenue purpose statement

Voters in the Fairfield Community School District will go to the polls Tuesday to vote on whether to renew the district's revenue purpose statement.

Each district in Iowa must have a revenue purpose statement, and that statement must be approved by the voters that the school district resides in. This statement is a requirement by the Iowa Legislature.

Originally the Legislature decreed that a district can only use the money that is in the SAVE (Secure an Advanced Vision for Education) fund until 2031. These funds come from sales tax on goods and services that are collected throughout the state. Those sales taxes are allocated to each district to be spent using the SAVE fund.

In 2019, the Legislature revised that law and extended the use of SAVE funds to the year 2051. However, each district had an original revenue purpose statement that was voted on by the public that only allowed them to use SAVE funds until 2031. A new revenue purpose statement must be voted on allowing the district to follow what the Legislature has put into law, namely that SAVE funds can be used up until the year 2051. Fairfield School Superintendent Laurie Noll said a vote in favor of the revenue purpose statement will not raise taxes, and only extends what the district has already been doing, which is using SAVE money to improve school buildings and grounds.

'It enables us to use those funds quickly to fix unexpected things such as the flood that happened at Pence last year as well as ongoing maintenance and upkeep of the school buildings and grounds,” Noll said.

Election Day

Polls open at 7 a.m. and close at 8 p.m. on Election Day at the four polling places in the district. The four polling places are: the Jefferson County Courthouse in Fairfield; the Libertyville Community Center in Libertyville; the Lockridge Community Center in Lockridge; and the Pleasant Plain Community Building in Pleasant Plain.

Residents of the following areas will vote at the Courthouse, 51 E. Briggs, Fairfield, Iowa: City of Fairfield, Locust Grove Township; Buchanan Township; Cedar Township; Center Township; Maharishi Vedic City and the portion of the school district lying within Pleasant Township in Wapello County.

Residents of the following areas will vote at the Libertyville Community Center, 110 N. Main, Libertyville, Iowa; City of Libertyville; Liberty Township; Des Moines Township; the portion of the school district lying within Village Township in Van Buren County; and the portion of the school district lying within Lick Creek Township in Van Buren County.

Residents of the following areas will vote at the Lockridge School Gym, 103 S. Center, Lockridge, Iowa: City of Lockridge; Lockridge Township; Round Prairie Township; Walnut Township and that portion of the school district lying within Trenton Township in Henry County.

Residents of the following areas will vote at the Pleasant Plain Community Building, 505 S. Street Pleasant Plain, Iowa: City of Pleasant Plain; Blackhawk Township; Penn Township; and the portion of the school district lying within Clay Township, Washington.