HOT SPRINGS, Ark. (AP) — The National Park Community College Board of Trustees is postponing a special election set for April after attorneys questioned whether the Hot Springs school could legally use a property-tax increase to fund construction projects on campus.
The board had scheduled an April 10 election to ask voters for a 2.2 mill increase that would generate up to $13 million to pay for capital projects. But the board voted Wednesday to postpone the election until legal issues are clarified.
School president Sally Carder tells the Hot Springs Sentinel-Record that a 1973 law permits millage increases to pay for construction projects. But a 1977 statute says millage increases can be used for operating expenses — and it doesn't mention capital projects.
The school says it's seeking clarification from the Legislature.
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