OTC board expected to approve tax levy hike today

The board will hold a hearing on the proposed tax levy increase at 2:45 p.m. in Room 228 at OTC’s Richwood Valley Campus, 3369 W. Jackson St. in Ozark. Its regular meeting will follow at 3 p.m.

Today’s resolution calls for increasing the tax levy from 14 cents per $100 of assessed valuation to 18 cents in 2008, 22 cents in 2009 and 26 cents in 2010. After the three-year phase-in, the increase is expected to add about $5 million to OTC’s operating budget, according to Public Information Director Joel Doepker.

“We would like to grow our technical education, and our work force and allied health programs – those are the big three programs that we are at capacity right now,” Doepker said. “We have more demand than we can supply.”

Doepker added that if the levy increase doesn’t pass, OTC could consider a tuition increase to find the necessary funding.

The board is expected to approve the proposed increase, Doepker said. It would then go to voters in Greene, Webster, Christian, Dallas, Polk, Dade, Lawrence and Stone counties in a Nov. 5 special election.