By DAVE TAYLOR

The petition submitted July 26, 2016, to Trimble County Clerk Tina Browning by the Trimble County School District Board of Education Nickel Tax Recall Committee challenging the school nickel tax levy has been officially certified.

“We certified the petition this morning,” Browning said Thursday, July 28. “The committee sent in a total of 595 names of which we found 541 qualified voters—54 names were scratched on guidance from the county attorney for various reasons.”

At least 358 valid voter signatures — or 10 percent of the 3,579 Trimble County voters who cast ballots in the November 2012 general election — were required to force a recall vote.

As required, Browning mailed certified letters to both the committee and the board of education Thursday morning notifying both entities of the certification. Additionally, she said she hand-delivered a copy to the board of education office. She also called the petition committee to notify them of the certification.

“I wanted to be fair,” she said, “because if they didn’t get it until Monday that would be three days out of the 10 days they have to appeal the decision. So now we wait to see if they appeal or whether they submit the question that will appear on the ballot in the November General Election.”

Should the board decide to appeal the certification, the issue would then go before Trimble Circuit Court Judge Karen Conrad for a ruling.

The Trimble County Board of Education voted on Monday, June 20, to levy the nickel tax (five cents per $100 of assessed property) “in order to secure necessary resources for the proper implementation of the proposed capital plan including the renovation and new construction of the existing Trimble County High School (priority one, housing grades 7-12),” as stated in a resolution to the school board by a Local Planning Committee recommending the tax. School officials have said the nickel tax levy is necessary to secure Urgent Needs funding from the Kentucky General Assembly for future construction.