By WMBD-TV

BLOOMINGTON – Voters said yes to a proposal by the Olympia Community Unit School District 16 that sounded like a tax increase but was something that district officials said was not.

Voters in McLean, Tazewell and Woodford counties all said yes to the measure that increased the rates for the educational fund and for the operations and maintenance fund.

The referendums on Tuesday’s ballot sought raise the rates for those two funds, a move which the district said would save money as it would allow them to lower other tax rates.

And voters said okay, by a 2-1 margin or a 1,319 votes to 663 votes for the maintenance fund. And by a similar margin 1,288 in favor to 695 opposed for the educational fund.

Right now, Olympia’s education fund, which is also the school’s largest fund at $18 million, has a $1.5 million deficit. It’s currently covered by a loan that will be paid off by the end of the year. By reallocating money from four other funds, officials argued the school district won’t have to take out any more loans to keep up finances.

The maintenance rate had stayed the same since the school opened in 1972. If the operations and management fund increase passed, district officials said earlier this month that they would be able to replace their aging pool, build an animal science learning facility, create a multi-purpose space and address needed maintenance and repairs of the elementary and middle school.

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