Along with voting on three candidates to join the School Board, local voters are also being asked to cast a vote on a district “additional assistance budget override” (formerly known as capital outlay override).

The override would provide the district with $750,000 (or 10 percent of the district’s revenue control limit, if it is lesser) for the 2015-16 academic year.

Furthermore, if approved, this override would continue for the next six school years.

The current additional assistance budget override was first approved in 1999 and has been continued since.

As this is a renewal of an existing override, there would be no increase to current taxes. If the election fails, however, taxes would be adjusted accordingly.

Specifically, the ballot will ask voters if they wish to “authorize the Fountain Hills Unified School District Governing Board to adopt a budget which includes an amount for capital purposes that exceeds its district additional assistance budget limit…”

A vote of yes would grant FHUSD the continuation of $750,000 annually, with a no vote bringing that funding to an end.

The override tax rate is estimated at $0.1764.

For homeowners with a property assessed at $272,250, that would mean an estimated tax amount of about $48.20. For a home valued at $488,842, the estimated tax amount would be $163.84.

In the voter information pamphlets, FHUSD provided a statement explaining the need for extending the override, saying that it would allow the district to pay for capital needs not met by the current budget.

“School funding in Arizona is set by a statutory formula and in recent years, due to state budget deficits, funding to public schools has been cut,” reads the statement.

“This includes cuts to the capital budget that provides funding for things such as textbooks, student computers and related technology, furniture, building improvements and pupil transportation vehicles.”

A mail-in ballot only, responses must be received by Nov. 4 to be counted. Election organizers encourage voters to get their ballots in the mail by this Friday, Oct. 31, to ensure they are counted. Ballots may also be dropped off at Town Hall through election day.