SANDPOINT — While a measure to make the Lake Pend Oreille School District’s supplemental levy a permanent one is likely to hit the ballots in November, district officials are not quite ready to give it the green light.

“A couple of the board members felt that it would be nice to involve the community before a decision is made,” said Cary Kelly, LPOSD board chairman. “It’s the same levy they voted on before … we are not asking for an increase or anything like that, it’s just extending it out so we don’t need to come back in two years and ask for it again.”

The two-year, $25.4 million maintenance and operations supplemental levy makes up a “significant” portion — about 35 percent — of the district’s general fund budget, Kelly said.

To qualify for a permanent levy, districts must have a supplemental levy in place for seven consecutive years, and it must represent 20 or more percent of the district’s general fund revenue.

While the district has met those qualifications for several years, board members have not seriously considered the option until now.

“It doesn’t put the school district funding on a very sound footing when you have to go every two years to the voters and get approval,” Kelly said. “If we could make this permanent, it kind of sets a new baseline so that you have some security in future funding. We would like to have that security of knowing that we can count on at least that much money for a budget.”

The recommendation was put forth to the board last month by Lisa Hals, the district’s chief financial and operations officer. From her position of financial planning and risk management for the district, Hals said it is “less than ideal” to go out for voter approval every two years for 35 percent of the general fund budget.

The recommendation also came shortly after a bill to replace the indefinite term option narrowly missed approval at the state level earlier this year. If the bill had passed, it would have replaced it with a three- to 10-year extension option for districts that have had a successful levy measure for seven consecutive years. They would still have the option to run one- or two-year levies as well. The bill is expected to surface again in the next legislative session.

“In the past, it hasn’t felt like the right timing,” said Geraldine Lewis, LPOSD board vice chair. “Now, our back is a little bit against the wall with the possibility of this option not even being available to our voters in the future. So if our community wants a chance to weigh in and vote on this, it may have to happen in November.”

While it’s possible nothing happens for another year or two at the state level, Lewis said, if option for it goes off the table, it would seem “irresponsible” not to have asked the voters. And putting it on the ballot in November would be a good time to do so, she said, because people will already be heading to the polls. There would be no extra cost and a higher voter turnout.

Lewis said if the board moves forward with the decision to put the indefinite-term request on the ballot, she expects it to generate a lot of conversation because, in this area, people watch their taxes closely.

“They should be doing that, they should be considering these issues very carefully, so we hope a lot of people come to a community meeting about it — we hope it generates a lot of interest,” she said.

District officials will be scheduling an informal meeting in July, where the community will be able to give their views and ask questions about the indefinite term option. More information on that meeting will be forthcoming. Input is welcome during the public comment portion of the July 9 board meeting as well.

“We certainly want everybody to have their say,” Kelly said.

Mary Malone can be reached by email at [email protected] and follow her on Twitter @MaryDailyBee.