Early voting gets underway next week for an Aug. 12 special election for voters to decide whether to increase the millage rate for the Mid-America Technology Center (MATC) District. If approved, the increase would provide funding for building a second campus in the northern portion of the technology center’s district.
MATC is asking voters to approve a 3-mill increase to its building fund. The proposed increase would raise MATC’s millage rate from the current 1 mill to 4 mills—just one shy of the 5-mill maximum allowed by law.
If approved, the millage increase will also increase property taxes in the district, which includes all of Garvin and McClain counties, as well as parts of Cleveland, Grady, Murray, Pontotoc, Pottawatomie and Stephens counties. The expected impact to property owners will be a $33 per year increase for every $100,000 of assessed value (not market value), according to information supplied by MATC.
With those figures, a property with an assessed value of $200,000 would see an increase of approximately $66 per year; a $500,000 property would increase by $165 per year; and a $2,000,000 property would increase by $660 per year.
MATC District leaders say the additional funds would allow them to answer growing demand for career and technical education programs in this region by building a second campus between Blanchard and Newcastle.
The MATC District currently serves 18 “sending” school districts, including Blanchard, Bridge Creek, Dibble, Elmore City-Pernell, Lexington, Lindsay, Little Axe, Maysville, Newcastle, Noble, Paoli, Pauls Valley, Purcell, Stratford, Wanette, Washington, Wayne, and Wynnewood.
The four largest and fastest growing schools are more than 30 miles from the current campus at Wayne, according to MATC. Adding a second campus in northern McClain County, will better serve students in that area, while also freeing up seats at the existing campus in Wayne, allowing the technology center to also better serve schools and communities in the central and southern areas of the district, according to MATC leadership.
According to information on MATC’s website pertaining to the millage increase, the district currently has just over 1,100 full-time students enrolled for the fall semester, with nearly that many on a waiting list for full-time programs. Half of those enrolled are students returning to complete their second year of a two-year program, while the other half are new enrollments.
The district has recently finished a major investment at the Wayne campus and will continue to update and upgrade facilities there, according to its website.
All registered voters in the MATC District are eligible to vote in the Aug. 12 special election.
Early voting begins Thursday, Aug. 8, for voters in Garvin County. Voters who will not be able to make it to the polls on Election Day, have the option of voting early at their County Election Board. Garvin County Election Board Secretary Holly Levis said early voting is open to all voters.
“You do not need to provide an excuse to vote early. Oklahoma allows early voting for all elections conducted through the State Election Board—from school board and municipal elections to state and federal elections. This is a great option for those who will be out of town on Election Day or who want to avoid long lines,” Levis said.
Early voting is available Thursday, Aug. 8, and Friday, Aug. 9, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the County Election Board Office in the Garvin County Court House, 201 W. Grant Ave.
Levis reminds voters that early voting is not available at polling locations.
For more information on voting procedures, please contact the Election Board at 405-238-3303 or garvincounty@elections.ok.gov.
For more information on the millage increase proposal, MATC has a frequently asked questions document posted on its website at matech.com.
