Woonsocket schools, Fairview Township OK opt-outs

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Two area governmental entities will opt out of normal tax limitations, unless the people object and put the matter to a vote.

The Woonsocket School District has approved an opt-out for $250,000 annually over the next seven years, and Fairview Township of Hanson County has approved an opt-out for $14,900 annually over the next five years.

Both opt-outs would start with 2012 taxes payable in 2013.

An opt-out means a local government has made a decision to opt out of state-imposed limits on annual property tax increases. An opt-out allows local governments to collect more taxes per year than those limits would otherwise allow.

Woonsocket Superintendent Rod Weber said earlier this year he doesn’t expect the district to use the entire $250,000 each year, but the school is required to use the entire amount the first year.

The school has operated on a $150,000 opt-out for the last nine years, but with state funding cuts and increasing costs, school officials said the district cannot function.

Fairview Township is looking to renew its opt-out of $14,900, which expires Jan. 1, 2013. The Hanson County Auditor’s Office reported that the township had this same opt-out amount in place the last five years to cover operational costs.

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