The St. Charles Community College (SCC) Board of Trustees is solidifying its commitment to keep all tax money local if voters approve new property taxes in two Warren County school districts.SCC has proposed annexing the Warren County R-III and Wright City R-II school districts and assessing a property tax levy on residents within those school districts. The levy would be 17.96 cents per $100 assessed valuation of real estate and personal property.SCC President Dr. Barbara Kavalier previously said funding from Prop J would be used to provide local technical training programs and eventually build a technical school campus in Warren County.As of Monday night, the college’s board of trustees put that promise into writing. The board on March 25 approved a resolution committing that all property taxes “will be expended for the benefit of the county in which the taxes are levied and paid.”“Benefit” in this case can include the operation, construction and financing of educational facilities, as well as programs and services that enhance the community, the board of trustees wrote in its resolution.The resolution would apply to any new county SCC expands into. That includes Warren County, although it is not mentioned by name in the resolution.Local business advocates say Warren County has a shortage of skilled laborers, such as welders, mechanics and machinists, and that an SCC technical training center would be a boon to Warren County’s economy. A committee of representatives from businesses, school districts and local governments have been developing plans for a Warren County technical school for more than a year.Prop J needs a simple majority to pass in each school district. It is possible for the proposition to pass in one district but not the other.Residents who live within the Washington School District boundaries will not vote on or be affected by Prop J. Washington School District is already part of the taxing district of East Central College in Franklin County.St. Charles Community College SCC logo