§ 115C-501.  Purposes for which elections may be called.

(a) To Vote a Supplemental Tax. - Elections may be called by the local tax-levying authority to ascertain the will of the voters as to whether there shall be levied and collected a special tax in the several local school administrative units, districts, and other school areas, including districts formed from contiguous counties, to supplement the funds from State and county allotments and thereby operate schools of a higher standard by supplementing any item of expenditure in the school budget. When supplementary funds are authorized by the carrying of such an election, such funds may be used to employ additional teachers other than those allotted by the State, to teach any grades or subjects or for kindergarten instruction, to establish and maintain approved summer schools, to make the contribution to the Teachers' and State Employees' Retirement System of North Carolina for such teachers, or for any object of expenditure: Provided, that elections may be called to ascertain the will of the voters of an entire county, as to whether there shall be levied and collected a special tax on all the taxable property within the county for the purposes enumerated in this subsection. In such event, the supplemental tax shall be apportioned among the local school administrative units in the county pursuant to G.S. 115C-430.

(b) To Increase a Supplemental Tax Rate. - Elections may be called in any school area which has previously voted a supplemental tax of less than the maximum for the purpose of increasing the rate of tax previously voted but not to exceed the maximum.

(c) To Enlarge City Administrative Units. - Elections may be called in any districts, or other school areas, of a county administrative unit to ascertain the will of the voters in such districts or other school areas, as to whether an adjoining city administrative unit shall be enlarged by consolidating such districts, or other school areas, with such city administrative unit, and whether after such enlargement of the city administrative unit there shall be levied in such other districts, or other school area or areas, so consolidated with the city administrative unit the same school taxes as shall be levied in the other portion of the city administrative unit.

(d) To Supplement and Equalize Educational Advantages. - Elections may be called in any area of a county administrative unit which is enclosed in one common boundary line to ascertain the will of the voters as to whether there shall be levied and collected a special tax to supplement and equalize the standards on which the schools in such areas are operated, and at the same time repeal any special taxes heretofore voted by any parts of such area.

(e) To Abolish a Special School Tax. - Elections may be called in any local school administrative unit, district or other school area which has previously voted a supplemental tax, to ascertain the will of the people as to whether such tax shall be abolished.

(f) To Vote School Bonds. - Boards of county commissioners are authorized as provided by law to call elections to ascertain the will of the voters as to whether bonds for school purposes may be issued.

(g) To Provide a Supplemental Tax on a Countywide Basis after Petition for Consolidation of City or County Administrative Units. - Elections may be called for an entire county on the question of a special tax to supplement the funds from State and county allotments and thereby operate schools of a higher standard by supplementing any item of expenditure in the school budget, where the boards of education of all the city administrative units in said county have petitioned the county board of education for a consolidation with the county administrative unit pursuant to the provisions of the first paragraph of G.S. 115C-70(a) and prior to the approval of said petitions by the county and State boards of education. In which event, and provided the petitions so specify, if said election for a countywide supplemental tax fails to carry, said petitions may be withdrawn and any existing supplemental tax theretofore voted in any of the city administrative units involved or in the county administrative unit shall not be affected. If the vote for the countywide supplemental tax carries, said tax shall not be levied unless and until the consolidation of the units involved shall be completed according to the requirements of the first paragraph of G.S. 115C-70(a).

(h) To Annex or Consolidate Areas or Districts from Contiguous Counties and to Provide a Supplemental School Tax in Such Annexed Areas or Consolidated Districts. -  An election may be called in any districts or other school areas, from contiguous counties, as to whether the districts in one county shall be enlarged by annexing or consolidating therewith any adjoining districts, or other school area or areas from an adjoining county, and if a special or supplemental school tax is levied and collected in the districts of the county to which the territory is to be annexed or consolidated, whether upon such annexation or consolidation there shall be levied and collected in the territory to be annexed or consolidated the same special or supplemental tax for schools as is levied and collected in the districts in the other county. If such election carries, the said special or supplemental tax shall be collected pursuant to G.S. 115C-511 and remitted to the local school administrative unit on whose behalf such special and supplemental tax is already levied.

(i) To Vote School Bonds and Taxes in Certain Merged School Administrative Units. - Elections for the purpose of authorizing the levy of certain taxes and the issuance of bonds shall be called by a merged school administrative unit described in G.S. 115C-513 with the consent of the boards of county commissioners of both counties in which the merged unit is located. The election shall be conducted and the results canvassed by the boards of elections of both counties. The boards of elections shall certify the results of the election to the board of education of the merged school administrative unit. The board of education shall certify and declare the result of the election, which shall be determined on an aggregate basis from the results certified by the boards of elections. The board of education shall publish a statement of the result once as provided in the Local Government Bond Act, Article 4 of Chapter 159 of the General Statutes.

(j) All elections called under this section shall be conducted in accordance with G.S. 163-287. (1955, c. 1372, art. 14, s. 1; 1957, c. 1066; c. 1271, s. 1; 1959, c. 573, s. 9; 1961, c. 894, s. 2; c. 1019, s. 1; 1975, c. 437, ss. 2-4; 1981, c. 423, s. 1; 1991, c. 325, s. 2; 2013-381, ss. 10.16, 10.17; 2017-6, s. 3; 2018-146, ss. 3.1(a), (b), 6.1.)