Monday night’s Waterloo School Board meeting saw the acceptance of repair work costs and an update on the potential sales tax public vote, among other matters.

The board unanimously voted to begin more than $200,000 in work done to make Rogers and Gardner elementary schools more energy efficient. Engineers told school officials the repairs would save the district $15,000 to $20,000 each year in energy costs. Rogers will have its cooling coil and condenser replaced; the building controls will be upgraded at Gardner.

Another important piece of business discussed was an update on the potential county-wide sales tax. If put to a vote by the board and passed by the public, this tax could be as much as one percent on all goods sold in the county except groceries, farm equipment, vehicles and pharmaceuticals.

Waterloo’s school board is responsible for deciding if the tax should be put to a vote in the county because its district educates more than 50 percent of Monroe County students. The board has emphasized transparency as they discuss the topic; they urge citizens to come to board meetings or talk to board members with thoughts, questions and concerns.

This referendum has already been passed in Jerseyville, where a Western Illinois University study found that 40 percent of the city’s sales tax revenue came from outside the county. These findings proved the new sales tax was not merely burdening the area’s taxpayers who were already paying for the schools through property taxes.

The issue will be discussed once again at the next school board meeting on Monday, July 20. While they have until December to make a final decision, action may be taken as early as August.

Other topics at Monday’s meeting included a discussion about the four tennis courts at the intersection of Hamacher Street and Rogers Street near Rogers Elementary. The district owns and maintains these courts while also renting them out to Gibault Catholic High School for their use. Even though the courts have been resurfaced a few times over the years, there are now large cracks in the surface.

Not only do these cracks affect tennis matches, but it has also been suggested they can be a danger to athletes playing on the surface. The estimated costs for a short-term fix vary between $6,000 and $10,000; however, the courts’ dismal conditions may require a full replacement with a price tag as high as $90,000.

No decision was made at the June meeting as the board members were first presented with the issue.

In other news, the board hired a full time administrative assistant at Waterloo Junior High School. It also brought forth new district board policies for discussion and announced that 400 middle school students and parents will be at the St. Louis Cardinals game on July 2 to sing on the field during the seventh inning stretch.