Last day to register to vote in order to participate in the July 25 Special Election is set for Thursday, July 5. The Town Clerk's Office will be open until 8 p.m. on July 5 for that express purpose.

Voters who have moved in the past three months or have had a name change due to marriage should also update their new address or name change at the clerk's office.

The July 25 special election will give voters the chance to decide the fate of 4 ballot questions that will help fund the school department by increasing the limit on town property taxes.

One of the questions, a Proposition 2½ "override," represents a permanent increase in the tax limit over the standard annual 2½ cap and will help fund 21 teachers who have been laid off from the school district.

The override is for $780,000 and the estimated cost for the owner of a median-assessed home valued at $230,000 will be $50 per year. Funds are earmarked for the school district for the first year, but go into the town's general fund the following years.

The remaining 3 questions are for Proposition 2½ "debt exclusions." Debt exclusions are temporary increases in the tax limit which are used to fund specific debts over a limited period of time.

The 3 debt exclusion questions will go towards repairing the high school gym roof, purchasing classroom instructional materials, and funding a feasibility study for renovation of the Minot Forest Elementary School.

The total costs to fund the three debt exclusion projects is $1,026,000 dollars, though some of the cost of the feasibility study will be reimbursed. The debts would be paid over a 5 year period, costing the owner of a $230,000 median-assessed home $11.80 per year over five years.