School board votes to increase levy

East Valley School District voters may be asked to come up with more tax dollars for the day-to-day operation of schools.

The school board on Tuesday voted unanimously to increase the district’s three-year maintenance and operations levy gradually beginning with $6 million in 2007, to $6.2 million in 2008 and $6.4 million in 2009.

Currently, the district collects a set rate of just over $5.1 million from taxpayers each year, which this year cost homeowners $3.49 per $1,000 of assessed valuation. That figure will go down to $3.22 in 2006.

The replacement levy, if approved, would be based on an estimated $3.67 per $1,000 of assessed property value. That would be about $550 a year for the owner of a $150,000 home.

“We looked at how much property values have gone up these past years in our district, and we feel that ($3.67) is a very conservative amount,” said Judi Christianson, district spokeswoman.

Locally, school districts are funded by two kinds of taxes to help offset state revenues: bonds, which pay for capital projects such as the construction of new school buildings and improvements to old ones; and levies for general functions of the district. Levies do not pay for staff salaries.

The maintenance and operations levy comprises 19 percent of East Valley’s budget, and this is the first time in several years that the district has asked voters to come up with more money each year of the levy.

In 2003, the school board voted to set a flat levy rate of $5.1 million annually for three years.

“That has really hurt this district,” said Interim Superintendent Christine Burgess.

District officials also noted that when Kaiser Aluminum filed for bankruptcy in 2002, it left a big hole in the community and the district’s financial state. Kaiser currently owes the district more than $500,000 in back taxes.

“We had businesses closing doors, we had people losing their jobs, we had people moving away to find employment for their families,” Christianson said. “So it was an appropriate action by the board to keep a flat amount for this community.”

That is not the case anymore, she said.

An increase in the amount of levy dollars collected each year would bring much needed revenue back to the 4,000-student district, which in recent years has struggled with declining enrollment. State revenues are tied to student enrollment.

The maximum amount that a school district can collect from levies is determined by the state, also based on district enrollment, and the property values within the district.

“The actual intrinsic value of real property has increased tremendously within our district,” said board member Mike King. “We’ve been running at a flat rate for six years, and it’s about time” it was increased.

The school board will vote at the next regularly scheduled meeting on Jan. 10 to place the measure before voters on March 14, when several other area school districts will be seeking voter approval for maintenance and operations levies.