West Valley District plans to put M&O levy on February ballot

West Valley is preparing to join a list of Valley school districts placing a maintenance and operations levy on the Feb. 3. ballot. Board members also discussed renewing a technology levy on the same ballot during a meeting Wednesday.

Districts are allowed to ask voters for an amount that equals up to 24 percent of all the state and federal money received by a district annually. A levy can be set for up to four years, but most school districts in the area have stuck with a three-year term. Local districts usually try to be placed on the same ballot in order to share in the election costs.

Board member Jim Williams favored the three-year term rather than four. “Prudence suggests we stick with a three-year levy,” he said. The district’s levies have enjoyed support in the past, but the economic times are difficult right now. “The thing I worry about more than anything is this could be facing a fight. We’re dealing with a financial meltdown that has people on the edge of their seats.”

Board member Bob Wentworth favored the opposite in order to go to the voters for approval less frequently. “I lean more toward the four-year time frame, stretch them out a bit,” he said.

The district passed a three-year levy in 2006. The estimated cost for a four-year levy would actually see the amount collected per $1,000 in assessed home value drop each year because of rising home values.

“Our property values went up more than we expected,” said Deputy Superintendent Doug Matson. “We’ve averaged 9 percent growth.”

The estimated cost for the new M&O levy is $3.89 per thousand in 2010, $3.84 in 2011, $3.79 in 2012 and $3.74 in 2013. The estimated cost for 2009, the final year of the old levy, is $3.43.

The estimated numbers that districts put on the ballots almost always ends up being higher than the actual amount collected, said Matson, because the state provides levy equalization money each year. The district received $1.5 million from the state this year, which dropped the amount from an estimated amount of $4.24 in 2008 to $3.43. Districts usually ask for the higher amounts in case the legislature doesn’t reauthorize the levy equalization payments, which it must do every two years.

Therefore the estimates for 2010-2013 are likely much higher than what taxpayers will actually pay. “We anticipate it will be lower with the rollback,” Matson said. “We do a levy rollback each year. What we ask for and what we collect are different.”

The technology levy raises $500,000 per year and cost estimates are more stable because there is no levy equalization. Estimated collections for the new levy are 27 cents per thousand in 2010, 26 cents in 2011, 25 cents in 2012 and 24 cents in 2013. Taxpayers paid 30 cents per thousand in 2008 and will pay an estimated 28 cents in 2009.

A resolution setting the length and amount of the levies will be presented to the board at the next meeting on Nov.  12.

In other business, the board approved soliciting bids to add air conditioning to Centennial Middle School. The old section of the school has individual heating units in some rooms while the newer section of the school has a duct system, said George Castor, director of maintenance and custodial services. “It’s been a little bit of a challenge,” he said.

The estimated cost of installing air conditioning is about $500,000. Even that would leave the wood shop, band room, old gym and the stage without air conditioning, but it would still be a welcome relief.

“The south side of that building gets so hot,” said Matson. “That HVAC system hasn’t been touched in 20 years.”

The project will be paid for by interest money generated from construction funds. Now is a good time to send the project out for bid because many contractors are looking for work, Matson said. The issue will come before the board again for final approval once bids are submitted.