Property owners in the Greene County Community School District will all see a decrease in the portion of their property tax bill that goes to the district for the coming fiscal year. The levy rate in the East Greene district will fall by $1.42 (per thousand dollars of taxable valuation), and the Jefferson-Scranton levy rate will fall 92 cents.
The proposed budget for the Greene County district calls for a property tax levy in the Jefferson-Scranton district of $12.93 (per thousand dollars of taxable valuation), and a levy rate of $12.39 in the East Greene district. Both levies are lower than what had been predicted earlier this winter and lower than the current year.
The new voted PPEL (physical plant and equipment levy) will be a property tax levy rate of $1.07 and a 5 percent income tax surtax. The maximum approved by voters last September was $1.34 and 10 percent.
Superintendent Tim Christensen presented the proposed budget to the board at its March 12 meeting. Christensen reminded the board that 95 percent of the budget is driven by state formulas. “There’s not a whole lot of say that you as a school board actually have. There is some frustration over what you have control over and what you don’t have control over. It’s all driven by student enrollment. That’s the biggest thing,” Christensen said.
The 2014-15 budget is the first for the reorganized district. Christensen used current year budgets from both J-S and East Greene in formulating the new budget.
At the top of the budget, the revenue portion, total taxes levied on property is estimated at $5,666,000. Revenue from income surtaxes is estimated at $735,000. (That includes the 7 percent instructional support surtax and the 5 percent PPEL surtax.) State foundation aid is pegged at $8,364,000, with 4 percent allowable growth as approved by the state legislature a year ago. Total revenue from all sources is estimated at $19.3 million.
In the expense portion of the budget, total instructional expense is estimated at $11,575,000, with support services, such as general administration, plant operation and maintenance, and student transportation adding another $6,722,500. Total expenditures are estimated at $20,786,000.
The property tax levy rate includes the mandated uniform state levy, the local levy and the new PPEL. Due to state incentives for reorganization, property owners in the J-S and EG districts will pay different school property tax levies for three years. In preparing the budget, Christensen first figured a blended rate (rather like an average), and then applied the incentives to that rate.
In February, Christensen suggested a blended rate of $12.97 (per thousand dollars of taxable valuation). That put the J-S rate at $13.14 and the EG rate at $12.60. The blended rate in the proposed budget is $12.76.
The blended rate was decreased due to a decrease in the voted PPEL portion of the levy. The state income tax paid by district residents last year was higher than expected, meaning that the 5 percent income tax surtax for will raise more than originally projected. That allows the property tax levy to be decreased while the total PPEL still raises the $560,000 budgeted for PPEL projects.
J-S property owners will see a decrease in the total levy rate from $13.85 to $12.93. East Greene property owners will see a decrease from $13.81 to $12.39.
A public hearing is scheduled for the board’s next regular meeting, Wednesday, April 9, at 6:30 pm in the south grade school conference room. Click on the link for the legal notice of the budget.https://greenecountynewsonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/GCCSD-budget.pdf
