Belton board approves placing 30¢ levy transfer on April ballot to move funds from debt service to operating

The board of the Belton School District agreed to place a levy-transfer question on the April ballot that would move 30 cents from the district's debt-service levy into its operating levy ceiling, a change administrators said would free roughly $1,600,000 a year for district operations without increasing the district's overall tax levy.

District finance staff and the superintendent presented the proposal, saying legal review had been completed and that the district must submit ballot language to the county by Jan. 28 to appear on the April ballot. An administrator told the board, "the estimated overall tax levy of the district [would] remain unchanged," and that the transfer would give the district more flexibility for salaries, benefits or other operating needs while not reducing bonding capacity.

The board discussed timing and outreach. Administrators said they had consulted bond representatives and financial advisers from Stifel and that the transfer is similar to a 2021 action. Legal counsel had reviewed the ballot language, and the administration said state approval processes (including prior interactions with the attorney general's office on language placement) had been considered.

Board members raised routine questions about how the funds might be used and asked that communications to voters emphasize that the measure is not a tax increase. Administrators said they and district-affiliated groups would conduct voter education if the board put the item on the ballot.

A motion to place the levy-transfer resolution on the April ballot was moved and seconded and approved by voice vote; the motion was recorded as passed.

Next steps outlined in the meeting included finalizing the ballot language with the county clerk and preparing community outreach materials if the board-approved placement on the ballot is certified.