Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Preliminary Levy topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Board hears preliminary levy timeline; county tax-credit error noted
Summary
District staff briefed the board on the preliminary levy schedule, explaining the board will likely certify a preliminary maximum levy on Sept. 18 after Minnesota Department of Education figures arrive; directors noted a county auditor'treasurer calculation error that affected some property tax statements earlier in the year.
District staff told the Winona Area Public School District board that the district must certify a preliminary levy by Sept. 30 and that the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) will provide initial levy documents on Sept. 8.
The presenter said the board will be asked to approve a preliminary maximum levy at its Sept. 18 meeting, and explained why the board typically certifies a maximum rather than a specific dollar amount in September. The presenter said certifying a maximum prevents the board from being capped at an early, specific dollar figure while the state continues to update calculations. "When you levy for the maximum amount, it says that we're going to levy whatever we're allowed to levy for by law," the presenter said.
Directors asked when the final levy amount will be set; staff said a legally final levy is not established until the district's Truth in Taxation/choosing taxation hearing, typically in December. The presenter said she aims to provide a comparison report summarizing the MDE's roughly 40-page calculation package by Sept. 18 if the department delivers figures on time.
Board members raised a separate issue about a county auditor-treasurer calculation error affecting tax credits for agricultural property earlier in the year. One director said some taxpayers paid more in the first half of the year than necessary; staff and directors said the auditor-treasurer's office has publicly posted an explanation on its website and that the county should correct the records. "As long as they have corrected it on their side of things, the district will not get more than what it is entitled to based on the levy that was certified," a staff presenter said.
Directors said they expect the usual timing and that approving a maximum in September is "business as usual" and not a decision to increase the tax draw on residents. One director asked whether the board would receive options; staff said the MDE'issued figures on Sept. 8 will produce the first concrete maximum to review.
No levy motion was taken at the meeting; the item was a briefing and scheduling update.
