Mesa Public Schools board approves 2025–26 budget, OKs $5M one‑year truth‑in‑taxation levy for adjacent‑ways projects

The Mesa Public Schools Governing Board voted 4–1 on July 8 to approve the proposed 2025–26 budget and to levy a one‑year, $5,000,000 truth‑in‑taxation charge for adjacent‑ways projects.

The vote came after a public hearing and public comments in which community members urged the board not to impose new taxes and asked the district to use bond funds or existing carryforward reserves instead. Ed Steele, a community member, said the district should find savings in its $600‑million operating picture and called for greater transparency on capital carryforwards. Julie Sessions, a business owner, also urged the board to avoid a levy that might affect voter sentiment around a potential future bond.

Board and staff presented details showing the district's estimated overall tax rate would fall to 6.1137 for 2025–26 even after the levy; staff said the net assessed valuation rose about 3.8 percent from the prior year. Chief Business Officer Tyler Moore told the board the adjacent‑ways tax is levied for a single fiscal year and is collected according to the usual property‑tax schedule (typically November and April). Finance…