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Board reviews 2025'6 budget with 3.5% millage increase and debates municipal planning outreach
Summary
Finance staff presented the 2025'6 final budget featuring a proposed 3.5% millage increase, a projected shortfall to be covered from fund balance, and homestead/farmstead relief adjustments; trustees also discussed engaging townships about municipal planning and the long-term tax base.
District finance staff presented the proposed 2025'6 final budget showing a 3.5% millage increase (reduced from a 4% proposal) and a projected budget shortfall that the administration proposes to cover with committed fund balance.
Speaker 5 summarized the budget changes: a $325,000 decrease in real-estate tax revenue due to assessed value changes, expenditure savings from a successful fuel bid and lower insurance premiums, and an overall revenue estimate of $52,774,748. Expenditures presented as $259,399,000 (transcript wording included a typographical error); staff described a net remaining shortfall that would be addressed by drawing from fund balance and by the proposed millage change. The presentation also described homestead and farmstead relief adjustments that will appear on July bills; staff said homestead relief for 2526 would be $274.26 and farmstead relief $35.39 per qualifying household, compared with prior-year amounts noted in the packet.
Board members then moved into a long discussion about the Northern Valley multi-municipal plan and whether the district should engage township supervisors about zoning and development. Speaker 3 and others argued the townships zoning and farmland-preservation choices affect assessed value and, over time, the districts tax base. Some trustees urged outreach to township supervisors and wider public awareness that limited development can accelerate future tax increases; others cautioned about advocating for zoning changes and noted farmland-preservation goals in the municipal plan.
Staff previewed follow-up items for formal board action in two weeks: the final 2526 budget adoption, approval of committed fund-balance uses (to cover the shortfall), capital reserve transfers (totaling roughly $714,000), and related homestead-farmstead resolutions. No final votes were taken at this meeting; board members asked staff for further detail and analysis of multi-year tax impacts before committing to advocacy positions.
The board directed staff to prepare outreach materials and to consult principals and township officials as appropriate, and to return with exact figures and formal resolutions at the next meeting.
