Alexandria school board certifies 2025 (payable 2026) property tax levy after Truth‑in‑Taxation hearing

The Alexandria Public School District board on Tuesday certified the district's 2025 (payable 2026) property tax levy as printed in the meeting packet and closed the Truth‑in‑Taxation hearing with no public comments.

Margo, a consultant assisting the district through the Center for Effective School Operations (CSO), told the board that updated figures reduced the levy certified in September by about $100,000 and that, compared with last year, "the levy is going down about $428,000 or 2.3%" because of lower pupil‑unit projections and prior‑year adjustments. She attributed the net decline to those enrollment projections and to Department of Education adjustments that revise prior years' data.

Superintendent Rick Sandstead presented the packet and asked the board to approve certification. A board member moved to certify the levy and the motion was seconded; the board voted verbally in favor and the motion carried. The packet records the certified levy amount in the meeting materials as "17828939.79.07" (figure recorded as printed in the packet). The board did not offer an alternative levy figure during the meeting.

Margo stressed that state funding formulas determine much of a district's revenue mix and that local levy shifts often reflect changes in enrollment and prior‑year settlement adjustments rather than new local decisions. She also noted that taxpayers may still see changes to their individual bills depending on county assessment and value shifts.

Next steps: the district will submit the certified levy to the Minnesota Department of Education and the county auditor so final tax statements can be calculated and mailed in the spring.