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Consultant outlines referendum options as state property‑tax changes cut projected revenue
Summary
A Policy Analytics representative presented scenarios showing the district could lose millions in referendum revenue under new state deductions and urged the board to initiate certification steps; board members pressed for local impact examples and a phased approach to any rate increase.
At the May regular meeting of the West Lafayette Community School Corporation Board of School Trustees, a Policy Analytics representative introduced on the record as Mr. Reuter presented a detailed forecast of how recent state changes to property‑tax deductions and caps could reduce the district’s referendum revenue through 2031.
"Senate Enrolled Act 1 really had a substantial impact on the assessed‑valuation forecast between now and 2031," Mr. Reuter said, explaining the combination of rising supplemental deductions and new homestead credits will shrink the portion of a homeowner’s value subject to tax. He showed a model in which holding the current $0.37 referendum rate would produce steadily declining revenue and described a modeled rate of roughly $0.5706 that would, in his example, replace forecasted losses by 2031.
Board members pressed for specifics. Committee member S6 asked about household impacts on a median home value; Mr. Reuter said the county auditor must certify the median residence value used on the ballot and that the presentation used $350,000 as an illustrative example. "If the board would agree to that rate that I had forecasted at 0.4232… the impact would be $708," he said, adding that the ballot must show the maximum levy and therefore may overstate immediate collections.
The presentation emphasized options and strategy rather than a single ask. Mr. Reuter recommended framing the referendum as a multi‑year levy that gives the board flexibility to adopt lower actual rates year to year and suggested passing a supplemental resolution in budget season to show the community the board does not intend to collect the ballot maximum in the first year.
Chair S1 noted the broader tax‑policy context and expressed concern about funding shifts to charter and private schools; that comment and others during Q&A underscored the political dimension the administration expects to address in community outreach.
Next steps: the board voted to authorize administration to request auditor certification and to move forward with the referendum timelines, while reserving a final vote on any specific rate for the scheduled June 8 meeting. The board will receive certified figures from the auditor and a recommended rate prior to that vote.
