Board of Education hears proposal to keep overall school tax levy at $523.71

Dr. Hurles, the district presenter, told the Board of Education at a tax-levy public hearing that the district proposes to keep the overall tax levy unchanged at $523.71 while shifting levy authority from debt service to the operational levy.

"So, just to recap, the proposal would be to keep the overall tax levy the same at $523.71," Dr. Hurles said, and invited questions from board members. He reported an increase in assessed valuation for the year and said the district’s percentage adjustment for inflation was 2.2966%, compared with a 2.90% Consumer Price Index set by the state auditor’s office.

Dr. Hurles reported growth in new construction that helped raise the assessed valuation. When a board member asked for confirmation, she summarized the figures as roughly $4 million in new construction for 2024 and about $14 million in 2025; Dr. Hurles confirmed those amounts. He also said the district’s TIF (tax increment financing) amount increased to $15,529,535.

Miss Fears, a board member, said she appreciated keeping the total levy the same, saying it "honors our word that we are doing no tax increases when we do those bonds," and praised the district for transparency.

Dr. Hurles added historical context, saying the current overall levy of $523.71 is about five cents lower than the district’s levy in fiscal year 2010, and framed the proposal as consistent stewardship of taxpayer dollars.

The presentation was informational: no motion or vote was recorded during the segments in the transcript. The board was invited to ask questions and to consider the proposal in accordance with the public-hearing process; next procedural steps (such as a formal vote date or additional hearings) were not specified in the transcript.