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Buchanan Community Schools holds Truth in Taxation hearing, approves 2026 tax-rate request
Summary
At its June 8 meeting the Buchanan Community Schools Board held a Truth in Taxation hearing on Form L-4029, heard a presentation from Scott Johnson on millage calculations and Headlee rollbacks, and approved the board resolution to set the 2026 tax rates (L-4029) by unanimous roll call.
On June 8, the Buchanan Community Schools Board of Education held its annual Truth in Taxation hearing, heard a staff presentation on Form L-4029 and approved a resolution to set the district’s 2026 tax rates.
Scott Johnson presented the annual Truth in Taxation hearing and walked the board through Form L-4029, explaining the statutory requirement for the hearing and the mechanics of millage calculations. "The purposes of this hearing and the presentation are, 1, to comply with the statutory requirement for a truth in taxation hearing," Johnson said, adding the process also allows the board to set the millage to receive the maximum state aid to which the district is eligible.
Johnson told the board that Headlee rollbacks (millage rollbacks required by Michigan law) and required truncation of millage amounts reduce the district’s capacity to levy the full voter-approved operating rate. He presented a recommended operating millage of 17.819 mills for 2026 and said the district will have an overall millage-rate reduction "this year of almost half a mil," which affects both the operating millage and the sinking fund millage.
Johnson also explained that the sinking fund and operating millage reductions will affect the mills levied even though property values have increased; he emphasized that the district’s debt retirement millage is not affected by Headlee rollbacks. He closed by noting the separate budget hearing will be held later (three weeks) and staff will publish the required notices for the budget hearing.
Following the presentation, a board member moved to approve the tax rates as submitted on the L-4029 request form for the 2026 tax year. The motion passed on a roll-call vote with all members voting yes (Carlson; Brackett; Brown; Loesch; Dr. Carlin; Dr. Burnett; Berry).
The board’s approval of the L-4029 advances the district’s 2026 tax-rate request to the county taxing authorities and clears the way for the separate budget hearing and the board’s subsequent adoption of the fiscal-year budget. The board’s next regular meeting is scheduled for June 29 at 6 p.m. in the library.
