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Lincoln County school board to advertise no-rollback millage as staff warns of losing $575,500 in Equalization aid
Summary
District staff outlined millage rollback options and projected revenue impacts, saying a rollback below 14 mills would forfeit roughly $575,500 in Equalization aid; the board agreed to advertise at the no-rollback rate and schedule tax hearings before a final vote in September.
District staff told the Lincoln County Board of Education that the district's 2024 digest rose sharply — from about $367 million in 2023 to roughly $421 million after reassessments and new construction — and presented several millage rollback scenarios the board could consider.
Staff said the district would generate roughly $790,000 if it kept the current millage (no rollback), about $586,000 under a half-mill rollback, and about $382,000 under a full rollback. They warned that adopting a millage rate below 14 mills would make the district ineligible for FY25 Equalization aid of about $575,500, which could leave the district between $800,000 and $900,000 worse off in a worst-case combination of rollback and lost Equalization.
A staff presentation included an illustrative household impact: for a $325,000 home assessed at 40%, the comparison shown had annual taxes under the current rate versus a rollback that would reduce the district portion by roughly $873 annually (about $72.75 per month) under one rollback example. Staff emphasized that, despite a lower millage, many taxpayers may still see higher bills because of reassessed property values.
After discussing trade-offs — lower immediate tax rates for property owners versus the risk of losing state aid — the board agreed to advertise the tax digest at the no-rollback level to preserve flexibility. Advertising the full (no-rollback) millage allows the board, after public hearings, to adopt either the advertised rate or a lower rollback rate at its final meeting.
The board directed staff to publish the legal notices and announced two tax hearings on Aug. 27 (one at 8:30 a.m. and one at 6:30 p.m.). Final adoption of the millage rate was scheduled for the board's September meeting on Sept. 10.
No formal vote tally for the millage advertising was recorded in the transcript; the record shows the board agreed to advertise and proceed with the hearing schedule.
