Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the School Budget topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Tempe Elementary board closes Truth-in-Taxation hearing and adopts FY2026-27 budget, including one-year $1.9M adjacent-ways levy
Summary
The Tempe Elementary School District board voted to adopt the FY2026-27 annual expenditure budget and closed a Truth-in-Taxation hearing on a one-year $1.9 million property tax levy to fund adjacent-ways work tied to Curry and Connolly rebuilds. Officials said the levy is temporary and provided homeowner cost examples.
Tempe Elementary School District trustees closed a Truth-in-Taxation public hearing and approved the district's FY2026-27 annual expenditure budget after hearing from district finance staff about a one-year, $1.9 million property tax levy to fund adjacent-ways work for two replacement projects.
Chief Financial Officer Eric Thompson told the board the levy would pay for "adjacent ways" such as fire lanes, driveways and sidewalks needed for the Curry and Connolly rebuilds and is a one-year request rather than a permanent tax-rate increase. "We are asking to levy $1.9 million in property taxes to pay for adjacent ways projects," Thompson said. He estimated the levy would amount to about $8.50 per $100,000 of limited property value (LPV), and gave three example homes to illustrate how LPV differs from market value.
Why it matters: Board members and staff emphasized the levy is project-specific and temporary, and that using bond proceeds instead would reduce capacity for other planned projects. A board member summarized constituent concerns about affordability but said many residents she surveyed were willing to pay an average annual amount to avoid reducing bond-funded capital work.
Budget details: Thompson described the adopted budget as a state compliance filing focused on revenue projections. The district projects roughly a 2% decrease in unweighted average daily membership and about a 1.9% drop in weighted ADM for the coming year. He estimated FY27 expenses at about $101 million and revenue at roughly $102 million, and noted a $10 million carryover reserve provides a cushion if enrollment or revenue declines further.
Board action: After the public hearing, the board moved to close the hearing and later voted to adopt the FY2026-27 annual expenditure budget. The board recorded vocal assent to the motion and the budget was approved as presented.
What happens next: District staff said the levy is for the coming fiscal year only; if the district seeks adjacent-ways funds again it will follow the same public-notice and hearing requirements. Thompson also said the district will revise budget estimates again in September when full state revenue figures are available.
Sources: Presentation and Q&A with CFO Eric Thompson during the Truth-in-Taxation hearing and the adopted-budget discussion.
