Wood River Rural Schools board approves up to 7% increase in base growth percentage for property-tax request

The Wood River Rural Schools Board of Education voted 6-0 on Aug. 11 to adopt a resolution increasing the district's base growth percentage used to determine its property tax request authority by up to 7 percent.

The motion to adopt the resolution was moved by Board member Nick Rennau and seconded by Board member Dylan Gill; the board's recorded vote was Yea: 6, Nay: 0. The transcript does not include projected dollar amounts or information on how the increase would translate to a change in tax rate for homeowners and businesses.

The resolution gives the district authority to request a larger property-tax levy for the 2025-26 budget year than would otherwise be allowed under the prior base growth percentage. Board members did not record details in the meeting minutes about estimates of revenue, mill-rate impact or offsets; those figures were not specified in the transcript.

The board simultaneously set the next steps in the budget process. A budget workshop was scheduled for Aug. 27 at 7:00 a.m., and the transcript notes that an Annual Budget Hearing and a special meeting to adopt the 2025-26 budget will follow, though dates for the hearing and adoption meeting were not specified.

Votes at a glance: the board unanimously approved the agenda, the consent agenda (prior minutes, monthly claims and financial reports), the base-growth resolution, the budget workshop date and the district goals. All recorded votes were 6-0.

The board will proceed through the budget workshop and the subsequent hearing and adoption meeting; the transcript records no further details about the expected tax impact or the district's revenue projections.