Dayton Daily News education reporter Scott Elliott writes about schools, kids, teaching and learning.
Home > Blogs > Get on the Bus > Archives > 2006 > October > 25 > Entry
What 9.75 mills will cost you
(Board President Gail Littlejohn and Superintendent Percy Mack at Tuesday’s meeting)
There’s some confusion out there about how much the school board’s proposed levy will cost if voters approve it in May.
Treasurer Stan Lucas said Saturday that he estimates a 9.75 mill levy is needed to right the district’s financial slide, but the board has yet to decide for certain they will seek a levy that size. (A board meeting planned for this morning to consider levy options was canceled.)
In today’s story on the financial crisis, I reported the auditor’s estimate for the cost in new taxes of a 9.75 mill levy for the owner of a $100,000 home — $298 a year.
I saw one television station report the cost for that homeowner at $853 a year and a board member complained Tuesday that a different station reported a cost over $900 a year. At least one GOTB reader noticed the conflicting numbers and asked who was right.
When I asked the auditor’s representative to speculate, she guessed that the $853 figure was calculated without reducing the home’s worth to it’s taxable value (35 percent of its real value) and and a couple other adjustments. I’m not sure about the $900 figure. A mill is $1 for every $1,000 in taxable value of a property. There’s a decent explanation of how it all works here.
The auditor also gave me figures for lower millage amounts, should the board aim a little lower. Here’s what the same $100,000 homeowner would pay in new taxes at:
—5.75 mills: $176.10 a year
—7.75 mills: $237.35 a year.
By comparison, the 8.75 mill bond issue for school construction in Dayton that passed overwhelmingly in 2002 cost the $100,000 homeowner $274 a year in new taxes.
For a recap of the news of Dayton schools’ financial crisis over the past week, go:
-Here for today’s story and Tuesday’s blog post on the board’s vote.
—Here for the proposed cuts to begin in January.
—Here for the list of cuts proposed for July 1.
—Here for Sunday’s story on the cuts.
—Here to add your comments to the debate over the cuts.
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