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District unveils tax levy plan
Jan. 8, 2004
Springfield Public School officials unveiled a plan Thursday to increase District funding by raising the operating tax levy 25 cents over two years.
Several Board of Education members voiced support for the idea during a special Thursday meeting. Superintendent Jack Ernst said the new levy would be “probably not even enough. But it’s what we feel we can get by with. It will help stop the bleeding.”
State funding cuts over the past few years have forced the District to tighten spending, and in some cases, cut services to the bone. With voter approval in June, the current operating tax levy would increase 15 cents to $3.0435 per $100 of assessed valuation in the 2004-05 fiscal year. It would climb another 10 cents to $3.1435 per $100 of assessed valuation in fiscal 2005-06.
After two years the total 25-cent increase would mean the owner of a $100,000 home pays $47.50 more in annual property taxes than they currently pay.
Also Thursday, the board considered ways to spend more than $1.9 million made available through savings in the District’s 2000 bond project and the sale of property.
The District came in more than $1.2 million under budget on its $30 million bond projects and captured nearly $380,000 more in unallocated interest on those projects. The sale of several properties unrelated to the bond issue also netted more than $351,000.
With the additional money, construction may move ahead of schedule on the first and second phases of a new fifth and sixth grade school being built in southwest Springfield.