School budget supported by higher levy but lower tax rate
The Northern Ozaukee School District’s property tax levy will go up 3.91% for the 2019-2020 school year, but tax rates will go down thanks to an increase in total valuation across the district.
The budget and tax levy were approved by the School Board last week.
The property tax levy for the school year stands at $6.843 million, up from nearly $6.586 million in the 2018-2019 school year.
General fund spending will go up from $12.48 million to $13.34 million, a 7% increase.
Almost all of that increase is due to the addition of the Riveredge Outdoor Learning Elementary School (ROLES), a charter school at the Riveredge Nature Center near Newburg, district Business Manager Josh McDaniel said.
That expenditure will be covered through the additional state aid the district will receive next June because of the increased enrollment.
Per-pupil state aid is rising to $10,091, up from $9,916 each of the previous four years.
The equalized tax rate will drop, however, from $10.43 to $10.30 per $1,000 valuation thanks to a 5.3% increase in total valuation — the value of all property in the district — to $664.3 million, which includes $5.5 million worth of new construction in the district, McDaniel said.
That means the owner of a $200,000 house will pay about $2,060 in property taxes, about $26 less than last year, if the assessed value were to match the equalized value.
The exact amount paid in school taxes will vary from community to community based on their equalization ratios, which factor in market value and are set by the state.
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