Wednesday, September 12, 2001
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Wednesday, September 12, 2001 |
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School board: No tax hike Increase in bond rate makes public hearings necessary
By MONROE
ROARK
The Fayette County Board of Education is stressing that property taxes for schools are not going up, while scheduling public hearings that suggest just the opposite. Citing a state law that requires the hearings, school officials said Monday that while the overall tax rate is being reduced, the rate dedicated to bonded indebtedness is going up, which makes the "tax increase" message mandatory. "The language of the implementing regulations for the law state specifically the wording of the advertisement and that it must be published if either the maintenance and operations millage rate or the bond millage rate exceeds the rollback rates required under the law," according to a written statement issued by the school system. The total tax rate is being reduced from 22.386 to 21.783 mills, which should reduce property taxes on a typical $200,000 home by $48.24 on this year's tax bills, school officials said. But taxes on that same home actually are likely to go up, because its value has increased. "However, due to provisions of the Taxpayer's Bill of Rights, the Board of Education will hold three public hearings in order to make the public aware of the increase on the bond tax," they added. The hearings are scheduled for Sept. 20 at 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. and Sept. 27 at 8 a.m. The Taxpayer's Bill of Rights requires that rates be rolled back by an amount sufficient to offset any increases necessitated by reassessments of properties during the year. "The Board of Education has adjusted millage rates on the maintenance and operations portion of the digest to reduce the millage by 1.007 mills and is fully in compliance with the law in that area," school officials said. But debt service requirements on the $65 million bond passed last November have made it necessary to increase the bond millage rate from 3.325 to 3.73 mills. "While this action was approved by the taxpayers of Fayette County, the law makes no provision for this circumstance, and it will be necessary to hold the three public hearings in order to obtain state approval of the county tax levies," according to the school system's statement. The board voted in Monday's called meeting to tentatively approve the new millage rates as recommended.
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