Photo: (L to R) School Board President Leeds, Superintendent Lolli, Members Lane and Snyder.
Photo: (L to R) Board Members Irwin and Birdwell (absent), Treasurer Thorpe and School Board President Leeds
by John Beagle
The Monroe Schools Board of Education has authorized a substitute levy on the November ballot.
A substitute levy is essentially the same as an emergency levy with the exception of the ability to capture new revenue from growth of the property tax recipts. Currently, according to Treasurer Kelley Thorpe, the only way that a district can qualify to put a substitute levy on the ballot is if they already have an emergency levy in place. The substitute levy has to be an exchange for like sized emergency levies.
Treasurer Thorpe Continues: "For Example: Under the current emergency levy, as new growth occurs in Monroe, either by new housing or new business/industry, a $1.5 million levy is simply divided up among more property tax payers. As each new property owner enters the market, everyone pays a smaller amount. The Monroe School District still only gets $1.5 million.
Under the new substitute levy, the current tax rate that generates the $1.5 million would stay the same but as housing or businesses come into the district, that $1.5 million would grow as well – without any additional tax to current home or business owners."
According to Monroe Schools Treasurer Kelley Thorpe, Monroe has the following leview:
Current Expense levy – passed Nov. 14, 1969 – continuous – originally was 11.51 mills
Current Expense levy – passed Nov. 7, 1979 – continuous – originally was 6.76 mills
These two levies have been rolled back to 14.84 total mills collected instead of the original 18.27 voted mills. When combined with our 5.16 inside mills, the 14.84 effective rate puts us at the 20-mill floor.
Emergency levy – passed Nov. 2, 2004 – five years – $1,500,000
Emergency levy – passed Aug. 8, 2006 – five years – $930,418
Emergency levy – passed Nov. 7, 2006 – five years – $1,119,280
Full Levy report: A Monroe Levy Discussion with School Treasurer Kelley Thorpe
The board approved a resolution to proceed with placing a 9.71 mills substitute continuous levy on the Nov. 3 ballot. Discuss: MOMS SUPPORTING MONROE
The levy will raise $3.5 Million and will replace the three levies that expire in the next 2 years.
According to Monroe Superintendent Elizabeth Lolli, "The levy is not adding money to our budget, it is maintaining the current budget. The good thing about a substitute levy is the opportunity to capture new money from new businesses or new homeowners immediately. This will help any district that has a growing population. I am very pleased that a substitute levy has been created by the legislature. Remember, no new taxes are charged to current business or home owners with a substitute levy!!!"
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