District asks residents to approve referendum

The St. Joseph CCSD #169 is asking residents to approve a tax increase.

On June 28, the district is asking residents to approve a referendum question that asks the taxpayers of the district to increase the tax rate by .22 percent.

Superintendent Todd Pence said the district is asking for the increase now because the bonds taken out to build the middle school will be paid off this year and the tax rate will drop by .31 percent. So even with the proposed increase, the tax rate will go down.

The district was able to pay off the bonds a year and a half early due to the county’s one percent sales tax that goes to schools for building improvements and capital projects. It cannot be used in the education fund. The proposed tax increase would be used in the education fund which can be spent on programs, teachers, keeping class sizes small and more, Pence said.

“As costs everywhere continue to go up, our revenues have not been able to keep pace,” Pence said. “This referendum is the only long-term solution that will prevent future, potentially, devastating financial issues for our district.”

For a $200,000 home, the current tax rate paid to the district is 2.7325 percent or a total tax of $1,803.45. If the referendum passes the taxes paid will be $1,747l15. If it does not pass the taxes paid will be $1,601.95.