The district has been collecting just 17.2 mills on non-homestead property taxes this year, a reduction from 17.66 last year. Owing to the state’s 1994 Headlee Amendment (see sidebar) that forces municipalities to reduce millage as property values increase, allowing only for inflation, the millage the district has collected has dropped from the full statutory rate of 18 mills since 1994. Last year’s drop, however, was by far the biggest one-year plunge.

Since the district was already facing a second straight year of significant budget cuts, the board decided to seek an increase of up to 1.5 mills over 10 years. Since just 0.8 mills is required this year, however, a business owner or second homeowner with a $100,000 property with a taxable value of $50,000, for example, would pay just $40 that first year (based on a rate of $0.80 per $1,000 of taxable value).

Passage of the millage would put $55,000 back in the district’s coffers this year, and possibly more in the future. In this day of continually reducing funding and budgets, the millage is vital for the district to avoid making further cuts of personnel or programs.

“If you’re passionate about what goes on in the schools and what has to be done with the budget, this is one way to do something to help,” said Superintendent Pete Everson.

He compares the $55,000 to the equivalent of a teaching position, and while another job might not necessarily be lost if the millage doesn’t pass, he reiterated his desire to keep as many programs going for students as possible. “The fewer people we have, the less things are available to our kids,” he said.

Mr. Everson said that while he wants to make sure residents are aware that the average homeowner will not see any tax increase as a result of this millage vote, he also sympathizes with the business owner and second-homeowner.

“I know businesses are in a difficult financial time,” he said, “but this type of a tax is the only way to ensure all of the funding is in place.”

School board member Michael Grogan realizes the election decision can’t be separated from the larger realities residents are faced with.

“The economy is not good and people don’t want to pay more taxes,” he said. “But we need to keep the school going as best we can. If we don’t pass it, we’ll have more cuts to make and we’re losing enough as it is.”

He also emphasized the average homeowner will not be affected, and said he planned to distribute flyers about the election to help voters in his area (Brevort Township) best understand what is at stake.