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Tax levy hearing Tuesday

 A public hearing will be held prior to next Tuesday’s regular monthly meeting of the Vandalia Board of Education to hear comments from the public about a proposed increase in the property tax rate for residents of the district.

The hearing will begin at 6:45 p.m., with the regular school board meeting to follow at 7 p.m.

State law requires such a “truth in taxation” hearing any time a district’s taxation level increases 5 percent or more. The increase proposed by the board is 6.32 percent.

 “None of these increases are in any of the operating accounts,” said Vandalia Superintendent of Schools Rich Well. “None of the increases are going for education or buildings. Instead, they are going for risk management, Social Security and municipal retirement.

“We haven’t needed to do a ‘truth in taxation’ hearing the past two years,” Well said, “because we had enough cushion in some budget categories to cover. But those surpluses are gone.

“If we didn’t increase these funds, we’d be running a deficit – and to cover we’d have to take money out of accounts that affect student services.”

Well said that, to his knowledge, most school districts in the Bond, Fayette and Effingham counties are holding truth in taxation hearings this year because their rates are increasing by more than 5 percent.

To keep up with rising costs, the board is requesting an increase of $200,000 – $40,000 in new assessed valuation taxes and $160,000 in taxes to be paid by the 8,566 property parcels in the district.

For the average district taxpayer, whose home is valued at $60,000, the tax increase would be about $15, Well said. 

For a house worth $100,000, the tax increase would be about $27, he said.

He also noted that school districts across the state are feeling the pinch because the state isn’t making all of its payments. The state has notified districts that it would be cutting back 8 percent on state aid, Well said.

 

 

 

 

 

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