Henderson to Marion board: hang onto mill levy
Staff writer
"Don't drop the mill levy.," Superintendent Gerry Henderson urged the Board of Education of Marion-Florence USD 408 on Friday. "We need to save it for when we need it."
In his experience, Henderson told the board as it reviewed end-of-fiscal-year finances, that if one governmental entity reduced a tax somewhat, others would raise one or more other taxes to fill the gap.
"I don't blame them," Henderson said. "Cities and counties are in dire straits
"We have more wiggle room to spend money wisely, prudently, than many school districts. We have used the local option budget wisely."
Henderson and school district Business Manager Martin Tice said that although the LOB provision allowed districts implementing it to go as high as 25 percent (of the current year's General Fund budget) above the "regular" budget, USD 408 had not used the provision to the maximum.
Board member Bruce Skiles, attending his last board meeting, said the public felt that "once you're taxed, it never goes away
No one expressed any confidence that the Kansas Legislature would solve the state's public schools' financial problems.
Board member Roger Hannaford III did praise the board and administration of 408 for good stewardship of money and other resources.
"We will have to raise the mill levy," Henderson said, not stating when this would be.
Hannaford asked, "Why not lower it if we can, then raise it in a later year?"
Henderson said this was not a good idea. "People won't remember you ever lowered it."
Board member Susan Robson also was attending her last meeting of the board. Member Doug Sharp, who also will be stepping down, was absent from Friday's meeting.
State funding for schools of USD 408, in the amount of $318,849, will be coming early this month, Martin Tice, business manager and board clerk for the district, said Friday.
But, with some "creative or Enron" accounting, he said, books will say the money came by June 30, at the end of the state's fiscal year.
The State of Kansas is going to accelerate property tax payments next year, making first-half payments due May 15 rather than June 20, as has been the case.
"It'll play havoc," Tice said. "It'll seem like we have lots more than we do have."
