“District 16 property tax levy drops slightly” plus 2 more |
- District 16 property tax levy drops slightly
- Property taxes paid this week count on 2010 returns
- Where does your property tax dollar go?
| District 16 property tax levy drops slightly Posted: 29 Dec 2010 02:15 PM PST by Elyse Kaner The Spring Lake Park District 16 School Board at a Dec. 22 special meeting approved the district's final 2011 property tax levy.  General fund revenue sources for District 16's 2011 budget. (Graph source: District 16) The board certified the total levy at $18.16 million, a 0.51 percent decrease from the 2010 levy of $18.25 million. "The good news is our total dollars we are requesting has dropped by $93,000," said business manager Amy Schultz in a 2010-11 property tax levy and budget presentation at the district's Dec. 14 regular school board meeting. A state Truth in Taxation Law requires school districts to present the current year budget and proposed tax levy. Although time was allotted for public comment during the meeting, no residents came forward to speak. The 2011 total levy includes a general fund of $8.72 million, a community service fund of $424,327 and a debt service fund of $9 million. The general fund levy dropped 5 percent from $9.18 million in 2010 to $8.72 million for 2011. State funds make up the largest portion of the general fund revenue sources at $34.04 million or 77 percent of the district's budget. Compensation remains the largest part of the general fund's expenditure budget at $33.93 million or 76 percent for salaries and benefits. Reasons for changes in the 2011 general fund levy are: • The district approved Q Comp (quality compensation), a performance-based pay incentive for teachers, starting in the 2010-11 school year. Because of the timing of the approval (after 2010 taxes were approved), the district double-levied – close to $900,000 for the 2011 and 2012 school year. However, next year the amount will drop back to $450,000, Schultz said.  The Spring Lake Park District 16 School Board has approved its budget and property tax levy for 2011. The budget includes these general fund expenditures. (Graph source: District 16) • A decrease in alternative facilities for use of alternative sites while the school underwent construction. This is the final year of payment because construction is finished. • A one-time decrease of about $125,000 from remaining funds of completed track and field project, which could only be used for that project. The remainder must be applied to reduce the levy. • Recalculation adjustments of levies for the past three years by the Minnesota Department of Education. School districts estimate enrollment figures one year in advance. The state recalculates expenditure information based on updated student enrollment and expenditure information over the past three years. The district's total market value of commercial and residential real estate dropped from $3.6 billion in 2008 to $3.4 billion in 2009, Schultz said. Although total property market values are decreasing, residents whose home values remained stable might be coughing up a few more dollars in taxes. That's because if a home value stays flat and others' values decreased, subsequently driving a decrease in the entire tax base, the homeowners with stable values will pay a higher percentage of 2011 tax costs, Schultz said in a phone interview. Assuming a stable property value, for a home with an assessed market value of $250,000, property taxes on the school portion, will increase by $98 from $1,134 a year in 2010 to an estimated $1,232 in 2011. Schultz cautioned the numbers are based on estimates and won't be finalized until after January when the county sends out final property tax statements. Schultz noted two Minnesota tax refund programs and one tax deferral program for property owners. • The circuit breaker refund, available to homeowners with an annual income of $93,480 or less. The maximum refund is $1,750 and based on a sliding scale. Taxpayers filing for this refund would need to fill out a state tax form M-1PR. • Special property tax refund with no income limits. This one applies to all homeowners with a gross tax increase of at least 12 percent and $100 more than the prior year. Maximum refund is $1,000. Filing a M-1PR state tax form is required. • Senior citizens have an opportunity to defer property taxes. People more than 65 years of age with an income of $60,000 or less qualify. Taxes are deferred. The deferred property taxes plus interest must be paid at the time the house is sold or from the homeowner's estate when he or she dies. "It's sort of like a lien against the house," Schultz said. "It's not a write-off, it's a deferral." For more information on property tax refunds, visit the Department of Revenue website at www.taxes.state.mn.us. District 16 operates on a total revenue budget of $58.28 million and $56.92 million expenditure budget. A fund balance for June 30, 2011 is projected at $3.45 million. The general fund revenues are $44.69 million, while expenditures are $45.13 million. The district constantly monitors the budget internally and brings it to the board for approval two to three times per year, Schultz said. The vote to approve the property tax levy was 6-0. Boardmember Jodi Ruch was not in attendance at the Dec. 22 meeting. For more information, visit www.district16.org. Elyse Kaner is at elyse.kaner@ecm-inc.com This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php |
| Property taxes paid this week count on 2010 returns Posted: 29 Dec 2010 02:18 AM PST Franklin County property-tax bills are landing in people's mailboxes this week - not as early as in some years but still on time, Treasurer Ed Leonard said. Treasurers in some of the surrounding counties won't mail out tax bills until the first or second week of January. No matter when the tax bills are mailed, Franklin County property owners who want to claim them on this year's tax return can pay them this week in person or online. Last year, about 25,000 payments came in before year's end, Leonard said. Approximately 165,000 tax bills were mailed in Franklin County, which has 430,000 parcels, Leonard said. Some of the six neighboring counties also offer online service and all offer immediate, pay-at-the-counter service. Some years, Franklin County mailed the bills the week of Christmas. "We're not late sending out the tax bills," Leonard said. "We are meeting all the requirements." State law requires that tax bills be sent no later than 20 days before they are due. In Franklin County, the due date for the first-half payment is Jan. 20; the second half is due June 20. The county treasurer mails the bills and collects the money. The county auditor calculates the amount based on tax rates and property values. Some school districts, cities and other taxing bodies cover more than one county, so the auditors have to wait for one another to calculate tax rates. "There are a lot of moving parts," said Ed Laramee, deputy auditor of Fairfield County. Fairfield County plans to mail its tax bills the week of Jan. 10, but taxpayers can visit the county treasurer's website to view their bills and pay online. Or they can pay in person. Most county governments are closed Friday for New Year's Eve. However, in Union County, only the offices of the auditor and treasurer will be open so property owners can claim their taxes as a deduction for 2010, Treasurer Donna Rausch said. Union County's tax bills will be mailed the second week of January, she said, well ahead of the first-half due date of Feb. 16. Madison County also will mail bills the second week in January. Payment is due Feb. 15. Annually, about 3,000 property owners pay their taxes early to deduct them on the previous year's return, Treasurer William Stidham said. Pickaway County plans to mail tax bills the second week in January. People can pay early by going into the office or over the phone by credit card. "We probably have had close to 100 who have come in to pre-pay their taxes, preparing to go down south or out west" for the winter, Treasurer Ellery Elick said. Pickaway County hopes to join the counties offering online service later next year, he said. Licking County does not have online bill-paying, either. Tax bills will go out the second week in January and are due Feb. 23. People who want to pay early may go to the treasurer's office, Auditor J. Terry Evans said. Delaware County offers online service for paying early. Tax bills will be mailed early in January and are due Feb. 10. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php |
| Where does your property tax dollar go? Posted: 30 Dec 2010 03:05 AM PST
Often, they don't — because they don't have to. Many of these little governments (think water and sewer operations) get millions in property tax dollars, and thus can charge less than what things really cost. Could those property tax dollars be better spent on, say, schools, or some other branch of government that can't charge for its services? The question prompted County Auditor-Controller David E. Sundstrom, CPA, to jump in with an illuminating tutorial on local property taxes — and how Orange County is still getting the shortest end of the stick. Let's start with these illustrations of how local property taxes are divvied up. That coin to the left shows How Local Property Taxes were Distributed, circa 1978; the coin to the right shows How Local Property Taxes were Distributed, circa 2010. WHY ARE SCHOOLS GETTING LESS? "Due to property tax legislation effective for the 2005-2006 fiscal year, the County and the cities receive property taxes from the schools' allocation to replace local sales taxes and vehicle license fees transferred to the State," Sundstrom said. "The State is required to backfill the schools' revenues." THE BIG, BAD PICTURE "Orange County, due to allocations originally calculated at the advent of Prop 13, receives the lowest property tax returns of any county in the state," Sundstrom said. Suggesting that special districts return property taxes to schools "appears noble, it would not help the gross inequity concerning the county governments' share of property tax," he said. "It would merely be offset by the State's contribution, known as 'backfill,' to the schools. Accordingly, only the state would be the recipient of that sort of windfall. That move would likely increase what our citizens pay for services with the state getting all the benefit." Well, that's not what anyone had in mind. "The inequity is caused by the various percentages each county's schools receive from property taxes," Sundstrom continued. "These percentages vary widely across the state. In Los Angeles county, for example, schools received nearly 41% of the property tax levy compared to Orange County's 47%. Accordingly, the state provides far more backfill to LA schools than to OC schools." IT'S BETTER THAN IT USED TO BE That excludes the machinations of the tax and fee swaps noted above. OC had been railing about the injustice of this for years, but nothing changed until last year, when it appeared that Orange County State Sen. Lou Correa, D-Santa Ana (right), wouldn't vote for the state budget. That budget included a tax increase. Correa had promised he wouldn't support more taxes. So, spying an opportunity to make lemonade from lemons, Correa said he'd vote for the budget if OC got more property tax revenue back from . As part of a side deal, Correa secured Orange County an additional $35 million for two years, rising to $50 million after that. That hiked OC's share of property tax revenue from that paltry 6.4 cents on the dollar to, um, 7.6 cents in 2011. Orange County still receives the least property tax revenue of all the counties in the state, but as Sundstrom says, it's better than it used to be. Many agree that it's high time for the state to overhaul its antiquated tax system; but no one is holding his breath. More taxes: More Watchdog: This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php |
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