Posted: 7/14/04
By Barbara Brown
North Branch school district residents should be prepared for a fourth request for an operating levy during the November general election.
The North Branch School Board voted last week to place a referendum on the ballot in the general election asking residents to allow themselves to be taxed specifically for the school district.
The districtís budget is facing a multi-million dollar deficit for the next several school years.
The referendum, which would bring about $2.5 million into the district if it passes, would help the district maintain its current programs.
Passing the referendum would not reinstate any programs that have been cut to now, nor would it guarantee that no future cuts would ever be made.
Board members generally agreed that the district had little choice but to ask for a referendum to help it balance its budget and retain services already offered.
However, in a special work session held an hour before the regular meeting last week, the members differed on how much to request in the referendum and how long a referendum would run.
After the hour discussion, the board began its regular meeting and when the item appeared for consideration on the regular agenda, more discussion followed.
The board ultimately voted unanimously to ask for a 5-year referendum at $500 per pupil unit.
At that rate, tax payers in the North Branch district with a property valued at $150,000 could expect a $146.44 annual increase in taxes, or about $13 per month.
Tax impact on a property valued at $200,000 would be about $195 a year, or about $16 per month.
More information will be given by the district through mailings and a public meeting about the referendum, to be scheduled at a later date.
Also at the July 8 meeting:
ï the board heard an update about the health occupation programs offered in partnership with the district, Fairview Lakes Medical Centers and Green Acres Country Care Center;
ï approved renewing annual memberships in the Schools for Equity in Education at $3,649 and the Minnesota School Boards Association at $5,687 for membership and $395 for policy services;
ï granted service contracts for phone, fuel and trash services. Metrix, a division of Qwest, got the bid for five years of phone service at a cost of $140,985, which was more than $18,000 per year less than NorthStar Access. Town & Country Oil got the fuel bid for the district at $1.26 per gallon of gas and $1.17per gallon of diesel. Federated Co-ops had bid $1.34 per gallon of gas and $1.20 per gallon of diesel.
Terryís Disposal was awarded the trash contract this year at $2,531 per month. East Central Sanitation had bid $3,840 per month for service.
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