Please see the following message from Dr. Kirk Henwood, the Superintendent of the South Routt School District.

 

South Routt School District ballot measure extends necessary fund collection for teachers WITHOUT increasing taxpayer burden

SUMMARY:

• This year’s ballot will include a measure that extends and slightly adjusts BUT DOES NOT INCREASE the mill levy override that South Routt County voters approved in 2014.
• This funding is only used to pay our excellent teachers.
• The amount collected from homeowners if the measure passes depends on their property value, but equals about $18.35 per $100,000 of value on residential property.
• Please plan to vote Yes on this measure when you see it on your ballots this fall, and don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions. Details are below.

 

Dear South Routt School District community,

 

A Critical Request for Support

For many years, our students and staff have been blessed by the generosity of South Routt School District’s supporters. This includes our taxpayers. In 2014, residents of the district approved a mill levy override at the ballot box which has made it possible for us to be competitive in the hiring marketplace, attracting and retaining the incredible educators and support staff who have made SOROCO schools among the best in the state over the last several years. This MLO can ONLY be used to pay teachers.

 

The time has come to renew that commitment. The 2014 MLO sunsets the year after next, and as we promised, our schools are back on the ballot this November. This year’s ballot measure will extend and slightly alter taxpayers’ 2014 decision to fund our schools at the level they need to be in order to help our students thrive. That measure increased district taxpayers’ commitment to the district by 2.603 mills, and this year’s measure will simply maintain that same number—it does NOT increase it. It only extends it for a number of years determined by the Board of Education. Without a “yes” vote, the mills would fall off our ledger in two years.

 

These added mills allowed the district to collect roughly $357,000 last tax year. I want to be clear: a loss of that funding after the current MLO sunsets could not be absorbed by the district without cutting jobs. We’ve been very grateful over the last 11 years to be able to compensate our teachers well, and we aren’t going to reverse that momentum. That’s why it’s so important that we renew this measure in November.

 

By the Numbers

The actual dollars and cents that a taxpayer contributes to the district as a result of this MLO is a little hard to pin down because there are a number of different factors. But we can do math based on some estimates.

 

One “mill” is equal to one dollar for every $1,000 of a property’s assessed value. That DOESN’T mean that a $100,000 property is taxed $100, though. It’s actually quite a bit less, because of the assessment rate.

 

In 2025, the state assessment rate on residential property was 7.05% for school districts. That means only 7.05% of the home’s actual valuation is taxable. So, for example, a $100,000 residential property would be assessed at $7,050 (7.05% of 100,000). One mill is $1 for every $1,000, which means a single mill on a $100,000 actual-value property would require $7.05 from the property owner annually.

 

Doing the math for our ballot question on a $300,000 actual-value property:

 

$300,000 (actual value) X 0.0705 (assessment rate) = $21,150 assessed value.

$21,150 (assessed value) X .001 (mill) X 2.603 (mill levies) =$55.05345.

 

So, the owner of a $300,000 actual value residential property is committing a few pennies over $55 to the school district every year if this ballot measure passes.

 

It seems like a small amount, but it adds up to equal great education opportunities for our students.

 

Future Opportunity

I want to highlight a slight tweak in this year’s ballot language that stands to benefit our students even more in the coming years.

 

The previous measure was actually written to raise a certain amount of dollars, as opposed to levy a consistent number of mills. As property values went up or down across our region, the mills were actually throttled to ensure the district collected its dedicated $357,000. This new measure would do the opposite, locking the increased number of mills at 2.603 and allowing the district to collect whatever amount that yielded.

 

Why is this important? Because it’s very likely that property development in our region is about to significantly increase the overall total value of property across South Routt County over the next several years. If we throttle down the mills, students will miss out on the potential benefit of this development. That’s why we’ve written the language the way we did: To make sure the South Routt community can get the most out of any future development in our region through that increased investment in our schools.

 

I hope you will plan to support South Routt students at the ballot box this year. They and their teachers are depending on you. Any questions about this measure and how we will use the funding are more than welcome. Please reach out to me, or plan to attend our soon-to-be-announced public forums. I want you to know we’re putting your contribution to excellent use. Let’s talk about it, and let’s continue to support our Rams.

 

Dr. Kirk Henwood, Superintendent

South Routt School District

khenwood@southrouttk12.org