Voters to decide on school building fund levy Jan. 8

January 8. That's the day Carrington School District residents will have their say regarding the school's building levy authority.

The Carrington school board made the decision last month to put the question to voters a second time, but the date of the election published in an earlier edition of the Independent wasn't correct.

In 30 days, on January 8, voters will take to the polls and cast their ballots for one question: should the Carrington School District have the authority to levy up to 10 mills of property tax per year for building improvements?

If approved, the funds levied would be specifically designated for future facility repairs, maintenance or expansion required to keep Carrington's only school campus in good condition. The school board would make the decision annually about how many mills to levy, up to a maximum of 10, to set aside for facility needs.

The school district currently has the authority to levy up to 5 mills for facilities, but school board members say that isn't enough. In fact, the building fund has carried a deficit balance for several years as officials try to keep up with maintenance needs. In addition, property taxes have been levied for two major building projects, the middle school and elementary school, in the past 20 years.

Carrington School Board members have unanimously expressed their support for this increase, citing that it will provide them with much-needed funds to manage the ongoing needs of the buildings and grounds.

"Recognizing and prioritizing the value of maintaining our facilities is a progressive investment in the long-term sustainability and success of our school and community."

Those were the words of Superintendent Janelle Helm at a community meeting on Thursday, April 25, before the question was brought to voters for the first time last summer.

Months later, as the board discussed bringing the question back to voters at the September meeting, new board member Joey Irmen said, "I'd like to see the building fund constantly at 10 mills. It shouldn't ever really go away. Every 10 years we're going to need to do something.”

Also at the September meeting, board president Joel Lemer presented a mill levy comparison of North Dakota school districts. He noted that Carrington’s current 5 mill levy is well below the statewide average building fund levy of 10.5 mills. The 10 mill levy Carrington is proposing would still be below the state average.

Carrington's mill levy is lower than all its neighboring school districts, with the exception of Midkota, which does not have a building fund levy. As the chart shows, its levy is also well below several other districts with similar enrollments to Carrington, such as Hazen and Thompson.

The timing is ideal, school officials say, because a key facility-focused levy is about to go off the books. The district plans to pay off the 2006 bond for the middle school this year, a year ahead of schedule. The 4.81 mills the district collected for that project this past year would zero out in 2025-26, and then 5 mills would be added to the building levy, essentially resulting in a wash.

Increasing the building fund levy now will allow the school district to set aside funds for future projects, to be used as needs arise. School districts across the state are using the building fund levy to keep funds flowing for needed improvements so the work can be completed in a timely manner, without the need to issue bonds for those repairs.

The district has also not levied any miscellaneous mills for the past two years, which is a reduction of 12 mills compared to 2022-23 levels. That action results in a net decrease in mills, and therefore a decrease in taxes collected by the school on any property with a steady value.

That doesn't mean that property owners should expect their taxes to automatically decrease if the building fund levy increase is not approved, however. That's because the valuation of property is not controlled by the school district. Rather, the county conducts tax equalization annually and the value of a mill changes as a result of that process.

At least 60 percent of voters must cast ballots in favor in order for the increase to be approved.

Residents who can't vote in person on January 8 have the option to request to have an absentee ballot sent to them by mail. Anyone who filled out an absentee ballot application and checked “all elections” for the 2024 primary or general election will automatically receive an absentee ballot in the mail for this election.

Anyone who wants to vote absentee but hasn’t filled out an application must do so. Forms are available by request from the school office. Email Kimary Edland at [email protected] or download a copy of the application from the school’s website, http://www.carrington.k12.nd.us or the N.D. Secretary of State’s website, sos.nd.gov.