Local property owners recently received their property tax statement in the mail, and several citizens have shared questions about the mill rate assessed by Salida School District.
The Mill Levy portion says that R-32-J School District assessed 29.169 mills, the amount being assessed to our property owners. Under Property Status Codes it also states, “In absence of State Legislative Funding, your School Fund Mill Levy would have been 28.723.” There is confusion about these two numbers, and we’d like to offer some clarification.
First, let’s identify the 28.723 mills number. This reflects the Total Program Cost determined by the state formula that sets the total amount of funding for the Salida School District for the school year. Of this amount, the local share is 18.693, and the state is contributing 10.030 to make up the difference. So:
18.693* - Local share - amount due through local property taxes
+10.030 - State aid - amount provided by the State of Colorado this year
28.723 - Total Program Cost
*It is important to note that the state is mandating that the district increase the amount collected through local property taxes by 1 mill per year until we reach 24.793 mills, over the next six years. The state will reduce their aid contribution over that time.
So, where does the assessed 29.169 amount come from? This takes into account the 18.693 needed as the Local Share from above, in addition to 6.257 for the mill levy overrides approved by district voters, 4.198 mills for bond redemption for Salida High School and Longfellow Elementary School, and .021 mills for abatements. So:
18.693 - District Certified Mills for Total Program required from local shares from above
6.257 - Mill Levy Overrides approved by voters in 2004, 2008 to support staff pay
4.198 - Bond redemption for SHS (expires in 2030) and LES (expires in 2033)
+ .021 - Abatements
29.169 - Total mills due on property taxes
The School Finance in Colorado document is another helpful guide to help understand school finance, a sometimes confusing topic.
We are always happy to answer any questions or provide additional clarification for our local situation. Please feel free to reach out to Business Manager Aaron Dobson at adobson@salidaschools.org or 719-530-5209 with any questions.