FERNDALE - In addition to voting on a request to increase the city's sales tax to fix roads, Ferndale voters are being asked to approve a four-year levy to help pay for the cost of education in Ferndale School District.
If approved by voters on Feb. 14, the school maintenance and operations levy would bring in $13 million in 2013 to $15.5 million in 2016 to help pay for day-to-day operations.
It would replace a two-year levy that expires at the end of 2012. That levy is allowing the district to collect $11.2 million in 2012, or nearly 25 percent of the district's operating budget to help pay for such things as teachers and textbooks, music and athletics as well as transportation.
When voters approve a levy, they are approving the maximum amount of money a district can collect in property taxes from residents; the tax rate may fluctuate, but the bottom-line amount the district receives can't be above the approved amounts.
School district officials said they were asking for a higher levy amount because they expect the state to continue to cut funding, including levy equalization dollars. Current proposals could mean a loss of about $1.1 million for the school district.
Levy equalization funding helps property-tax poor districts that can't raise much revenue through taxes.
Like other school districts, Ferndale is relying more on local dollars as the impact of the recession drags on.
"I know it's a hard time to be asking people," said Linda Quinn, superintendent for Ferndale School District.
But, she said, levy dollars will stay in the community to help the community.
"People can have an impact on their own community. I hope people realize an investment in education is for everybody," Quinn said. "It's very critical to us, and to our community."
School officials originally were unhappy about the city of Ferndale's decision to put a sales tax increase on the same ballot, with Quinn saying she had been "nervous" about it.
But she's grown more diplomatic.
"We have to have roads. We have to have schools," Quinn said. "They (city of Ferndale) are very supportive of our levy, and we're hoping theirs passes too."
The Ferndale school board decided to run a four-year levy instead of a two-year levy so the district wouldn't have to pay for another election in two years.
If voters approve the levy, the new overall school property tax rate is expected to be about 33 cents more per $1,000 than the projected tax rate for 2012. That means a person with a home assessed at $250,000 would pay about $83 more in school property taxes in 2013 than 2012.
If given the OK by voters, the new tax rates per $1,000 of assessed value would range from $4.66 in 2013 to $4.59 in 2016. That means a person with a home assessed at $250,000 would pay $1,165 in school property taxes in 2013 and $1,147 in 2016.
About $1 per $1,000 of the overall projected tax rate is for outstanding district bonds.
FERNDALE LEVY FACTS
Estimated property tax rates in Ferndale School District if voters on Feb. 14 approve a replacement levy for maintenance and operations. The projected rate below combines the proposed levy and outstanding district bonds. The bonds make up about $1 per $1,000 of the projected rate.
• 2013: $4.66 per $1,000 of a home's assessed value.
• 2014: $4.53.
• 2015: $4.52.
• 2016: $4.59.
Additional information on the four-year levy is online at www.ferndale.wednet.edu.
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