NYM School tax levy to decrease over 12 percent
News | Published on December 5, 2023 at 8:24pm GMT+0000 | Author: Tucker Henderson
0Enrollment continues to grow at NYM
By Chad Koenen
Publisher
The New York Mills School District is bucking the trend across the state when it comes to its 2024 tax levy.
During its regularly scheduled meeting last week, the New York Mills School Board approved a 12.71 percent tax levy decrease.
NY Mills School Superintendent Blaine Novak said the decrease in school property taxes “is significant for our property owners.” However, he said the exact amount the school portion of property taxes will decrease varies based on the overall taxable value of a property.
During his truth in taxation presentation, Novak said that the school tax levy is impacted by four different things including legislative action, school district officials and local voter approved levies, property values and student enrollment.
Novak said there were several factors leading to the decrease in the 2024 levy in NY Mills, including an increase in student enrollment, an increase in overall property values throughout the district, a $724 local operating revenue levy, the ag to school tax credit which is a state funding program offsetting agricultural taxes, long-term facility maintenance and the board approved indoor air quality bond. The school district has not taken any action on a levy since 2019.
The student enrollment at NY Mills School also increased this year with a prek-12 enrollment of 838 students, which is up from 736 students in 2015.
“Our student enrollment is very stable, increasing very slightly, which is a good thing for school districts,” said Novak. “Very stable growth.”
For a property valued at $100,000 the school portion of the taxes are estimated to be $256 next year, which is almost a $90 drop from last year and lower than it was in 2014. Novak did say that a $100,000 property today is not necessarily the same as a $100,000 property in 2014 due to rising home values and inflation, but was still a positive thing for local taxpayers.
By comparison, NY Mills had the second highest tax levy when compared to local school districts in 2023, second only to Sebeka, but next year the school district will fall to at least the fourth highest tax levy behind Sebeka, Verndale and Wadena-Deer Creek. That being said, Novak said some school districts in the region are proposing significant tax levy increases next year, meaning NY Mills may fall down the list of comparable tax levies even further in 2024.
“We also know that we have school districts who have seen significant property tax increases (next year),” he said.
Novak said the decrease in the tax levy is a positive for the school district as a whole moving forward.
In other news
• Approved the following appointments: Alli Bauck as varsity assistant girls basketball coach, Zach Hocking as the junior high/assistant wrestling coach, Steve Dunrud as long-term substitute, Wayne Werner as a volunteer/booster club wrestling coach, Shane Novak as a volunteer/booster club wrestling coach, Cody Geiser as a volunteer/booster club wrestling coach, Mike Weller as a volunteer/booster club wrestling coach, Devin Sunstroke as a technology assistant, Gina Long as a wrestling cheer coach, Marsha Maki as a 1/2 time business manager/phased retirement option and Tanya Erickson as a paraprofessional.
• Approved the following resignations: Maureen Baymler as a paraprofessional, Scott Maki as a custodian and Jody Rettig as a cleaner.
• Accepted the following donations: $1,586 from the Arvig Rebate program to the New York Mills General Fund and $1,000 from BTD to the high school fishing team.
• Approved a revised school calendar to reflect no school on November 3 due to the football team advancing to the section football tournament at the FargoDome. Since the school district is over the minimum amount of student contact days, the school board agreed to forgive the student contact day and have contract staff make up the day of school that was missed. The school board said it will take a look at a potential policy moving forward about when it should and should not cancel school regarding school sponsored activities.