Tuesday, May 5, the St. Regis School District 1 will have two important levies for voters to consider, including the building reserve fund and the general fund.

Superintendent Joe Steele boiled them down to help explain what they mean to the school district with the following answers.

1. What will be done with the money?

The General Fund levy supports our operating budget, so it will be used to pay for things like salaries, electricity, propane, maintenance, and programs for kids (athletics, Business Professionals of America, Future Farmers of America). The cost of everything goes up every year, so without these funds I would have to cut programs or staff. The Building Reserve Funds are used as a contingency fund in case there is an emergency, which we have had in the past. Even

this year we had a water main break that had to be fixed.

Fortunately, it was a pipe from the artesian well, which is used to water the fields. Some of it is also used to pay down debt from prior roofing and remodeling projects. This levy is the same as it has been the last five years. We are not increasing it, so really the taxpayer won’t see a difference on their taxes with this levy.

2. How many mills will this be?

6. 21 mils for the General Fund levy and 6.43 for the Building Reserve Levy

3. How many years will each of these be active? The General Fund is an annual levy. The Building Reserve lasts five years.

4. Anything else you would care to add?

The ballot only speaks to these two levies, which is accurate, but does not give the complete picture. When you look at what we did with the permissive levies - transportation, bus depreciation, tuition, adult education - you will notice a considerable decrease in the bus depreciation levy. This is because we have the funds to start replacing buses next year on our eight-year schedule.

When you combine the General Fund, Building Reserve Levy and the permissive levies, the taxpayer will actually see a $9.98 decrease in their taxes on a home valued at $100,000 and $26.96 decrease on a home valued at $200,000.

Being a homeowner myself, I am very conscious of the tax burden put on our residents.

That is why my business manager and I work hard to do what we can to keep our taxes down and reduce where and when we can. This year is particularly difficult for many people affected by the coronavirus, so being able to reduce taxes is something I am glad we can do.

To register to vote in the school elections, the deadline was April 27. For those who haven’t registered for the primary election, the deadline is May 28. Due to the Mineral County Courthouse being closed this will be by appointment only. Call 822-3520.