Bond would raise school tax asking 11 percent

    If the $9.5 million bond for the school passes, residents in the Washington School District will pay about $2 more per $1,000 valuation on their property taxes. The increase would be effective July 1, 2012. Washington Schools Superintendent Mike Jorgensen said the additional $2 in property taxes would remain for the next 20 years, which is how long it would take to pay off the bond.

    At its meeting Tuesday, the Washington School Board approved a resolution endorsing the $9.5 million bond plan. Eight and a half million dollars is slated for improvements to the 1918 high school, including a geothermal heating and cooling system and a new band room. One million dollars is seed money for an auditorium at the new high school. 

    The bonding firm hired by the school ? Piper Jaffray Companies ? estimated that the property tax increase would average $1.94 per year. That is an 11 percent increase over the district?s current tax asking of $17.46 per $1,000 valuation.

    Jorgensen said the district?s tax asking has gone up $3 to $4 in the past decade, which is comparable to most school districts in the state. He said some of the increase is due to the state government?s across-the-board cuts, which have forced school districts to raise property taxes or cut services.

    Fortunately for local taxpayers, the district?s tax asking will drop at least 50 cents next fiscal year. Jorgensen said that assumes the Iowa Legislature does not allow any growth in its educational budget. If the Legislature allows for growth in that budgetary item, the school district?s tax asking could fall even further.

    The school district is in the process of collecting signatures to put the bond proposal up for a vote. The petition needs 762 signatures to force a vote. Once the signatures are collected, the petition would go to the school board for approval. The board?s next regular meeting is April 13, and Jorgensen said it would like to approve the petition at that meeting. Then the bond proposal would go to Washington County Auditor Bill Fredrick who would put it on the ballot for the June 28 special election.

For more, see our March 18 print edition.