The Marion County School District adopted its 2022-2023 budget and sent a resolution requesting an ad valorem tax levy to the Marion County Board of Supervisors on Aug. 12. The Board of Supervisors met Monday to discuss their options with financial consultant Charlie Prince and County Attorney Drew Foxworth.
The school district determined that the total Ad Valorem and Homestead Exemption needs for the 2022-23 operations will be budgeted at $4,627,229.27. They are requesting an additional $63,033.02 for a shortfall on a note.
"The district already has a shortfall on their note because the money that was estimated to come in last year did not come in. The district didn't get what was slated to be there and neither did the county itself," Marion County Board of Supervisors President Calvin Newsom said Tuesday. "The 4% is what the state statute allows them to ask for. The supervisors can't say what the school board will do with the money. It will take 6.48 mills just to make up the shortfall plus the 4% they have to be given. Maintenance costs are through the roof, and taxes have not been raised in five years. All five of us were elected to make hard decisions for the health of Marion County."
Supervisor Eugene Blue Green expressed concern about the 22 pages of unpaid taxes in The Columbian-Progress this week. He said that the residents of Marion County are doing all they can.
Prince said he has seen this type of request in all of the budgets he has gotten so far, and the request is not outrageous.
The supervisors looked at other options and discussed their next steps. The overall realization was that if they do not assess a tax this year, the tax that must be assessed next year will be more, or even doubled, because the school district will once again have a shortfall.
However, Prince pointed out that the county can only give to the school district through a tax levy.
"As long as there is inflation, the school will ask for the 4% increase," Foxworth said. "You (the supervisors) are the taxing agent for the school, but you have no choice whether to assess a tax increase."
None of the five supervisors want to raise taxes, but no other solution was found as of Tuesday's meeting.
They must make a decision by Friday at noon in order to have their decision published in the newspaper on Sept. 1 and Sept. 8.
The board decided to meet Friday morning at 9 a.m. to make a decision on how to proceed.
