Over the last 14 years, the Austin School District has asked the public for financial support of the day-to-day operations of the district by passing operating levies. The district asked to renew two such levies in 2010 by combining original levies passed in 2000 and 2001, into one levy with no tax increase. This year, the district is again asking local residents to renew a levy, originally passed in 2003, for another 10 years that will actually cost property taxpayers less. Yes, it would generate the same amount of revenue but cost less to local property taxpayers.

Why, you ask? It has to do with Minnesota’s property tax equalization formula, based on differing property values in different regions of the state. The formula is in place to help provide equitable educational opportunities for all Minnesota students. The Austin School District property taxes were equalized somewhere around 49 percent in prior years. This means for every dollar in levy revenue received, the state would pay 49 cents and the local property owner would pay 51 cents. This formula was created in the ‘90s.

As we all know, property values over the past few years have changed dramatically from region to region in the state. The legislators in the last session took this into account and created new formulas to address the changing values. Now Austin is equalized at 60 percent, meaning on that same dollar of revenue, the state will now pay 60 cents and local property owners only 40 cents and thus the reduction to school property taxes.

I will give a couple of examples: On a property valued at $100,000, with the renewal of the current levy, taxes will be reduced by about $41 per year; on a property valued at $250,000, the reduction is $103 per year and on a property valued at $500,000, the taxpayer will see a reduction of $207 per year. With the change in the formula, the school tax portion of your local property taxes will actually see a reduction of almost 7 percent. These reductions are across the board on all property types including single family homes, commercial property and farmsteads plus one acre. It is important that everyone who can vote do so on Tuesday, Nov. 5.

The polling locations are Austin Public Library for Ward 1/Precinct 1, Lansing, Red Rock, Udolpho, and Waltham Townships; Austin High School for Ward 1/Precinct 2 and Mapleview Township; Southgate Elementary School for Ward 2/Precinct 1; Banfield Elementary School for Ward 2/Precinct 2 and Newry, Oakland, London, and Moscow Townships; Woodson Kindergarten Center for Ward 3/Precinct 1 and Austin, Lyle and Windom Townships; and Ellis Middle School for Ward 3/Precinct 2. Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Absentee ballots are available at the Mower County Auditor’s Office. If you have any questions, please call the superintendent’s office at 460-1900.