Elk Mound school board sets tax levy of $3.012 million

By LeAnn R. Ralph

ELK MOUND  —  The Elk Mound Board of Education has set a property tax levy for the 2018-2019 school year of $3,012,408.

The levy that was approved at the Board of Education’s October 22 meeting included a Fund 10 property tax levy of $1,987,210 and a debt service levy of $1,025,194.

The debt service levy increased by $150,000 over the amount included in the preliminary budget, said Eric Wright, Elk Mound school superintendent.

The mill rate on the tax levy will be $8.26 per $1,000 of property value, representing a 25 cent decrease over last year’s mill rate of $8.51, he said.

The decrease in the mill rate will amount to $25 less in property taxes per $100,000 of property value.

The total of all expenditures for the 2018-2019 budget is $16.8 million.

The Board of Education also adopted the fall budget variance report.

Of the variance from the preliminary budget, $100,000 will be placed in the fund for short-range planning, Wright said, noting that if a major repair were needed, such as replacing a boiler, the money could be needed elsewhere in the budget.

The variance report also included the $150,000 increase for debt service.

Other business

In other business, the Elk Mound Board of Education:

• Received a reminder about the Community Safety Night scheduled for November 8 at Elk Mound High School. The event will focus on community safety, school safety and technology information for parents, along with a “mock bedroom” for parents to explore to help them identify where students could be hiding drugs or drug paraphernalia. Presentations begin at 7 p.m. A free dinner will be provided beginning at 5:15 p.m. Wright noted the school district would like people to RSVP for planning purposes for the Community Safety Night.

• Scheduled a short-range planning meeting for November 27 at 3:30 p.m. Items identified for short-range planning will be completed if and when funds are available.

• Learned that Veterans Day will be observed on Monday, November 12, with a program starting at Elk Mound High School at 2:15 p.m. This year’s Veterans Day observance will combine programs for Elk Mound High School and Elk Mound Middle School rather than holding two separate events.

During a closed session, the Elk Mound Board of Education approved hiring Aaron Maves as the assistant power lifting coach.

The Elk Mound Board of Education meets next on November 19 at 7 p.m.