Two Jeffco Schools tax requests planned - #lakewoodnews

Come November, Jefferson County taxpayers will be asked to pay up to an average of $134 per year in property taxes to fund new and renovated facilities, and additional Jeffco School district needs under a proposed bond and mill levy override increase.The total of the two increases is $568 million and is proposed to be on the November ballot.While two separate increases, both are inextricably linked, and will affect county property owner's tax bill.The $535 million bond, set for approval in late August or early September, is not finalized at this point, but will fund both phases in the district's Facilities Master Plan, including the creation of several new and replacement schools, renovation, and overdue maintenance -- in every area of the district.For the average taxpayer, whose home is valued at $273,100 according to a 2016 report from www.citydata.com, which monitors statistical data for residential areas across the country, this means the bond would add an annual tax of $34 ($17.19 per hundred thousand dollar home value).Jeffco school board members at the June 16 meeting repeated how desperately it is needed."We are underfunded to the tune of $77 mil a year and that's a big hit," said Ali Lasell, board member of her desire to move forward with the $535 million bond. "We have to take our future in our own hands ... these are urgent needs and our kids right now -- for the past six years -- have been underfunded. There's a breaking point here and it's time we take our future into our own hands."This work, staff said, is desperately needed due to the district's aging infrastructure, increasing enrollment, efficiency, and to continue offering students the best education possible in 21st-century learning environments."In terms of taking care of our investment and taking care of our facilities -- we are behind in our county and I think we need to do whatever it is we can do to catch up," Mitchell said. "This is probably one of the most significant -- if not the most significant item that has come before this board to date."In addition to the bond, the board discussed an additional mill levy override. The proposed tax increase would generate an additional $33 million for the district, and would help fill the anticipated $36 million reduction in state funding for the 2016-17 school year. It would fund several district needs including: compensation, mental health support, increased dollar for school-level budgeting, increased facilities staff at Candelas and increases in security."This is a tax increase, but we haven't had one for some time," said Steve Bell, Jeffco's chief financial officer.The mill would add $32 dollars per year per $100,000 in home value to county residents.Together with the bond payment -- that's around a $49 a year increase, per $100,000 of residential property value. The bond package would be in place for the next 20 years, while the mill is a permanent tax.Denver County Schools recently approved $628 million in a bond and mill levy override to build charter schools and fund district programs.In 2012, taxpayers passed a $99 million bond for existing facilities projects that would keep those facilities 'warm, safe and dry.'Over the coming months the district will finalize these numbers and survey voters on their opinion of the bond or mill levy override. The board must have finalized language of both 55 days before the Nov. 8 Election Day, which would be Sept. 14."We're at a critical place," Jeffco Superintendent Dan McMinimee said. "If for whatever reason we don't get an infusion of dollars we will be at a place where we will be cutting programs, we'll be cutting staff, we'll be dipping into our reserves."

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