Be Our G - Now that you’ve received your tax bill…
Be Our G
uest
by
Ryan Bargender District Administrator Abbotsford School District
At the School District of Abbotsford’s Annual Meeting on October 23rd, the Board of Education approved the 2023-2024 levy of $2,247,392, which calls for a tax levy mill rate of $8.92 per $1,000 of equalized value. This was an increase of $0.24 or 2.73%. Why the increased levy? The District must utilize the tools given by our state. Earlier this year, state legislators increased the low revenue per pupil revenue limit to $11,000 per student. The School District of Abbotsford previously levied $10,484 per student. This, coupled with an increase in enrollment, provided an increase in our State imposed revenue limit.
Our 2021-2022 mill rate was $9.72. We projected the mill rate to remain flat at $9.60 if the $1.5 million dollar referendum passed. Voters graciously approved the FEMA referendum and the 2022-2023 mill rate ended below the projection at $8.68. This year’s mill rate is also under the projection at $8.92.
The District is able to control our levy (the dollars we ask for). We do not have control over property values. The school tax rate is determined by dividing the school levy by the equalized (fair market) value of District properties.
Your property value will impact how your taxes are calculated. The two components used to determine property value in Wisconsin are “assessed” and “equalized” valuation. Assessed valuation is property value as determined by the local municipal assessor on January 1 in any given year. Each year the State Department of Revenue (DOR) applies an equalization factor to the municipal assessed value to ensure that taxes are spread equally amongst property owners. The adjustment factor incorporates, among other elements, actual property sales in the municipality during the past year and is meant to ensure each type of property has comparable value regardless of local assessment practices and results in the equalized value (fair market value) of a property.
The October 1 School Tax Apportionment Value Certification is used to divide the District levy amongst the various municipalities in the District and determine municipal tax bills. The October 2023 values are used to set school levies for the 2023-2024 school year. This year the District experienced a 9.3% increase in equalized value. That was our second largest increase (last year was 11.9%) in the last seven years. The seven year average is 4.08%. How did that play out on tax bills? When the valuations came out from the DOR, there was a shift in tax burden. The City of Abbotsford, Village of Curtiss, Townships of Colby, Hull, and Johnson all saw their valuations go up 4-15%. The Townships of Hoard, Mayville, Holton, and Mayville all saw their valuations go up 17-27%.
The School Board cannot control how the DOR applies the adjustment factor for each municipality. The District has a history of being fiscally responsible and mindful of our taxpayers and will continue to do so in the future. We are extremely grateful for the community support of our great school as we continue to strive to be a school district with excellent staff, programs, and student achievement.
