Columbus District Voters Approve 2019 Tax Levy

(Columbus) Voters in the Columbus School District adopted the tax levy for the current school year at their budget hearing and annual meeting Monday night. Business Administrator Janel DeZarn-Vertz (pictured) says the preliminary budget was built with an increase in per pupil aid by $200 for a total of $450-per-student and a three-percent increase in equalized property value. The budget presented last night also included a conservative increase in full-time students however, DeZarn-Vertz says that third Friday enrollment numbers decreased which will be reflected in the final budget adopted in two weeks. Total expenditures for this current school year are projected at $15.4-million dollars up from $14.1 last year. Budgeted revenues total $15.6-million dollars compared to last year’s $14.4-million. The preliminary tax levy adopted last night totals $6.98-million dollars, an increase of 1.21-percent from last year. The preliminary mill rate is $9.29-per-thousand-dollars of assessed value, which at this point is 17-cents lower than last year’s mill rate but is expected to change as numbers are finalized.