Schools seek extension of building reserves

The Daily Inter Lake

If taxpayers in the Kalispell School District approve a pair of levy requests in November, their taxes actually will decrease.

The Kalispell school board voted on Tuesday to request a pair of building reserve levies, one each in the elementary and high school districts.

The requested elementary levy is about $2.8 million; the high-school levy is about $4.1 million.

Kalispell Public Schools has run a building reserve levy every five years since 1985. The district is nearing the end of its five-year building reserve cycle.

Building reserve money is separate from a district's general fund budget and is used to make improvements to school sites. Improvements include general maintenance and upkeep, and projects that will improve staff and student safety.

Technology purchases, such as computers and phone-system upgrades, also are financed out of the building reserve fund.

The current levies expire at the end of June 2010. If approved, the new levies will last through June 2015.

A home with a taxable market value of $200,000 would pay about $64 a year if the elementary levy is approved, Superintendent Darlene Schottle said. That's down from the $70 a year that homeowner is paying now.

If voters approve the high-school levy, a home with a $200,000 taxable value would pay about $43 a year, down from $47, Schottle said.

The declines are "because of the increased number of businesses or homes in our taxable district," she said. "It reduces the amount paid per home."

Voters will decide the issue during the Nov. 3 general election.

For further information, contact Kalispell Public Schools at 751-3434.