Byron residents will vote on school levy

Residents of the Byron School District will be voting on a levy referendum that, if approved, will increase the district’s general education revenue by $800 per pupil, subject to an annual increase at the rate of inflation. The levy would be effective with taxes payable in 2025 and applicable for 10 years unless otherwise revoked or reduced.
In approving the levy referendum, the School Board and administration said that it was needed because of a budget shortfall resulted from a combination of miscalculations, increases in the costs of insurance, general inflation, state mandates and state funding amounts. If the levy and additional cuts are not put in place, Supt. Dr. Mike Neubeck said last summer that the district’s General Fund balance will continue to drop, and the district could be in Statutory Operating Debt in three years.
School officials told board members that if the levy is not approved the resulting cuts would be equivalent to cutting 28 teacher positions from the district. The cuts would actually be across all areas of district operation, Neubeck said.
The amount each property owner is levied is estimated to be at 0.14172% of the property’s assessed value for taxable payable in 2024. For a home with a market value of $350,000, the average price of a home in the district, that would translate to a tax of $496 a year or $41 a month.
Unlike bonding referendums, agricultural property, both homestead and non-homestead, will be taxed based on the value of the house, garage, and one acre of land. There will be no referendum taxes paid for seasonal recreational residential property (e.g. cabins) nor on the value of agricultural land and buildings.
If the levy referendum is approved school officials say the district will receive an estimated $1.9 million each year for 10 years. Even with the levy, the district will have to cut an additional $1 million from the budget as the district works to get the district’s General Fund balance back to 8 percent.
The decision came after the district faced a shortfall of more than $1.5 million in last year’s budget resulting in major cuts in this year’s budget.
If the levy is approved in 2024, the monies will be available to the district next year. As operating referendums can only be held in November, if it fails the district will have to wait another year to try again.
The ballot question reads:
“The District is asking voters to increase the existing levy by $800 per pupil. The board of Independent School District No. 531 (Byron Public Schools). Minnesota has proposed to increase the School District’s general education revenue by $800 per pupil, subject to an annual increase at the rate of inflation. The proposed new referendum revenue authorization would be first levied in 2024 for taxes payable in 2025 and applicable for ten (10) years unless otherwise revoked or reduced as provided by law. Shall the new referendum authorization proposed by the board of Independent School District No. 531 (Byron Public Schools), Minnesota be approved?
YES    NO
BY VOTING “YES” ON THIS BALLOT QUESTION, YOU ARE VOTING FOR A PROPERTY TAX INCREASE.”