WSD school levy lowered to $300,000

An announcement made last month by Governor Brad Little that Idaho’s FY2024 strong revenues resulted in a $52.5 million surplus, with the state adding another $24 million in unspent agency funds, totalling $76.5 million directed to property tax relief.

 What that turns out to mean for Weiser School District patrons is the receipt of $782,000 in early September that is being applied directly to its supplemental levies.

 WSD Deputy Clerk Barbara Choate broke the good news to the WSD board of trustees during its Monday, Sept. 9, regular monthly meeting.

 “If you remember in May 2023, the wonderful citizens of the Weiser School District elective body passed a $310k plant facilities levy, and in May 2024 our patrons passed a $750k supplemental levy,” Choate said. 

 “In addition to that, by code, the liability portion of our insurance premium is also something that is paid for by the taxpayers of the community. All-in-all, when you add up those three line items, our taxpayers could pay $1.1 million.”

 Choate went on to remind the board about Idaho’s 2023 property tax relief bill, HB292.

 “You’ll remember last year we talked a lot about HB292,” she said. “It came in when we had the $350,000 (2022) levy and paid $568,000 to us. This year, they (the State) told us to expect less. They thought the overage in the state coffers was not going to be as significant as it was last year, But, they were wrong. 

 “If you read the newspaper, the State of Idaho’s budget had a significant surplus, and in favor of our taxpayers, they distributed it back to schools,” Choate explained. 

 “So of the $1.1 million for which we are eligible to levy on taxpayers, we will only levy $300,953. We received $782,000 in property tax relief from the state Department of Education and the State Department of Finance. So, that’s very good news to our taxpayers. They will only pay $300,000 instead of $1.1 million.”

 After the meeting, Choate confirmed with the Signal American she had submitted the $300,953 amount to Washington County earlier that day to be levied on this fall’s property tax bills for those living inside Weiser School District boundaries.

 A majority of WSD’s electorate had approved a $750,000 two-year supplemental levy in May of this year that includes $400,000 per year for a new track at Weiser High School. The $350,000 per year portion of the levy was a continuation of a previous two-year levy that covers the cost of half of the salaries for full day kindergarten, no “pay to play” for Weiser school athletes, along with some technology upgrades. In the end, for this coming year, the district’s levied amount is significantly less than expected.

Fieldhouse still on the table

 At Superintendent Kenneth Dewlen’s request, Choate clarified for the trustees, as well as for the general public, that the district is looking for ways to pay for a proposed fieldhouse project at the high school, which wasn’t part of the May 2024 supplemental levy. 

 “The way the levy works, we levied $750,000,” she said. “$400,000 was specifically for the track, and then the $350,000 was to fund all day kindergarten, no pay to play in athletics, all those things specifically listed on the ballot. $400,000 was set aside for the track. 

 “For all of you who saw the bid that was approved in the August board meeting, the track is $1.2 million. So, we will use $400,000 of the money we’ve just received from the state this year to pay for a portion of the track. The rest will come out of the district’s reserves and then the $400,000 we get from taxpayers next year will pay back that portion of those reserves. 

 “But the other $400,000, the only place it can come from is the reserves,” Choate went on. “And, the reserves are from where we had hoped to be able to pour the foundation for our fieldhouse. There were no tax dollars levied for the fieldhouse, it was just a conversation to show the future growth of the district for having a sports complex.”

 Choate said the building’s donation from R&M Steel out of Caldwell remains a viable offer.

 “We still have the building donated to us, as we look at our funding, and as funding continues to come in this year it is truly our hope to be able to pour the concrete pad this year,” she said. “But, none of us expected the track to come in at $1.2  million instead of the $800k we had originally anticipated.”

 She said the district was told in a quote last fall the track should cost around $800,000, although “we didn’t come out and measure and test and do all of those kinds of things.”

 “So, while the fieldhouse is still a very active project for the district, with the cost that came in (for the track) we’ve got to find the money someplace and make a determination of whether or not it is appropriate for that to come out of our reserves, and reduce those reserves.”