November 5, 2024 Income Tax Levy Request

ANSWER:

Quick Answer: The Milton-Union Board of Education voted on July 15th at their regular meeting to place a new income tax levy on the November 5, 2024 ballot for consideration.  The Income Tax request would be 0.75% for 10 years, with the purpose being for operations only.  This would be in addition to the existing income tax, but at a fixed time period of 10 years.

·         New 0.75% Income Tax - Operations

·         10 year – Fixed Time Period

·         Costs $31.25 per month ($375 annually) for a family making $50,000 per year

Want to know when the last time Milton-Union received Operations money – it was 2008!  For more information about the funding the school has received check out this Chatter.

Long Answer:  The District has to again request an income tax for operations due to the failure of the Spring 2024 request.  The District has made the long discussed cuts to continue to meet State obligations, but it is likely more cuts will be necessary next year, if additional operational funding isn’t received.  As of August 2024 the District has made roughly $1.7 million in cuts to the budget.  

At this time the District has not provided details of what additional cuts could be made if this new levy does not pass.  Once those are available, we will post them here. It is also not likely that when this levy passes that all of the changes will go back to how they were. There has now been an additional year of funding that will be missed (due to the multiple levy failures), and the request being made now is only the minimum to assure the District meets the state requirements and doesn’t have to cut additional places. This is clearly due to a fear that requesting a levy for the full amount needed to bring back all services would fail.

This request is similar to the request that was made in the spring, but this time it is a standalone request for 0.75% income tax for operations, with a 10 year term.  This request is more in line with what many in the community were comfortable with and were asking for.  After the failure in the spring, many community members noted on social media and in public meetings that they would have voted for the levy if it is only for operations, and if it was termed.  This request is now both, and much simpler than the previous levy request.

This new request is again an Earned Income Tax, which means that only those with earned incomes would pay for the tax.  Retirees, businesses, residents on fixed incomes like pensions and social security WILL NOT pay this tax. 

Additional information will be coming on the Earned Income Tax request, with FAQ's, responses to common questions, and other information (with data!) that can be shared.

At this point in time it is MUA's understanding that the funding will be used to:

·         Cover the increasing costs of day-to-day operations and maintenance of the district. 

·         Avoid additional cuts in staffing and courses for students.

·         Provide students with up-to-date, rigorous curriculum materials, technology, and other resources.

·         Preserve and care for buildings, facilities, grounds, and transportation fleet.