N. Thurston may seek new school levy

Funding: District one of six facing expiring tax

VENICE BUHAIN; The Olympian | • Published September 24, 2009

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LACEY - The North Thurston school district might ask voters in February to renew a $27.5 million maintenance and operations levy for 2011. The move would make the district the first of six in South Sound faced with expiring maintenance and operations levies to announce what might be on the ballot in February.

Tumwater, Rainier, Tenino, Griffin and Rochester also face expiring levies in 2011, unless voters approve the local school district taxes. Olympia’s four-year technology levy also expires that year.

The North Thurston board will consider asking voters to approve a two-year levy for $27.5 million in 2011 and $28.9 million in 2012. This levy would replace the two-year levy that North Thurston voters approved in May 2008, a few months after rejecting a four-year levy.

North Thurston’s proposed levy rate is expected to be $2.55 per $1,000 of assessed value for both years of the levy, or $765 a year for a $300,000 home.

The rate would be higher than what voters approved in 2008. However, some North Thurston taxpayers might see their tax bills go down because of decreased assessments for some homes and $200 million in new construction in the Lacey area last year, said Shawn Lewis, North Thurston’s assistant superintendent of administrative services.

North Thurston’s board learned about the proposal at its regular meeting Tuesday and will consider whether to place the measure on the February ballot during its next meeting, set for Oct. 6.

Other South Sound school districts are gearing up to run levies for the February special election. Districts have until Dec. 23 to put a measure on the Feb. 9 ballot, according to the Thurston County Elections Office, because the deadline set by statute is a Saturday after a holiday, when county offices are closed. Districts can ask voters to approve levies for two, three or four years. School levies are approved with a simple majority.

Tumwater plans to discuss its maintenance and operations levy at its Oct. 8 meeting, spokeswoman Sue Haskin said.

Tenino superintendent Russ Pickett said the Tenino board will hear a recommendation Monday to seek a replacement for its expiring levy but added that the district has not decided how many years the levy will run.

“With this economy, my recommendation is to go for a replacement and not go for any additional funds,” Pickett said.

School districts fund about 16 percent of their general fund budgets through local maintenance and operations levies. The rest comes from state and federal funding. Voters decide on the total maintenance and operations levy amount, which then is divided among district property taxpayers.

The Olympia technology levy, which paid for $8.9 million in computer upgrades and training over the past four years, is set to expire in 2011. The board has not decided whether to ask voters to renew it, district spokesman Peter Rex said. Olympia also has not decided whether to run a construction bond next year, or whether that will be put off, he said.

“If we run something, it will be in February, along with all the other districts,” Rex said.

Venice Buhain: 360-754-5445

vbuhain@theolympian.com

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