Wilmington,
Del. —
At a time
when gasoline and food price increases are
hitting consumers' billfolds hard, residents
in the Christina School District can at
least look forward to a lower tax bill in
the fall.
The Christina Board of Education voted
unanimously Tuesday night to lower the tax
rate for this coming school year by 8
percent thanks to lower spending for special
education programs.
Christina
homeowners with a property assessed at
$60,000 will see a tax bill that is $83 less
compared to last year's and those with a
home assessed at $100,000 will save $139,
said Finance Manager David Kuczykowski.
Property values were last assessed in 1983
and do not reflect today's market values.
Overall, the district reduced the tax rate
by 13.9 cents to $1.517 per $100 of assessed
value.
The tuition rate portion of the tax bill –
which pays for special schools, bilingual
education and other special services –
decreased 17 cents to 22.3 cents per $100 of
assessed property value, according to a
report presented to the Board at
Elbert-Palmer Elementary School. The Board
does not depend on referenda to set this
rate.
Special
education enrollment has not changed
dramatically, Kuczykowski said, but costs
decreased because of "better fiscal
control."
|
Christina Tax Warrant |
|
Type of Tax |
FY 2008 |
FY 2009 |
Difference |
|
Operating |
$1.070 |
$1.070 |
$0 |
|
Tuition |
$0.393 |
$0.223 |
-$0.170 |
|
Minor Capital |
$0.046 |
$0.060 |
+$0.014 |
|
Debt Service |
$0.147 |
$0.164 |
+$0.017 |
|
Total Tax |
$1.656 |
$1.517 |
-$0.139 |
The 43
percent reduction in the tuition rate was
offset by slight increases in two other
rates that make up the total school tax
bill.
The debt
service rate, which repays local debt
from major capital construction, will
increase 1.7 cents to 16.4 cents per $100 of
assessed property value.
This rate
will increase because of the bonds sold
in January to fund Christina’s neighborhood
schools plan, Kuczykowski said. The plan
includes the conversion of Bayard Elementary
in Wilmington
into a middle school for city children.
The minor capital improvements rate, used to
pay for construction projects worth less
than $500,000 and extra teachers provided by
the governor, will increase 1.4 cents to 6
cents per $100. The district had to increase
the rate because it started the fiscal year
with a lower-than-anticipated reserve.
The Board
can increase the minor capital improvement
tax rate without a referendum, but only to
the extent required for the state/local
match.
The bulk of the tax rate, for current
operating expenditures, will remain the same
at $1.070 per $100 of assessed property
value, Kuczykowski said. This provides funds
for the district's local share of expenses
to run regular operations.
