MOUNT VERNON — Early voting for the May election begins on Tuesday, and Knox County residents will be deciding on nine requests for money. Along with six school districts which have issues on the ballot, two townships and the village of Utica are asking residents to approve property tax increases.
East Knox schools are asking voters to approve a 5-mill property tax levy to pay for the day-to-day operations of the district. The additional tax would be for a five-year period. With the accompanying permanent improvement tax rollback, passage of the operating levy would cost the owner of a home valued at $100,000 an additional $122.50 for each of the five years it would be in effect.
If the emergency operating levey passes, the East Knox school board board will cease collection of 0.75 mill of a permanent improvement levy passed in 2008. The board will also ask Knox County Auditor Jonette Curry to reduce the bond retirement millage by 0.25 mills, which would mean a total reduciton of 1 mill of current property taxes.
Treasurer Jessi Busenburg said. “This would decrease the voted millage on the permanent improvement levy from 3.0 to 2.25 mills for the next five years. Currently, the PI levy costs a residential property owner of a $100,000 home $94.85 per year before any state rollback or homestead reductions. After the .75 reduction in millage, the cost would be $68.60. The board will also ask Curry to reduce the bond retirement millage by 0.25 mills, which would save the owner of a $100,000 home (an additional) $30. Overall, there will be a total reduction of 1 mill in current millage if the levy is successful.”
Figuring in the rollback, the new levy would cost the owner of a $100,000 home $122.50 a year, less for seniors qualifying for the homestead exemption.
