School board mulls tax hike
By Suzanne Werre
Editor
Underwood farmer and out-going school board member Brad Landenberger had the task of breaking the proposed new school budget to the board members at the board’s Tuesday meeting.
Before leaving his position on the board, Landenberger, chair of the budget and finance committee, briefly touched on the proposed upcoming budget, which includes a tax increase of four mills, raising it from 80 to 84 mills.
Looking at particulars, the increase would equate to an $18 tax increase for a $100,000 home ($36 for a $200,000 home, etc.); and for farmland, it would mean a $20 tax increase per $100,000 of land value ($40 for $200,000, etc.).
It was a tough pill for the board to swallow, but not a surprise because of the state-wide funding decrease following the recent legislative session.
When asked for a recommendation, Landenberger answered, “I don’t know. As far as speaking for ag land, we’ve taken some pretty big increases here in the last three years.
“It isn’t just valuations, it’s above that. That’s the decision to make – do we want to keep adding to this,” he said.
