TONIGHT: Wayzata School District's Truth In Taxation Presentation

Along with a comprehensive annual financial report for fiscal year 2011, the Wayzata School Board will recieve the 2012 truth in taxation presentation at its regular meeting tonight at 7 p.m. in Wayzata City Hall.

At a special meeting Sept. 26, the board approved a preliminary tax levy that is an overall $1.5 million or 3.27 percent increase over the previous year. This incorporates an intential reduction of $860,873 of levy authority that the district administration chose to defer to future years. The total preliminary levy for taxes payable in 2012 is approximately $47.46 million.

The district reports that taxes will likely remain similar or increase slightly from last year on most properties including apartments and businesses. Because of legislative changes on how local property taxes get distributed it is difficult for the district to figure out how its property tax levy affects an individual property owner's taxes. The school district is only one part of a larger pie in which taxes are pooled and used for services and more. The city and county you live in are part of that pie.

According to the district, the most notable changes for 2012 taxes payable include the state's changes to the Homestead Market Value Credit, which the state paid to reduce qualifying homeowners' taxes. Replacing this with the Homestead Market Value Exclusion reduces the taxable value of a qualifying home.

The district attributees the 2012 levy change to growth in its resident student enrollment. The preliminary levy amount includes referendum authority for the 2012-2013 school year. Also included in the preliminary levy amount are increases to both the 2009-2010 and 2011-2012 resident student enrollment. So the general fund from the previous year increased by 3.8 percent.

Also at tonight's meeting, the board could approve the district's strategic roadmap, which has been an ongoing process this year and point of discussion during this fall's School Board elections.

The strategic roadmap is a tool to help the district identify its vision, mission and core values. With guidance from Consultant Dennis Cheesebrow of Teamworks International, a Twin Cities consulting firm, the process included communnity input sessions this fall and work from staff members, parents and district officials.

The board will have a work session 4 p.m. Monday, Dec. 19, at the district administrative office in Plymouth. This is the last pre-scheduled meeting of 2011.