Dallas district tax hike 5%

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DALLAS TWP. — The Dallas School Board approved a $32 million preliminary budget at its meeting Monday evening that will increase taxes by 5 percent, to 11.5624 mills.
The budget also includes a $10 per-capita tax, a 1 percent earned-income tax shared with district municipalities, and a shared emergency municipal services tax totaling $52, $47 of which is given to municipalities within the district that have enacted the tax.
A mill is a $1 tax for every $1,000 of assessed property value.
The budget was proposed in January in order for the school to apply for special exceptions concerning its ability to raise taxes above the state’s Act 1 index.
At last month’s board meeting, Business Manager Grant Palfey said the school is applying for special exceptions in special education, retirement contributions and grandfathered debt.
He said the increase in taxes will cost taxpayers an average of $85 per property, and the increase is due to the management of the cost of the new high school construction project over the past eight years.
The board also voted to enter into a five-year, $48,880-per-year lease with FNB Commercial Leasing to provide presentation technology for the new high school.
Technology Director Bill Gartrell said the funding for this lease has been in place for two years, and the funds will come from a pre-planned technology budget.
Gartrell also said this five-year period will provide all the technology needed for the high school, and similar leasing agreements have been made for the elementary schools and middle school in the past.
The board also approved $84,179 in construction change orders for the new high school construction project.
The bulk of the cost can be attributed to a $63,788 installation of 6-inch iron piping for new water lines associated with a new 12-inch water main being installed by United Water.
Bob Nesbit of Crabtree, Rohrbaugh and Associates told the board the high school project is 74 percent complete by cost and time.
School will begin with students occupying the new building on Sept. 12.