By BOB OLIVER
Times-Herald Newspapers
HEIGHTS — The Crestwood School District will not lose 10 percent of its operating budget later this year after voters approved a renewal of their non-homestead millage.
The millage, which totals 18.9038 mills, was approved by 55.5 percent of voters, with 1,888 voting for the renewal and 1,540 voting against it.
Crestwood Supt. Laurine VanValkenburg said the mills generate about $3.3 million annually for the district’s operating purposes, or about 10 percent of its total operating budget and that not getting the renewal would have been “a huge loss because it goes toward everything, including transportation, staffing and building maintenance.”
The renewal is good for 20 years and primary residences are not affected by the levy, only businesses, secondary residences, and industrial and commercial properties.
The state allows school districts to collect 18 mills from taxpayers, the additional 0.9038 mill is only available to be levied to restore millage lost because of the 1978 Headlee amendment to the state constitution which established an overall limit to what the state government could spend each year, including on education.
The district is the largest of the three in the city with about 3,500 students.
If the measure had been voted down, the state would not have made up the lost money of the district.
(Bob Oliver can be reached at [email protected])