Sparta — Voters will be asked May 6 to decide whether Sparta Area Schools’ non-homestead operating millage should be renewed for another 10 years.
The current millage is set to expire this year, and if voters approve the May 6 proposal it would allow the district to continue to levy up to 18 mills — about $18.54 for every $1,000 of taxable value — on properties other than primary residences through 2036.
It would generate a little over $3 million in 2026 — a not insubstantial portion of the district’s operating budget, said Superintendent Joel Stoner.
“It’s a significant sum,” Stoner said. “That $3 million is critical to our ability to meet our current needs in the school system. … It’s an essential revenue stream for us.”
Should voters fail to renew the operating millage, the district would be on the hook for those funds, which would not be backfilled by the state, Stoner said.
“That size of a loss would be very seismic,” he said. “If the local taxpayers turn it down, the state doesn’t fill that hole. It’s a hole that we would have to absorb and fill going forward.”
Stoner noted that the non-homestead operating millage is entirely separate from the district’s sinking fund and bond dollars.
“The sinking fund and the bond monies aren’t operational revenues. Those are infrastructure revenues,” he said. “We’re trying to delineate: this isn’t a way to build a football field, this is to keep the lights on, hire teachers, things that are essential for the operation of a school.”
Stoner said the district is grateful for the community’s support.
“We just appreciate everyone’s consideration and thank them for what they’ve provided us,” he said. “We know these things are sacrifices, but we believe the investment in our children is worth it.”
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