We're ready. >> We're ready. All right. Today is Tuesday, September 23rd, and we have a quorum. So, I will call this meeting to order. Our first order of business is to approve the agenda. Can I get a motion? >> Motion by Dan Arum. >> Second. >> Second by Erica Ellenberg. All those in favor of approving tonight's agenda say I. I. >> Any approve? Opposed? >> Agenda is approved. Our first item up for action is the preliminary levy certification for property taxes payable in 2026. And I will welcome up uh director of finance and operations order to take us through this board or do you remember you've seen this information several times and these are just final numbers that we've received from MDE. Um and this needs to be approved by September 30th. So that's why we're taking action at tonight's special session. So, thank you. >> Thank you for the introduction, Chair Gabler. Good evening, or good afternoon rather, members of the school board, Superintendent Bitman. As Chair Gabler just mentioned, we did uh preview um very preliminary information at our September 8th regular meeting. At that time, the Department of Education had not published the first edition of the levy limitation and certification report. Subsequent to that, we've had several different runs. Um, while those figures are still um, not fully completed, um, we're highly confident that the final figures that you'll see in December will be within 10 basis points of the numbers in the report that you're viewing today. I'm not planning to review um, every single levy category in great detail tonight. I'll simply provide a brief highlight over some of the major changes. Um, talk through some next steps, provide a little bit of supplementary information about jurisdictions um that affect the residents of Madina and then we will move it to you for formal action. In terms of the levy itself, unlike cities and counties, the school district, as you know, has very limited authority to set its own property tax levy and revenues for the subsequent school year. That is because in the state of Minnesota um the vast majority of the levy categories are in part or fully dependent on student enrollment. Um and some of the revenue that we get more than 85% is tied directly to student enrollment. And many of those components are actually tied to voter approval as well. More than 50% of our general fund revenue is tied in some way to voter approval. Primarily our operating referendum authority and capital projects levy. The enrollment that we've determined is adequate to finance our operations next school year is 8740 and measured as of adjusted daily membership or ADM and that's an increase over the 8670 that you levied for in December of 24 for the current fiscal year. Um that 8740 might be relatively conservative but we feel pretty strongly that's going to provide adequate funding for next school year. If we do end up serving more students, we'll get those positive positive adjustments two years subsequent to this year. In terms of the per pupil authority on that formula, we're going to receive $2,234.89 next school year. That's opposed to the $2,260 you levied for last December. That 223489 is an estimate at this point. Um, next fall we'll have a final figure and then two years from now we'll receive a positive or negative adjustment depending on what that final figure is. Overall, we expect new revenue of $918,433 from the operating referendum category. The next major levy category in our um general fund that I'll review tonight is our capital projects levy or our tech levy. In this district, we almost exclusively use it for technology purposes. That one's going up 286,271 to a total of 9,470,865. that levy is increasing by 3.12% um in direct proportion to the net tax capacity increase for all properties in the city. That's the only levy category that way. Overall for general fund um revenue, we're expecting an increase of 4.8%. That's going to represent about $2 million of new money for us to operate the school district next season, school year rather. The community service fund is actually seeing a decrease of about $133,000. that's completely attributable to prior year adjustments. In fiscal year 23, we spent more on school age care um than we levied for in 2022. And so that positive adjustment is coming to us in fiscal year 27 or fiscal year 26 rather, which is the current year. Next year, we're having um stable adjustments, so no positive adjustments that are significant. And so that um return to normal is resulting in an overall decrease in the community service fund levy. um that fund will have enough money to operate. So the the lack of positive adjustments is not going to hinder their operations at all. Finally, we have our debt service fund. Um a 5.73% increase, just over a million dollars. Um totally driven by the scheduled principal and interest payments on our six outstanding general obligation bonds. So as those principal and interest payments come due, we'll levy for the amount necessary to pay those um until they are fully defeased in 2038. Overall, our levy is increasing by an estimated 4.75% compared to the 4.88% of last year, the 5.27% of two years ago, and the 9.27% of three years ago. So, we're um as mentioned in the the previous meeting, we're heading back to that kind of normal range of between four and 5% that we've seen historically over the last 10 years. in terms of how this affects um taxpayers. We'll provide um more detailed information um over a number of different type of properties at our choose and taxation meeting in December. I can share however that two other jurisdictions that affect homeowners and property owners in the city of United and Henipin County have already set their preliminary levies. I believe the city passed um last week 11.03% 03% increase to the city portion of the levy and Henipin County has gone with a 7.79% increase. Of course, both those numbers are subject to change as is ours um up until that December certification. Um but just wanted to give people um a flavor of what's going on um particularly in the Henipin County area where you'll see cities are um having to levy for more and more to keep up with their operations. In terms of next steps, um we'll have our formal recommendation to you to max uh to certify the levy at the maximum. So rather than a dollar figure, you'll certify the maximum which provides us flexibility to increase the levy um prior to the December certification. I don't foresee that we'll need to do that. However, customarily that's what we do. Um parcel specific notices will be made mailed out by the county in early November. We'll have our truth and taxation hearing which is required by law at our December 8th regular meeting and later on that evening we'll ask you to certify the levy um for next school year. Happy to answer any questions about my remarks today or in the more detailed memo that's provided in your packet. If not the recommended action is before you >> board members. Does anybody have any questions for director water? I thank you for this thorough information and thorough information that you gave us last uh meeting as well. So, all right, seeing no further questions, we will take action. Uh we will now vote to um approve the preliminary levy certification on property taxes payable in 2026. Do I get a do I have a motion to move? Second, >> Ruby and Ellenburgg. All those in favor of approving the preliminary levy certification for property taxes payable in 2026, say I. I. Any opposed? Motion carries and the action is approved. >> Thank you. >> Thank you very much. >> All right. Go.