The Carmel Clay Schools board of trustees on July 10 took its final step toward placing renewal of the district’s operating referendum on the Nov. 7 ballot.
In a 3-0 vote, the board approved a resolution that sets the wording of the referendum renewal question to go before Carmel voters and outlines the referendum tax rate and its proposed uses.
The district is proposing to keep the referendum rate at 19 cents per $100 of assessed property value. Nearly 90 percent of voters cast ballots in favor of that rate in 2017.
According to the district’s proposed revenue spending plan, the referendum is expected to generate nearly $24 million in 2023 for CCS. The document states that $23.5 million is expected to be used to retain and attract teachers, educational staff and other support staff.
“This will very much directly be for what usually is referred to as ‘in the classroom (expenses),’” said Roger McMichael, CCS associate superintendent.
The remaining $450,000 is set to be used for transfer tuition, which covers costs associated with CCS students taking classes at other facilities, such as the J. Everett Light Career Center in Indianapolis, which offers some programs not available in Carmel.
Although the tax rate is set to remain the same, school board member Greg Brown said property tax bills have grown significantly bigger in recent years as assessed values have grown in the area.
“I would like to see us try to see if we could return some of that money (to taxpayers), be frugal,” he said. “It’s like closets; you tend to fill them up if you’ve got closet space. If you’ve got money, you tend to spend it.”
McMichael said the district is constantly looking for ways to be financially streamlined and said it does not tax beyond its needs. He pointed to the public safety referendum as an example, which taxed residents below the permitted rate and raised it only as programs rolled out.
“I don’t want anyone to leave here thinking we’re not already frugal, because we are,” McMichael said. “I and my staff are rather constantly looking for ways to be more so and be more efficient with the funds that we have.”
Referendum revenue
Revenue generated for Carmel Clay Schools annually through its operating referendum approved in 2017, which has a rate of 19 cents per $100 of assessed property value:
- 2018 – $17,601,266
- 2019 – $18,427,936
- 2020 – $19,360,174
- 2021 – $20,330,759
- 2022 – $21,243,993
- 2023 – $23,956,464
Referendum question
The referendum question on the Nov. 7 ballot is proposed to read:
“Shall Carmel Clay Schools continue to impose increased property taxes paid to the school corporation by homeowners and businesses for eight (8) years immediately following the holding of the referendum for the purpose of retaining and attracting teachers, educational staff, and other support staff and fund educationally related programs at the current maximum referendum tax rate of $0.19 per one hundred dollars ($100) of assessed valuation? The property tax increase requested in this referendum was originally approved by the voters in 2017 and if extended will increase the average property tax paid to the school corporation per year on a residence within the school corporation by 28.3% and if extended will increase the average property tax paid to the school corporation per year on a business property within the school corporation by 28.3%.”
