LPOSD seeks input on making levy permanent

SANDPOINT — The option to run an indefinite term supplemental levy measure in November has been a topic of discussion for Lake Pend Oreille School District for the past couple months.

Before making a decision, however, LPOSD trustees are hoping to hear the community’s take on the matter. As such, the district’s board chair Cary Kelly has set aside the second meeting of the month, on July 23, for an informal community discussion regarding the possibility of the district making its two-year, $25.4 million maintenance and operations supplemental levy a permanent one.

“It’s the same levy they voted on before,” Kelly told the Daily Bee in June. “We are not asking for an increase or anything like that, it’s just extending it out so we don’t need to come back in two years and ask for it again.”

The $25.4 million levy — $12.7 million per year — was approved by voters in March and makes up about 35 percent of the general fund budget. The levy went into effect on July 1, along with the district’s adopted budget of $40.4 million for the 2019-2020 fiscal year.

To qualify for a permanent levy, districts must have a supplemental levy in place for seven consecutive years, and it must represent 20 or more percent of the district’s general fund revenue. While the district has met those qualifications for several years, board members have not seriously considered the option until now.

The recommendation to run a permanent levy was put forth to the board in May by Lisa Hals, the district’s chief financial and operations officer. The recommendation came shortly after a bill to replace the indefinite term option narrowly missed approval at the state level earlier this year. If the bill had passed, it would have replaced it with a three- to 10-year extension option for districts that have had a successful levy measure for seven consecutive years. They would still have the option to run one- or two-year levies as well. The bill is expected to surface again in the next legislative session.

Of the 114 eligible school districts in the state, 91 have a supplemental levy in place. Of those, five have a permanent supplemental levy.

The community discussion regarding the permanent levy option will be the only item on the July 23 agenda during the district’s regular scheduled meeting at 5 p.m. in the Ponderay Events Center, 401 Bonner Mall Way.

Mary Malone can be reached by email at mmalone@bonnercountydailybee.com and follow her on Twitter @MaryDailyBee.