McComb school taxes, first reported to be increasing and then to be declining, will remain the same next year.
However, the same 62.75 mills will bring in about $140,000 less than it did this year.
McComb city administrator Quordiniah Lockley attributed that to a decline in personal property values, specifically smaller inventories carried by businesses, as well as the closing of a few local businesses.
School officials added that the assessed value of all property in the school district has declined by $200,000 over the past year.
Lockley said the school district’s 62.75 mills will bring in a total of $7,472,768 next year. This year, the millage produced $7,610,327 in taxes for schools.
The majority of the tax — 58.5 mills — is for operational expenses. State law caps the millage at that rate. The remaining taxes are 2.64 mills for debt services and 1.61 mills for prior-year shortfall loans, which became necessary when some property tax payments were late.
The tax rate is applied to property in the city of McComb as well as to property outside the city — including Summit and rural areas — that is in the McComb School District.
According to state law, the board cannot alter the school district’s local funding request, but must set the millage rate to generate that amount of money.
That requirement did not sit well with selectmen. Nor did a state-mandated funding formula submitted by the school district that called for nearly $500,000 more in tax revenue than the millage cap would allow the district to receive.
“This school system grossly overbudgeted,” Selectman Ted Tullos said. “As a property owner, and representative of city property owners, I don’t appreciate this proposal when I feel like they overbudgeted.”
Selectman Tommy McKenzie agreed, saying “We just accept it and say that’s good. That doesn’t sit well with me.”
District Superintendent Therese Palmertree said the school board discussed the budget in open session in work sessions, board meetings, and at a June 21 public hearing. She said selectmen were invited to discuss the budget with district personnel and attend the meetings.
“The city board has a job to do and we have a job to do. We understand their concerns,” Palmertree said. “This community, state and country are in the midst of huge financial crisis. We believe we need to come together in terms of how we’re going to move our community and schools forward.
“The questions we have to answer are, ‘Are we doing what the public wants us to do? Are we getting results?’ That’s where our accountability is.”
Palmertree also defended the district’s finances in recent years.
“Cathy Jones is one of the most well-respected school financial directors in the state, and she was a former state auditor,” Palmertree said. “The district has received perfect audits for the past 12 years. Our district is in excellent financial shape even as we reduced our budget by $2 million over the past several years.
“We continue to grow our students academically. We did not overbudget.”
