According to an article published in the Miles City Star, March 16, 2018, the Miles City Unified Board of Trustees recently "passed a resolution to seek a $205,000 operational tax levy for the elementary district. The levy will be on the May 8, 2018 election ballot. . . . . At 15.5 mils the levy would cost about $21 per year for a home value at $100,000 and $42 for a home valued at $200,000."

The article goes on to explain that: "Due to the budget cuts from the state legislature, the state aid given to the school district has been cut by $785,000. The district will also lose around $75,000 next year in state subsidies because of declining enrollment." (emphasis added.)

Also, "it was decided to increase the tuition fund by $25,000."

I guess we should be glad to read that: "There will be no new levies for the high school district."


Now when you ask yourself why the school district's funding has been cut by the state legislature by $785,000, you should consider these facts explained by Jim Elliott (in 2017) when you decide to vote either for or against the $205,000 operational levy and the $25,000 tuition fund increase.

"In 2015, a large, multi-state corporation reported Montana sales of more than $1 billion. It paid $50 in tax. In fact, it paid only $50 in tax for five years in a row, 2011 to 2015.

It had company, so to speak; 81 other multi-state firms out of the top 500 companies, based on Montana sales, paid the minimum tax of $50 in 2015. Their Montana sales ranged from $8.6 million to $1.009 billion. Thirty-two of them also paid the minimum tax for five years in a row. (In addition, 156 firms out of the top 500 paid less than $500 in tax in 2015.) Now, sales do not equal profit, on which corporations are taxed, but if you’re not making a profit on a billion bucks worth of sales, you’ve got a problem. Or, maybe you’ve just got a crackerjack tax lawyer, which makes more sense." (emphasis added)

So, the moral of this story is if you keep voting for legislators who give big tax breaks to corporations and rich people, Montana, at the state government level, will not be able to support its local schools. When that happens, as it is happening now, those local schools pass the costs onto the local citizenry -- many of whom have not had a decent raise in years. Go figure!

Read more at:

http://billingsgazette.co...c7854.html

Time start voting NO on school levies

From what I understand the current mills being assessed were for the Lincoln upgrade. I am told that they will be coming off so if the new one is passed it will not have any affect on our taxes. Rather it will just remain the same.

"At 15.5 mils the levy would cost about $21 per year for a home value at $100,000 and $42 for a home valued at $200,000."

$42/365 is 12 cents per day. Given the genius of our current president's economic policies, it's hard to imagine all you Miles City Republicans don't have an extra 12 cents per day to spare to educate your community's children.

If the community votes down this school levy I'll take it as an admission that Donald Trump is a failure.

I am supporting the school levy. I don't like the lack of state funding for public schools, due to the 2003 tax breaks in Montana, that necessitated this levy. However, I think education is very important in our community. We should support the public schools, teachers and students in Miles City.

Good MCD, I hope your slum lord jacks your rent up $100 month to make up for his taxes.

Snowy, how do you propose the Miles City School District pay for its schools and teachers if Montana does not have the necessary tax revenue to do so? (The reasons are explained in posts above.) If not a levy here in Miles City, then how does the needed school funding happen?

Or, perhaps you do not support public education? If funding for schools and teachers is not available at either the state or local level, our public schools will be in peril. So, Snowy, I'm curious how you would solve the problem that necessitates the upcoming vote for or against the school levy?

Conservatives hate public education because it makes it harder to keep the masses ignorant. Rich people who can afford private education may be educated but poor people have to be kept down and keeping them badly educated helps achieve that goal.

Just like bussiness. Consolidating and wage cuts, staff reductions.

No, not "just like business". Educating our children is not a for-monetary-profit venture.

I do think the old "Ten-Fold" Rule applies when it comes to supporting Education and the schools...THEY are our future. We all benefit from Intelligence

Did you know that in Montana, in 2014, 39.1% of the Montana's budget was from federal tax money being returned to the state?

In 2014, in Montana, federal aid as a percent of general revenue equaled 39.% or $2,335,571.

So, as less federal tax dollars are returned to Montana each year, local communities have to come up with local fees, fines, levies and taxes to make up the difference and finance various projects that used to be paid for from federal taxes dollars.

Read more at:

https://ballotpedia.org/F...te_budgets

https://ballotpedia.org/M...d_finances