Copiah School District working on budget that will fit revenue

The budget for the next school year is “still a work in progress,” reports Copiah County School District Superintendent Rickey Clopton.

The district has taken a hit for the past couple of years in budget cuts at the state and federal level, so the challenge is to create a budget that will fit the level of funds.  

The amount the district is asking for should fall under the current level of millage, Clopton told the school board during the regular July meeting. The district is asking for an increase in dollars, but Clopton hopes new properties will provide the new funds without a millage increase.

The Copiah County School District is now operating with a projected total budget revenue of  $26,434,620. 12.8 percent or $3,378,207 of such revenue is obtained through ad valorem taxes.

For the next fiscal year, the proposed budget has a total projected revenue of $24,121,854. Of that amount 14.2 percent or $3,432,422 is proposed to be financed through a total ad valorem tax levy.

For the next fiscal year, the Copiah County School District does not plan to increase the ad valorem tax millage rate of 41.74 mills.

An increase in ad valorem tax revenue would mean that you would pay more ad valorem taxes on your home, automobile tag, utilities, business fixtures, equipment and rental real property.

The millage rate is set by the county, not the school board, Clopton pointed out. The school district sends its budget request to the board of supervisors, who set the millage. At this point in the budget process they are still working with estimates, according to Clopton, as the amount a mill will bring in has not yet been set.

No public comment was heard during the budget hearing on proposed ad valorem taxes for FY 2010-2011.