St. Paul schools unveil 2019 property-tax plan

The St. Paul School District laid out a property-tax proposal Tuesday sealing the likelihood of widespread increases for city homeowners in 2019.

How hefty the eventual bills will be, however, will be determined by voters in November.

The proposal presented to school board members on Tuesday would see the district increasing its tax levy by 16.4 percent in 2019 — provided voters approve a $475 per student funding request the school system is placing on the Nov. 6 ballot.

The district's levy plan is the last to be released by the city's three major taxing jurisdictions.

Ramsey County proposed a biennial budget a year ago that called for 4.3 percent levy increases in both 2018 and 2019.

Last month, St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter forwarded to the City Council a 2019 budget proposal that included an 11.5 percent increase in the city's tax levy.

How much the three entities levy and how much individuals pay are not the same thing, however. Don't add up those percentages, in other words. Tax bills also are influenced by market value changes.

He also projected a potential tax bill for the city's $186,200 median-valued home based on the city and county proposals alone. If one were to assume a 7.1 percent increase in the home's market value, he said, the total taxes for city and county services for that homeowner would rise by $129, or 5.1 percent, he said.

The Nov. 6 ballot proposal seeking to boost the district's annual operating levy by $475 per student would raise $18.6 million annually.

But, if that request is approved, the school system's 16.4 percent levy increase would include more than just the $18.6 million. The total amount of money generated would be about $25.5 million, with the balance going to cover some operating, facilities and pension costs.

A $25.5 million levy increase would find the homeowner in Samuel's example paying an additional $184.76 in school district taxes in 2019, district estimates show.

If voters were to reject the $18.6 million funding proposal, the district's levy increase would be 4.4 percent instead, and would cost the owner of the $186,200 median-valued home about $49 in 2019, Marie Schrul, the district's chief financial officer, said Tuesday.