PLANNING FOR THE NEXT 50 YEARS
USD 294
School Bond
August 30, 2023
Although the results of the August 29 bond election for USD 294 did not go as our school district had hoped, we are grateful to everyone within the Decatur Community district for your engagement throughout this process. I am especially thankful to the volunteers and others who worked diligently to educate the community about the bond and to the community members who attended meetings, asked questions and educated themselves during this year-long process. It is clear to me that our community understands the challenges and benefits of our current facilities and agree it is important to improve the accessibility, safety, efficiency and effectiveness of our buildings for our students.
Early next week, school leaders will meet to discuss how to proceed. The needs of our facilities are not going away, and the costs of construction aren't getting any cheaper. We will take what we learned from the bond process to come back with a solution that the community can rally around and support.
As we make those plans, I would encourage community members to remain engaged in the process. As you have the opportunity, please complete surveys about why you did or didn't support the bond. Provide input when asked and share your ideas on how to develop a solution that furthers our great Red Devil tradition. Although I know no one facility solution will please everyone, I have faith that we can find an option that a majority of our community supports.
Dr. Joel Applegate
Supt., USD 294 Oberlin
Scroll through the presentation below to learn more about the bond proposal.
The Planning Process
The USD 294 Board of Education evaluated our current buildings.
The goal was to look at how our facilities can help fuel student and community success for the next 50 years, as well as understand challenges of a 96-year-old elementary and 84-year-old junior/high school.
Assess & Define the Need
1
Develop Concepts, with Community Involvement
2
Finalize Plans & Costs
3
Bond
Election
4
Key Documents & Reports
Property Tax Calculator
A mill levy is the “tax rate” that is applied to the assessed value of a property. One mill is one dollar per $1,000 dollars of assessed value. If the bond issue passes, the mill levy will increase 28.25 per $1,000 of assessed value. For the median home in Decatur County of $66,100, that would mean an increase of $17.89 a month.
To calculate what this means for your property taxes, input the assessed value (not the appraised value) of your property in the white box below and press CALCULATE.
Make certain you input the Assessed Valuation into the box below, not the appraised (market) value.
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For Residential Property, Assessed Valuation is equal to 11.5% of the appraised (market) value
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For example, if your home has a market value of $100,000, you would put $11,500 in the box below.
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For Commercial Property, Assessed Valuation is equal to 25% of the appraised (market) value
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For Ag Land, Assessed Valuation is equal to 30% of the Use Value
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For Motor Vehicle, Assessed Valuation is equal to 20% of the appraised (market) value
Kansas taxpayers recently received a yellow "Revenue Neutral Rate" (RNR) mailing.
Steve Zodrow, treasurer for the City of Oberlin, has received many questions about the RNR and how it relates to the school bond. He prepared a very complete analysis and explanation of how the tax is calculated and what the impact will be to the bond. Click through the slides on the right to see Steve's presentation.
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An Example Revenue Neutral Rate (RNR) form
The RNR: Another Way to See How the Bond Will Affect You
Your RNR shows you exactly how much the bond would affect your taxes. First, find the line that says USD 294 B & I (highlighted in yellow on the example RNR to the left). B & I stands for Bond and Interest. Follow that line across to the column under "Proposed Budget" labeled "Tax" (highlighted in blue). Where those two meet is a green highlighted box which contains the tax implications of the bond.
For example, the annual amount of the bond for this home is $368.21 and is highlighted in green. The current year, this home is appraised at $113,340 and assessed at $13,034. Last year, this home was appraised at $109,560 and assessed at $12,599.
Contact Us
Oberlin USD 294
131 East Commercial
Oberlin, KS 67749
785.475.3805