Madison voters face November decision on renewing 14.4 mills in school taxes

When Madison Township homeowners open their fall tax bills, two school levies appear together — 14.4 mills between them. On Nov. 3, voters decide whether to keep paying one of them.

The measure on the ballot is the older of the two, a 6.9-mill operating levy. It is a renewal, not a new tax: a yes vote holds the current amount steady, while a no vote removes the levy as it expires at the end of 2027. If approved, the renewal runs five years beginning in 2027, with the first collection in 2028.

The district's other levy, 7.5 mills, costs the owner of a $100,000 home about $263 a year, or about $5.07 a week. At that same rate — about $35 a year per mill on a $100,000 home — the 6.9 mills on the ballot works out to about $242 a year. The two levies together come to about $505 a year.

What the money keeps running

Madison Township families have been paying the 6.9-mill levy since 1992, renewing it every five years — most recently in 2023 — and it has covered the district's day-to-day operations the whole time: the current expenses of keeping schools open, not debt or construction.

The other levy, 7.5 mills, was approved by voters on Nov. 7, 2023, and is not on this ballot. It runs through December 2028 and generates about $3.36 million a year.

The district's case

Superintendent Rob Peterson stressed that the measure is a renewal rather than a new tax — homeowners would keep paying the current amount rather than face an increase tied to the levy. The renewal, he said, would "preserve and protect current district programs."

The district points to its latest state report card — an overall four-star rating — as evidence that the schools the levy funds are performing.

Even a yes vote comes with a caveat. Peterson told the board the district would likely still need about $300,000 in additional cuts before the next school year. A no vote would mean roughly $1 million more — about $1.3 million total.

On the ballot

The school renewal is one of three levies a Madison Township household will see on the same bill. The others: a 4-mill road levy to fund resurfacing of roughly 70 miles of roads, and a 2.5-mill fire levy to support fire and EMS operations, according to Richland Source reporting. The school piece is the one that keeps the schools running.

The Nov. 3 election is administered by the Richland County Board of Elections. The voter registration deadline is Oct. 5.

The district's recent levy history has been close. The 7.5-mill operating levy passed in November 2023 by 11 votes in unofficial totals, prompting a recount, and followed an 8-mill continuing levy that voters rejected in May 2023.