VIDEO: Cd'A and Plummer-Worley districts seeking approval for supplemental property tax funds

Voters in two school districts will cast their ballots at the polls today.

The Coeur d'Alene School District is holding its safety and maintenance levy election, asking constituents to vote in favor of an $8 million-per-year, 10-year levy that will provide funding to address hundreds of safety, health and maintenance priorities in schools and other district facilities.

The district has 40 buildings across 17 school campuses and other sites, including the school bus yard, maintenance shops, school meal operations, textbook depository, technology warehouse, public meeting space and district offices.

District facilities are an average of 33 years old. The backlog of deferred maintenance projects is more than $25 million. If this school plant facilities levy does not pass, the cost of these projects will increase to $68 million in five years and more than $101 million in 10 years.

If approved, the safety and maintenance levy will have an estimated tax rate of $31 per $100,000 of taxable assessed value, or $.31 per $1,000.

With all property within the school district's boundaries estimated to have a taxable assessed value of $26.5 billion for 2022-23, the district's overall levy rate is expected to drop to about $.98 per $1,000 of taxable assessed value.

Successful passage of the levy by voters will add the $.31 for the safety and maintenance levy to the $.98 overall levy rate, bringing the school district's overall levy rate to roughly $1.30 per $1,000 of taxable assessed property value. That is less than the 2021-22 levy rate of $1.56 per $1,000 of taxable assessed property value.

"That is down from a rate of $2.38 per $1,000 in 2016," he said. "Our rate has been dropping steadily."

With the homeowner's exemption in Idaho at $125,000, a home assessed for 2022-23 at $500,000 — with the $125,000 exemption subtracted — has a taxable value of $375,000. At $.31 per $1,000, this levy would cost that homeowner $116.25 per year.

Coeur d'Alene Superintendent Shon Hocker said the safety of his district's students, teachers, classified staff and school volunteers is, without question, of utmost importance, and more can be done to improve school security.

"They also deserve to be in buildings that are healthy and comfortable, and which operate efficiently and cost-effectively," he said. "This is what we hope to deliver with this safety and maintenance levy. Over a 10-year period, we will be able to take care of the high-priority safety and maintenance needs in our schools. We hope voters carefully consider this proposal and all the good it will do for the young people we serve in our community."

The Plummer-Worley Joint School District is asking its constituents to approve a $627,500-per-year supplemental levy for two years, for a total of $1.255 million in those two years.

This supplemental levy is for safety and security measures, including external door and security camera replacement; maintenance needs, including roof updates and replacements of single-pane windows and LED lighting in student areas; athletics and athletic transportation; and staffing, including elementary teachers, a counselor and library staff.

The annual average cost of this levy to the taxpayer in the Plummer-Worley Joint School District is a tax of $53.83 per $100,000 of taxable assessed value.

“Most importantly what we're asking for is to remain fully staffed," Plummer-Worley Superintendent Russ Mitchell said. "These aren't new positions we’re asking for. These are existing positions. They're important for us to keep classrooms as small as possible, as well as a counselor. These are high priorities for us."

He said this levy will allow his district to keep its athletics programming. As for maintenance, Mitchell said the district is expected to be a good steward of what it has been given.

"These funds will allow us to do exactly that," he said. "It might seem like a significant amount of money, but what we're providing with that money is critical for those kids."

As of Monday afternoon, Kootenai County Clerk Jim Brannon reported more than 600 early votes had been cast. He said the precinct with the highest early voting turnout was already at 15%.

Visit kcgov.us/31/Elections for sample ballots and the polling place locator tool.