Highland accepts 2027 tax rates

GRANGER TWP. — The Highland Board of Education approved a resolution to accept the 2027 tax rates and amounts for the district, which were determined by the Medina County Budget Commission, during a special meeting Wednesday. The resolution also authorized the necessary tax levies and certified them to the Medina County Auditor. The board of education was provided with a summary of the amounts required from general property tax that were approved by the budget commission and the county auditor's estimated tax rates. School districts and municipalities can have 10 mills of inside millage that can be levied without voter approval. Approximately $8 million was approved for the district by the county budget commission within the 10-mill limitation, and about $36 million is estimated to be derived from outside levies. Highland Treasurer Neil Barnes said the amounts will change because of the piggyback, which refers to the permissive local homestead exemption that the commissioners adopted in October to provide qualifying residents temporary tax relief. "This is what the county auditor provided to us," he said. "It still doesn't reflect the tax relief, so these numbers, they're still grossed up." House Bill 186 will cause a bigger hit to the district, Barnes said. The bill caps outside millage tax increases to the rate of inflation. "We're estimating over the next 12 months, we're actually being hit with 18 months' worth of those credits," he said. "That's going to be like $2 million that's probably going to be reduced." The county auditor's estimate of the tax rate to be levied is 4.9-mills inside the 10-mill limitation and a total of 66.95-mills outside of the limit. Highland has a variety of current expense levies, which go to the district's general fund, that are outside of the 10-mill limitation. "The key is, in my opinion, the rates that are levied," Barnes said. "That's potentially what was at stake during this whole process is that rates can potentially be reduced." House Bill 309 gave county budget commissions greater authority over school district finances. On Monday, the Medina County Budget Commission voted to submit the original Fiscal Year 2027 tax budgets for county schools to the state. The commission previously requested Highland, along with other school districts, to roll back its tax collection. Contact reporter Madisyn Woodring at (330) 721-4049 or mwoodring@medina-gazette.com.