School tax levy to drop, even with board raising money to pay bonds off early

The chance to save an additional $68,000 in interest payments led the New Hampton School Board to levy an additional 25 cents for its 2020-21 levy, but the levy will still drop somewhat dramatically next year.
School Board members wrestled with the issue during last Monday’s regularly scheduled meeting because, in a sense, adding the quarter to the levy would mean they were going back on the word they gave voters before the February 2017 referendum that led to the construction of a new middle school, competition gymnasium and vocational agriculture and industrial technology center.
“I know I said it many times at information meetings that if this passes, we won’t levy more than $1.60 on property taxes,” Jurrens said, “but at the same time, we have an opportunity to save our taxpayers a lot of interest, and it is our job to look out for the interest of the taxpayer.”
For more on this story see the March 24 Tribune.