Commerce BOE to increase school tax 1.25 mills

The proposed tax rate increase would be the first since 2005, when the rate increased from 16.01 to 17.75 mills. The increase to 19 mills would raise the total amount of taxes levied to $3,078,482. A mill is equal to one dollar of taxes for every $1,000 of assessed value.

The Board of Education has called a special meeting to vote on the tax rate increase on Sept. 27, at 7:00 p.m.

“In the last two years we’ve done everything internally that we could do not to raise the millage rate,” said McCoy. “We’ve cut back on teacher days, cut back on student days, not hired back personnel – we are at the point now where I’m afraid the academic programs will start suffering if we don’t move in the other direction. Since we aren’t getting it from the state, we are going to have to take care of it locally.”