Correction: Wednesday, Nov. 3: The Hays USD 489 mill levy is not the second lowest in the state.
By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post
The three Hays USD 489 bond committees came together Wednesday night to hear about how much money various mill levies would raise and begin weighing school improvements that could be a part of a bond issue.
Although the group spent significant time Wednesday looking at different puzzle pieces that could make up a bond, no decisions have been made as to what the bond will include, how much it will cost or the term of the bond.
The ideas discussed Wednesday will be further refined and are still preliminary, SuperintendentRon Wilson said.
The combined committee, which includes teachers, administrators, school board members and community members, hopes to create several options that will be made available to the community at larger for further discussion before a final bond issue is proposed to voters.
No time frame for a vote has been set yet.
Dustin Avey, USD 489 bond counsel, said bond interest rates are very favorable at this time.
As of Oct. 15, the bond interest rate was 2.28 percent, whereas the average bond interest rate has been 4.97 percent.
Hays is considered a wealthy school district, so it receives no bond state aid.
Assessed valuation, which is the value of property on which taxes are based, has risen very slowly over the last 10 years — 2.6 percent annually. Between 2019 and 2020 the district's valuation dropped by 0.97 percent for a total of $322.9 million.
Hays has not passed a bond issue in almost 30 years. Hays USD 489 has a low mill levy compared to some similar-sized schools in the state.
"Opportunities are just problems disguised as adversity," Wilson said. "When we have adversity, we figure out how to make things better. That's what we're doing tonight, figuring out how to make things better.
"I guarantee you that nothing of significance has ever been achieved without people overcoming adversity."
Rockwell was built as a new high school in 1916 during World War I, Wilson said. An addition was built onto Rockwell during the Depression. The current Hays High School was built in 1977 during the height of the oil embargo.
Avey presented the mill levy impact for bond issues raising $40 million, $60 million and $80 million over 15 and 20 years.
Full copies of these charts can be found on the USD 489 website.
Mill levy impact
• A $40 million bond over 15 years would require 9.5 mills
• A $60 million bond over 15 years would require 14.25 mills
• An $80 million bond over 15 years would require 18.75 mills
• A $40 million bond over 20 years would require 7.5 mills
• A $60 million bond over 20 years would require 11 mills
• An $80 million bond over 20 years would require 14.75 mills
The least expensive option listed above would be a $40 million bond over 20 years. 7.5 mills on a $150,000 home would equal an estimated $129.38 per year or $10.78 per month or 35 cents per day.
An $80 million bond over 15 years would result in highest annual tax increase for a $150,000 home — $323.44. That would equal $26.95 per month or 89 cents per day.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the median home value in Ellis County is $169,100.
See a full chart below of possible tax increases on residential property.
Avey also presented charts of the possible effects on commercial property and agriculture property within the Hays school district. Those charts are below.
