By Michael S. Hoey
Correspondent
The Delavan-Darien School District adopted a tax levy of $17,528,488 and a mill rate of $918.68 per $100,000 of property value at its annual meeting on June 29. Both figures are less than they were for the 2019-2020 school year. The tax levy is down from $17,714,074 and the mill rate declined by $9.72 per $100,000.
Resident Andy Terpstra, a long-time critic of district finances, attempted to force the district to rely less or not at all on short-term borrowing when he volunteered to make the motion to adopt a levy in the amount Business Administrator Anthony Klein recommended. But Terpstra’s motion included a requirement the district set aside $4.5 million to eliminate the need to take out a line of credit for short-term borrowing during the 2020-2021 school year.
Klein said the school board could not legally approve that motion because state law requires districts to adopt budgets that can operate a district. Klein said setting aside the $4.5 million Terpstra was asking for would leave the district without enough funds to meet its obligations.
Find more from the meeting in the July 9 Delavan Enterprise.
