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The Minot School Board approved a $34.5 million budget for 2023-24 on Thursday after hearing from two residents concerned about school taxes.
The budget includes a general fund that is projected to be at a deficit of $2.3 million, or 1.9% of the projected expenses for the year. MPS Business Manager Laura Dokken recommended a tax levy decrease of two mills, totaling a $616,792 decrease from the first reading on the budget in August.
Dokken said the budget includes $345,000 for bussing and $586,000 for technology updates on network switches and security cameras. The new budget also includes increased funding for ground equipment, uniforms and other activity supplies, which need to be ordered in advance of Minot North opening.
Dokken detailed small gains made in negotiating a 2% renewal rate with United Healthcare for staff health insurance, which she said saved the district $1.3 million from the current budget.
The board moved to approve the budget after a brief clarification from Board President Mike Gessner regarding the allocation of funds. Dokken said that 35.29% of the tax levy was for the district's debt. Eighty-five percent of the remaining balance was allocated for staff salaries.
Minot residents Larry Bellew and Mike Blessum spoke to voice concerns over the increased property taxes.
"I was kind of shocked when I saw my school property taxes were going to increase again this year. This represents a 5.38% increase over last year," Bellew said. "In the last seven years, you as a school board have increased property taxes by 49.9%. I'm very frustrated by my property taxes increasing every year. My wife and I are retired and living on a fixed income. While you can't do anything about inflation, you can do something about property taxes."
"Part of adopting a budget is making sure you understand it and it makes sense. You're doing a great job about adopting it and levying the taxes, but I question whether you've read it and understand what's going on inside the budget," Blessum said. "My worry is that there wasn't a question. We've gone through two readings now, where a board of five elected officials have no questions on $122 million budget. Zero. Two readings. That's where we're sitting here today."
Gessner invited Blessum to meet with Dokken to better review the budget or raise his specific concerns regarding the budget before the board closed the public hearing.
The board also handled several other matters during its regular meeting, held at Erik Ramstad Middle School.
The board received an enrollment report showing a decrease of 19 students since Labor Day. Outgoing Superintendent Mark Vollmer said that while it isn't a major concern given the total student population in the district, they will still be paying attention to the trends as the year progresses.
MPS Facilities Director Jared Edwards reported on the various construction projects in the district, noting the Magic City Campus science renovations were completed well in time for fall semester classes to begin. Edwards detailed the progress on the new Minot North campus, where work is advancing on the new sports complex for Minot North. The project is on track to be finished by fall 2024.
The board heard a proposal for sports co-ops between Minot Public Schools and other area schools in activities that typically have lower turnout. The first would be girls soccer with Des Lacs-Burlington. Students would play for either Minot High or Minot North, depending on whether they live north or south of Highway 52. The second would be for gymnastics with Nedrose, while the third would be for girls wrestling for any student at a school without a wrestling program.
The board also heard from the Minot Housing Authority, which is seeking a Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILOT) incentive for a 72-unit affordable housing project to be built in Tolberg Shores Second Addition. The City of Minot will hold a public hearing on this application on Monday. The board decided to postpone its decision on whether to grant the incentive until its meeting next Tuesday at 5 p.m.
The meeting closed with Dokken sharing with the board that accounting firm Brady Martz had circulated a letter to current and former employees about a data security incident. Dokken said Brady Martz confirmed the authenticity of the letter but would not say if it had a direct correlation to the district's audit. Brady Martz keeps records for seven years, and the compromised information in question was not typically retained.