ISD REGIONAL ENHANCEMENT PROPERTY TAX H.B. 4800:
COMMITTEE SUMMARY
House Bill 4800 (as passed by the House)
Sponsor: Representative John Walsh
House Committee: Redistricting and Elections
Senate Committee: Local Government and Elections
CONTENT
The bill would amend the Revised School Code to eliminate a requirement that the board of an intermediate school district (ISD) with a population of more than 1.4 million call a special election at the next State primary or general election to submit a regional enhancement property tax proposal to the electors.
Under the Code, an ISD may levy a regional enhancement property tax at a rate of up to three mills to enhance other State and local funding for local school district operations, if approved by a majority of the intermediate school electors voting on the question.
If a resolution requesting that the question be submitted to the electors is adopted within a 180-day period and transmitted to the intermediate school board by one or more boards of its constituent school districts representing a majority of the continued membership of those districts, and if those resolutions all contain an identical specified number of mills to be levied and number of years for which the tax will be levied, the ISD must place the question on the ballot at the next regular school election held in each of the constituent districts.
If the question is to be submitted to the electors of an ISD with a population of more than 1.4 million, the intermediate school board must call a special election to be held at the next State primary or general election. The bill would delete this requirement.
Currently, if the resolution requirement is met more than 180 days before the next regular school district elections, and if requested in the resolutions, the intermediate school board must submit the question at a special election called by the board for that purpose at least 90 days after the resolution requirements are met. The bill would retain a requirement.
MCL 380.705 Legislative Analyst: Julie Cassidy
FISCAL IMPACT
The bill would have no fiscal impact on State government.
The bill could result in additional costs to intermediate school districts with populations in excess of 1.4 million if they held a regional enhancement millage election on a special or school election date instead of piggy-backing onto a State primary or general election, as currently prescribed in law. If a school-related ballot question is part of a general election, the district offering the ballot question is responsible only for the additional costs of the
election related to the portion of the ballot attributable to the school question. However, a district is responsible for the entire cost of a school-only election. This bill would remove the requirement that a regional enhancement millage question in ISDs with populations of more than 1.4 million be held during a State primary or general election; instead, the question would be held during a special election or regularly scheduled school election, depending on when the resolution requirements were met.
Fiscal Analyst: Kathryn Summers
This analysis was prepared by nonpartisan Senate staff for use by the Senate in its deliberations and does not constitute an official statement of legislative intent.