By Julie Snyder
C & G Staff Writer

ST. CLAIR SHORES — Voters in the South Lake Schools district will be asked on Aug. 3 to vote on a millage restoration levy that is expected to bring in as much as $602,000 every year to the district’s operating revenue.

Matthew Dishman, South Lake’s director of business affairs, said if the single proposal is approved, it will grant the district the ability to levy the number of operating mills that are required for them to receive revenues at the full per-pupil foundation allowance that is permitted by the state.

A majority vote would restore the 1995 millage, which has lost steam due to Headlee rollbacks.

The millage language states that the district is seeking to increase the total amount of taxes assessed against all property, except principal residences, to .1684, or 16 to 17 cents per $1,000 of taxable value, and increase the total amount of taxes against personal residences in the amount of 1.4246, or about $1.42 per $1,000 of taxable value, from July 1, 2010, through June 30, 2025. Passage will bring the millage back to the original voted rate of 6.3162 on homestead property and to 18 mills on non-homestead property.

“The unusual thing is, even though we’re going for that much, we may not be able to levy that much because of enrollment,” Dishman said. “We can only levy what the state allows us based on what our enrollment numbers are.”

South Lake counts enrollment each February and October.

The district will levy only a portion of the 1.4246 mills on personal residences in order to collect tax revenue equaling $958 per pupil.

“The increase to a resident’s operating taxes would be about $1.76 for the average $70,000 home,” Dishman said. “Again, that’s based on what the enrollment is (in October). Some may see no increase in their school operating taxes at all.”

Dishman said restoring the millage is essential in light of last school year’s state aid cuts, which totaled $391,000, and last year’s elimination of state 20j funding, which resulted in a $600,000 loss for the district and has since threatened the future of many student services.

South Lake officials state that the revenue generated will allow the district to maintain counselors for K-12 students, provide literacy support programs for elementary students, offer foreign language classes at all levels, and offer vocational training, advanced classes and other educational programs for students. Dishman said the revenue can also be used to pay teacher salaries.

“(The levied funds) would be used for general funds for student education,” Dishman said. “This is not a bond issue. We can’t use bond money to fund things like teacher salaries.”

If approved, the millage would appear on this year’s winter tax bills.