Residents in school districts across the state will begin voting on proposed millage rates this week.
A mill is one-tenth of 1 cent. Each mill produces $1 of tax of every $1,000 of assessed valuation.
Early voting begins Tuesday for the Sept. 15 school election.
Here is a list of proposed changes based upon information provided by county clerks and county election commissions:
CLARK COUNTY
Arkadelphia School District
A 5.75-mill increase, from 38.9 mills to 44.65 mills, new debt service, and general operation and maintenance.
CONWAY COUNTY
South Conway School District
A 3.9-mill increase, from 35.4 mills to 39.3 mills, new debt service and construction of facilities.
FAULKNER COUNTY
Guy Perkins School District
A 2.5-mill increase, from 39.5 mills to 42 mills, operation and maintenance.
FRANKLIN COUNTY
Ozark School District
A 5.5-mill increase, from 33 mills to 38.5 mills, construction of a new elementary school.
JEFFERSON COUNTY
Dollarway School District
A 6.7-mill increase, from 40.8 mills to 47.5 mills, new debt service
JOHNSON COUNTY
Clarksville School District
A 7.9-mill increase, from 34.5 mills to 42.4 mills, new debt service.
MISSISSIPPI COUNTY
Manila School District
A 4.7-mill increase, from 37 mills to 41.7 mills, new debt service.
OUACHITA COUNTY
Harmony Grove School District
A 5.7-mill increase, from 40.2 mills to 45.9 mills, new debt service and construction of facilities.
PIKE COUNTY
Kirby School District
A 1-mill increase, from 35 mills to 36 mills, for purchase of school buses.
POINSETT COUNTY
Harrisburg School District
Voters will decide on increasing the district's former millage rate by 4.4 mills so it will equal the 39.9 mills collected in the Weiner School District, which was annexed into the Harrisburg School District in 2010. Those living in the former Weiner School District will see no change in their millage rate.
SEBASTIAN COUNTY
Hackett School District
1.3-mill decrease, from 39.3 mills to 38 mills, restructuring bond rate as set by the Statewide Uniform Rate.
UNION COUNTY
Parkers Chapel School District
A 7-mill increase, from 32.8 mills to 39.8 mills, new debt service.
WOODRUFF COUNTY
August School District
A 3.2-mill increase, 32.5 mills to 35.7 mills, new debt service.
Article 14, Section 3 of the Arkansas Constitution requires the state's public school districts to annually put their school tax rates on the ballot, regardless of whether a change in the rate is requested.
So, voters in most Arkansas school districts will be asked to vote yes or no on their district's school tax rates even when no change is proposed.
If a district is seeking no change in the tax rate, then residents vote on the current tax rate. No matter how the vote turns out, the existing millage rate will remain at the current level.
Although the election outcome won't change a district's school tax rate in a year when no change is sought, votes on those rates are sometimes viewed as a gauge of public support or dissatisfaction with a school system.
School tax rates won't be on the Sept. 15 ballot if the district asked for a tax rate change in a special election at a different time this year. In those cases, the districts have fulfilled their legal obligation to have annual votes on the rates.
Information for this article was contributed by Cynthia Howell of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.
State Desk on 09/06/2015