Skip to content
Millage Meetings:
Superintendent Adam Bowen will be attending and speaking about the millage at the following meetings/locations:
Pickleball Courts - Friday, September 27 at 9:00 am
David's Deli - Friday, September 27 at 2:00 pm (still awaiting confirmation so this is tentative)
New Buffalo Public Library - Tuesday, October 1, 2024. 6:00 pm. 33 N. Thompson St., New Buffalo
Millage Info:
New Buffalo Area Schools is funded by an 18-mill tax levied on our business and non-homestead properties in the city and township of New Buffalo. Primary residents do not pay for this Operating Millage. As an out-of-formula district, we receive very little state aid; the majority of our revenue (78%) comes directly from these local property taxes. While the language by law says an increase of 19.875 it is actually a replacement and this is NOT an increase. This year, the district must renew our operating millage because Headlee rollback has reduced our millage, potentially leading to significant impacts if we do not renew it this November.
The Headlee rollback occurs when the growth of existing property value exceeds the rate of inflation, which has been the case over the past few years. In November, New Buffalo Area Schools will have a ballot measure for the continuation of the 18-mill levy on business and non-homestead property, a practice in place since the 1990s.
The ballot language will read as follows:
This proposal will allow the school district to levy the statutory rate of not to exceed 18 mills on all property, except principal residence and other property exempted bylaw, required for the school district to receive its revenue per pupil foundation allowance. The remaining 1.875 mills are only available to be levied to restore millage lost as a reduction required by the "Headlee" amendment to the Michigan Constitution of 1963 and will only be levied to the extent necessary to restore such reductions.
Shall the limitation on the amount of taxes which may be assessed against all property, except principal residence and other property exempted by law, in New Buffalo Area Schools, Berrien County, Michigan, be increased by 19.875 mills ($19.875 on each $1,000 of taxable valuation) for a period of 6 years, 2025 to 2030, inclusive, to provide funds for operating purposes; the estimate of the revenue the school district will collect if the millage is approved and 0.2037 mill is levied in 2025 is approximately $196,276 and 18 mills are levied in 2026 is approximately $18,548,151 (this would supplement and replace millage that will expire with the 2025 tax levy).