Brown Deer residents approve levy with no increase

Because residents rallied around the Brown Deer School District for a multiyear building referendum in 2011, the School Board did not want an increase in the tax levy.

Their goal was achieved at the district's annual meeting on Tuesday as 16 residents unanimously approved the levy with no increase aside from the slight rise in referendum funds.

The levy for the 2012-2013 school year totals $13,313,714. This does reflect a 0.38 percent increase in the amount of $50,401, which is previously approved money from referendum funding. That funding is spread over the next eight years.

Legally, the School Board could have raised the levy by 6 percent at the most; however, they chose to limit the levy to just the increase approved in the building referendum.

The referendum funds are going toward consolidating the school campus from three buildings to two buildings. The elementary school has fallen into disrepair over the years and will ultimately close. The middle school and high school will be renovated to accommodate the additional students.

Finance Director Emily Kozcela said the referendum project is already starting to pay off as the district is seeing a savings in maintenance costs.

"We're not spending more, we're not spending less, we're trying to spend it smarter," Kozcela said. "For the tax payer, I think it's good news and the board reached the goal they were setting out to achieve."