2015 Utah Code
Title 53A - State System of Public Education
Chapter 17a - Minimum School Program Act
Part 1 - Minimum School Program
Section 133 - State-supported voted local levy authorized -- Election requirements -- State guarantee -- Reconsideration of the program.

Effective 7/1/2015
53A-17a-133. State-supported voted local levy authorized -- Election requirements -- State guarantee -- Reconsideration of the program.

• (1) As used in this section, "voted and board local levy funding balance" means the difference between:
  • (a) the amount appropriated for the voted and board local levy program in a fiscal year; and
  • (b) the amount necessary to provide the state guarantee per weighted pupil unit as determined under this section and Section 53A-17a-164 in the same fiscal year.

• (2) An election to consider adoption or modification of a voted local levy is required if initiative petitions signed by 10% of the number of electors who voted at the last preceding general election are presented to the local school board or by action of the board.

• (3)
  • (a)
    • (i) To impose a voted local levy, a majority of the electors of a district voting at an election in the manner set forth in Subsections (9) and (10) must vote in favor of a special tax.
    • (ii) The tax rate may not exceed .002 per dollar of taxable value.
  • (b) Except as provided in Subsection (3)(c), in order to receive state support the first year, a district must receive voter approval no later than December 1 of the year prior to implementation.
  • (c) Beginning on or after January 1, 2012, a school district may receive state support in accordance with Subsection (4) without complying with the requirements of Subsection (3)(b) if the local school board imposed a tax in accordance with this section during the taxable year beginning on January 1, 2011 and ending on December 31, 2011.

• (4)
  • (a) In addition to the revenue a school district collects from the imposition of a levy pursuant to this section, the state shall contribute an amount sufficient to guarantee $33.27 per weighted pupil unit for each .0001 of the first .0016 per dollar of taxable value.
  • (b) The same dollar amount guarantee per weighted pupil unit for the .0016 per dollar of taxable value under Subsection (4)(a) shall apply to the portion of the board local levy authorized in Section 53A-17a-164, so that the guarantee shall apply up to a total of .002 per dollar of taxable value if a school district levies a tax rate under both programs.
  • (c)
    • (i) Beginning July 1, 2015, the $33.27 guarantee under Subsections (4)(a) and (b) shall be indexed each year to the value of the weighted pupil unit for the grades 1 through 12 program by making the value of the guarantee equal to .011194 times the value of the prior year's weighted pupil unit for the grades 1 through 12 program.
    • (ii) The guarantee shall increase by .0005 times the value of the prior year's weighted pupil unit for the grades 1 through 12 program for each succeeding year subject to the Legislature appropriating funds for an increase in the guarantee.
  • (d)
    • (i) The amount of state guarantee money to which a school district would otherwise be entitled to receive under this Subsection (4) may not be reduced for the sole reason that the district's levy is reduced as a consequence of changes in the certified tax rate under Section 59-2-924 pursuant to changes in property valuation.
    • (ii) Subsection (4)(d)(i) applies for a period of five years following any such change in the certified tax rate.
  • (e) The guarantee provided under this section does not apply to the portion of a voted local levy rate that exceeds the voted local levy rate that was in effect for the previous fiscal year, unless an increase in the voted local levy rate was authorized in an election conducted on or after July 1 of the previous fiscal year and before December 2 of the previous fiscal year.
  • (f)
    • (i) If a voted and board local levy funding balance exists for the prior fiscal year, the State Board of Education shall:
      • (A) use the voted and board local levy funding balance to increase the value of the state guarantee per weighted pupil unit described in Subsection (4)(c) in the current fiscal year; and
      • (B) distribute the state contribution to the voted and board local levy programs to school districts based on the increased value of the state guarantee per weighted pupil unit described in Subsection (4)(f)(i)(A).
    • (ii) The State Board of Education shall report action taken under this Subsection (4)(f) to the Office of the Legislative Fiscal Analyst and the Governor's Office of Planning and Budget.

• (5)
  • (a) An election to modify an existing voted local levy is not a reconsideration of the existing authority unless the proposition submitted to the electors expressly so states.
  • (b) A majority vote opposing a modification does not deprive the district of authority to continue the levy.
  • (c) If adoption of a voted local levy is contingent upon an offset reducing other local school board levies, the board must allow the electors, in an election, to consider modifying or discontinuing the imposition of the levy prior to a subsequent increase in other levies that would increase the total local school board levy.
  • (d) Nothing contained in this section terminates, without an election, the authority of a school district to continue imposing an existing voted local levy previously authorized by the voters as a voted leeway program.

• (6) Notwithstanding Section 59-2-919, a school district may budget an increased amount of ad valorem property tax revenue derived from a voted local levy imposed under this section in addition to revenue from new growth as defined in Subsection 59-2-924(4), without having to comply with the notice requirements of Section 59-2-919, if:
  • (a) the voted local levy is approved:
    • (i) in accordance with Subsections (9) and (10) on or after January 1, 2003; and
    • (ii) within the four-year period immediately preceding the year in which the school district seeks to budget an increased amount of ad valorem property tax revenue derived from the voted local levy; and
  • (b) for a voted local levy approved or modified in accordance with this section on or after January 1, 2009, the school district complies with the requirements of Subsection (8).

• (7) Notwithstanding Section 59-2-919, a school district may levy a tax rate under this section that exceeds the certified tax rate without having to comply with the notice requirements of Section 59-2-919 if:
  • (a) the levy exceeds the certified tax rate as the result of a school district budgeting an increased amount of ad valorem property tax revenue derived from a voted local levy imposed under this section;
  • (b) the voted local levy was approved:
    • (i) in accordance with Subsections (9) and (10) on or after January 1, 2003; and
    • (ii) within the four-year period immediately preceding the year in which the school district seeks to budget an increased amount of ad valorem property tax revenue derived from the voted local levy; and
  • (c) for a voted local levy approved or modified in accordance with this section on or after January 1, 2009, the school district complies with requirements of Subsection (8).

• (8) For purposes of Subsection (6)(b) or (7)(c), the proposition submitted to the electors regarding the adoption or modification of a voted local levy shall contain the following statement:
  "A vote in favor of this tax means that (name of the school district) may increase revenue from this property tax without advertising the increase for the next five years."

• (9)
  • (a) Before imposing a property tax levy pursuant to this section, a school district shall submit an opinion question to the school district's registered voters voting on the imposition of the tax rate so that each registered voter has the opportunity to express the registered voter's opinion on whether the tax rate should be imposed.
  • (b) The election required by this Subsection (9) shall be held:
    • (i) at a regular general election conducted in accordance with the procedures and requirements of Title 20A, Election Code, governing regular elections;
    • (ii) at a municipal general election conducted in accordance with the procedures and requirements of Section 20A-1-202; or
    • (iii) at a local special election conducted in accordance with the procedures and requirements of Section 20A-1-203.
  • (c) Notwithstanding the requirements of Subsections (9)(a) and (b), beginning on or after January 1, 2012, a school district may levy a tax rate in accordance with this section without complying with the requirements of Subsections (9)(a) and (b) if the school district imposed a tax in accordance with this section at any time during the taxable year beginning on January 1, 2011, and ending on December 31, 2011.

• (10) If a school district determines that a majority of the school district's registered voters voting on the imposition of the tax rate have voted in favor of the imposition of the tax rate in accordance with Subsection (9), the school district may impose the tax rate.

Amended by Chapter 287, 2015 General Session