Columbia Board of Education unanimously approves property tax increase

The Columbia Board of Education voted unanimously Thursday morning to increase the district’s property tax rate by 9 cents.

The board voted unanimously on a 9-cent per $100 assessed value increase in its tax ceiling, effective this month.

The 9-cent raise is the last part of a voter-approved measure in 2016 that allowed property taxes to be raised by 65 cents per $100 of assessed value. District leaders say the additional $2 million generated by the tax increase will help give employees raises. The district currently spends 79 percent of its operating budget on salaries and benefits.

The 9-cent increase puts the property tax rate for Columbia Public Schools at $6.15 for every $100 of a home’s assessed value.

For a homeowner with a home value of $100,000, the change would be approximately $17 per year; a $300,000 home value would see approximately $50 more in taxes.

Local tax revenue makes up 64 percent of all district revenue.