Montana Code Annotated 2023

TITLE 20. EDUCATION

CHAPTER 9. FINANCE

Part 1. School Budgets

Computation Of General Fund Net Levy Requirement By County Superintendent

20-9-141. (Temporary) Computation of general fund net levy requirement by county superintendent. (1) The county superintendent shall compute the levy requirement for each district's general fund on the basis of the following procedure:

(a) Determine the funding required for the district's final general fund budget less the sum of direct state aid and the special education allowable cost payment for the district by totaling:

(i) the district's nonisolated school BASE budget requirement to be met by a district levy as provided in 20-9-303; and

(ii) any general fund budget amount adopted by the trustees of the district under the provisions of 20-9-308 and 20-9-353.

(b) Determine the money available for the reduction of the property tax on the district for the general fund by totaling:

(i) the general fund balance reappropriated, as established under the provisions of 20-9-104;

(ii) amounts received in the last fiscal year for which revenue reporting was required for each of the following:

(A) interest earned by the investment of general fund cash in accordance with the provisions of 20-9-213(4); and

(B) any other revenue received during the school fiscal year that may be used to finance the general fund, excluding any guaranteed tax base aid;

(iii) anticipated oil and natural gas production taxes;

(iv) pursuant to subsection (4), anticipated revenue from coal gross proceeds under 15-23-703;

(v) if applicable, a coal-fired generating unit closure mitigation block grant as provided in 20-9-638; and

(vi) any portion of the increment remitted to a school district under 7-15-4286(3) or 7-15-4291 used to reduce the BASE levy budget.

(c) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (2), subtract the money available to reduce the property tax required to finance the general fund that has been determined in subsection (1)(b) from any general fund budget amount adopted by the trustees of the district, up to the BASE budget amount, to determine the general fund BASE budget levy requirement.

(d) Determine the sum of:

(i) any amount remaining after the determination in subsection (1)(c);

(ii) any portion of the increment remitted to a school district under 7-15-4286(3) or 7-15-4291 used to reduce the over-BASE budget levy; and

(iii) any tuition payments for out-of-district pupils to be received under the provisions of 20-5-320 through 20-5-324, except the amount of tuition received for a pupil who is a child with a disability in excess of the amount received for a pupil without disabilities, as calculated under 20-5-323(2).

(e) Subtract the amount determined in subsection (1)(d) from any additional funding requirement to be met by an over-BASE budget amount and a district levy as provided in 20-9-303 to determine any additional general fund levy requirements.

(2) The county superintendent shall calculate the number of mills to be levied on the taxable property in the district to finance the general fund levy requirement for any amount that does not exceed the BASE budget amount for the district by dividing the amount determined in subsection (1)(c) by the sum of:

(a) the amount of guaranteed tax base aid that the district will receive for each mill levied, as certified by the superintendent of public instruction; and

(b) the current total taxable valuation of the district, as certified by the department of revenue under 15-10-202, divided by 1,000.

(3) The net general fund levy requirement determined in subsections (1)(c) and (1)(d) must be reported to the county commissioners by the later of the first Tuesday in September or within 30 calendar days after receiving certified taxable values by the county superintendent as the general fund net levy requirement for the district, and a levy must be set by the county commissioners in accordance with 20-9-142.

(4) For each school district, the department of revenue shall calculate and report to the county superintendent the amount of revenue anticipated for the ensuing fiscal year from revenue from coal gross proceeds under 15-23-703.

20-9-141. (Effective July 1, 2024) Computation of general fund net levy requirement by county superintendent. (1) The county superintendent shall compute the levy requirement for each district's general fund on the basis of the following procedure:

(a) Determine the funding required for the district's final general fund budget less the sum of direct state aid and the special education allowable cost payment for the district by totaling:

(i) the district's nonisolated school BASE budget requirement to be met by a district levy as provided in 20-9-303; and

(ii) any general fund budget amount adopted by the trustees of the district under the provisions of 20-9-308 and 20-9-353.

(b) Determine the money available for the reduction of the property tax on the district for the general fund by totaling:

(i) the general fund balance reappropriated, as established under the provisions of 20-9-104;

(ii) amounts received in the last fiscal year for which revenue reporting was required for each of the following:

(A) interest earned by the investment of general fund cash in accordance with the provisions of 20-9-213(4); and

(B) any other revenue received during the school fiscal year that may be used to finance the general fund, excluding any guaranteed tax base aid;

(iii) anticipated oil and natural gas production taxes;

(iv) pursuant to subsection (4), anticipated revenue from coal gross proceeds under 15-23-703;

(v) if applicable, a coal-fired generating unit closure mitigation block grant as provided in 20-9-638; and

(vi) any portion of the increment remitted to a school district under 7-15-4286(3) or 7-15-4291 used to reduce the BASE levy budget.

(c) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (2), subtract the money available to reduce the property tax required to finance the general fund that has been determined in subsection (1)(b) from any general fund budget amount adopted by the trustees of the district, up to the BASE budget amount, to determine the general fund BASE budget levy requirement.

(d) Determine the sum of:

(i) any amount remaining after the determination in subsection (1)(c);

(ii) any portion of the increment remitted to a school district under 7-15-4286(3) or 7-15-4291 used to reduce the over-BASE budget levy; and

(iii) after first applying anticipated tuition revenue to the BASE budget under subsection (2)(b), any remaining tuition payments for out-of-district pupils to be received under the provisions of 20-5-320 through 20-5-324, except the amount of tuition received for a pupil who is a child with a disability in excess of the amount received for a pupil without disabilities, as calculated under 20-5-323(2).

(e) Subtract the amount determined in subsection (1)(d) from any additional funding requirement to be met by an over-BASE budget amount and a district levy as provided in 20-9-303 to determine any additional general fund levy requirements.

(2) The county superintendent shall calculate the number of mills to be levied on the taxable property in the district to finance the general fund levy requirement for any amount that does not exceed the BASE budget amount for the district by:

(a) dividing the amount determined in subsection (1)(c) by the sum of:

(i) the amount of guaranteed tax base aid that the district will receive for each mill levied, as certified by the superintendent of public instruction; and

(ii) the current total taxable valuation of the district, as certified by the department of revenue under 15-10-202, divided by 1,000; and

(b) if applicable, subtracting the result of dividing any tuition payments for out-of-district pupils to be received under the provisions of 20-5-320 through 20-5-324, except the amount of tuition received for a pupil who is a child with a disability in excess of the amount received for a pupil without disabilities, as calculated under 20-5-323(2), that are available for reduction of the district's BASE budget levy by the current total taxable valuation of the district, as certified by the department of revenue under 15-10-202 divided by 1,000.

(3) The net general fund levy requirement determined in subsections (1)(c) and (1)(d) must be reported to the county commissioners by the later of the first Tuesday in September or within 30 calendar days after receiving certified taxable values by the county superintendent as the general fund net levy requirement for the district, and a levy must be set by the county commissioners in accordance with 20-9-142.

(4) For each school district, the department of revenue shall calculate and report to the county superintendent the amount of revenue anticipated for the ensuing fiscal year from revenue from coal gross proceeds under 15-23-703.

History: En. 75-6926 by Sec. 276, Ch. 5, L. 1971; R.C.M. 1947, 75-6926; amd. Sec. 1, Ch. 699, L. 1983; amd. Sec. 1, Ch. 110, L. 1985; amd. Sec. 1, Ch. 265, L. 1985; amd. Sec. 12, Ch. 695, L. 1985; amd. Sec. 15, Ch. 611, L. 1987; amd. Sec. 19, Ch. 655, L. 1987; amd. Sec. 5, Ch. 35, L. 1989; amd. Secs. 21, 83, Ch. 11, Sp. L. June 1989; amd. Sec. 8, Ch. 267, L. 1991; amd. Sec. 8, Ch. 767, L. 1991; amd. Sec. 6, Ch. 133, L. 1993; amd. Sec. 2, Ch. 325, L. 1993; amd. Sec. 14, Ch. 563, L. 1993; amd. Sec. 13, Ch. 633, L. 1993; amd. Sec. 16, Ch. 9, Sp. L. November 1993; amd. Sec. 2, Ch. 35, Sp. L. November 1993; amd. Sec. 39, Ch. 451, L. 1995; amd. Sec. 2, Ch. 580, L. 1995; amd. Sec. 2, Ch. 389, L. 1997; amd. Sec. 9, Ch. 496, L. 1997; amd. Sec. 99(4), Ch. 51, L. 1999; amd. Sec. 1, Ch. 180, L. 1999; amd. Sec. 14, Ch. 515, L. 1999; amd. Secs. 106, 170(3), Ch. 584, L. 1999; amd. Sec. 7, Ch. 11, Sp. L. May 2000; amd. Sec. 5, Ch. 191, L. 2001; amd. Sec. 5, Ch. 464, L. 2001; amd. Sec. 117, Ch. 574, L. 2001; amd. Sec. 27, Ch. 130, L. 2005; amd. Sec. 1, Ch. 173, L. 2007; amd. Sec. 10, Ch. 152, L. 2011; amd. Sec. 5, Ch. 400, L. 2013; amd. Sec. 3, Ch. 405, L. 2015; amd. Sec. 4, Ch. 336, L. 2017; amd. Sec. 3, Ch. 2, Sp. L. November 2017; amd. Sec. 1, Ch. 128, L. 2019; amd. Sec. 4, Ch. 270, L. 2019; amd. Sec. 2, Ch. 240, L. 2023; amd. Sec. 6, Ch. 368, L. 2023; amd. Sec. 5, Ch. 640, L. 2023.