Consultant: West Lafayette schools need to prepare a new type of property tax referendum
Two years into an eight-year referendum, West Lafayette schools ponder going back to voters in 2026 amid era of state property tax reform, declining enrollment and changing law on transfer students
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CONSULTANT: WEST LAFAYETTE SCHOOLS NEED TO PREPARE A NEW TYPE OF PROPERTY TAX REFERENDUM
An eight-year property tax referendum voters overwhelmingly renewed in 2023 won’t be enough to keep up with lost funding anticipated for West Lafayette schools as state-approved reform and declining enrollment unfurl over the next several years, a consultant told the school board Monday.
Mike Reuter, the district’s financial adviser, recommended that if the school board wants to go back to voters in November 2026 with an increased property tax referendum question, it should make that decision shortly after the end of the 2026 General Assembly session in late February or early March to give time to convince the community it’s needed.
Reuter said models that factor in changes to the tax base, deeper homestead credits on residential property and inflation means it would take a property tax referendum of up to 51.15 cents – up from the current 37-cent rate – to keep pace by 2031.
He suggested that the school board consider offering a referendum cap, telling voters that the school corporation would charge only what was needed each year to maintain things in the district.
“It’s definitely a different strategy in approaching a referendum,” Reuter said, adding that it was a method being considered by more districts dealing with Indiana’s new property tax reform rollout. “It would require the community to put more trust into the board.”
The presentation came during a school board work session ahead of its regular monthly meeting Monday. So, the board did not take formal action. Though, it continued momentum building on the school board in recent months to revisit a referendum that still has six years to go.
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