Board approves rebuilding of 03/13/2025 certified taxable valuation despite unknown mailing cost

The Lockwood K-12 school board approved a motion to rebuild the 03/13/2025 certified taxable valuation so it can be mailed to residents, the chair said, after members signaled support by voice vote.

The chair introduced the item, saying the valuation “has to be sent out to the residents” but that the county tax assessor “has no idea when it's gonna go out or how much it's gonna cost us yet.” The chair added that the board needed to authorize payment to have the rebuilt valuation mailed. A committee member moved to approve rebuilding the valuation; the chair announced a motion “from Corey” with a second announced as “Shane,” and then called for a voice vote. The chair declared the motion adopted after members answered “aye” and no opposing voices were heard.

Why it matters: mailing the certified taxable valuation is the step that allows residents to receive the official valuation notice; the board flagged that the timing and expense are unknown. One committee member said a previously discussed shortfall figure of 424,000 was relevant to the discussion; the record did not specify the currency or whether that figure represents a projected dollar shortfall.

Board discussion focused on whether the expense could be estimated and on technical issues generating the mailing. One committee member asked whether there was precedent for the cost and the chair said the assessor’s office was still reviewing the layout and plan and that an explanatory insert was being added. Another member raised a software issue for producing the mailing; the chair and members noted the assessor’s software may not be handling the task.

What was decided: the board approved, by voice vote, a motion to proceed with rebuilding the 03/13/2025 certified taxable valuation and to have it mailed to residents. The meeting record shows the chair announcing the motion as “from Corey” with a second announced as “Shane,” and the chair declared the motion passed; individual recorded roll-call votes were not included in the transcript.

Next steps: the chair said the board will publish the mailing cost when the assessor provides it and will place that information on a future posting or agenda.