When: Columbia Borough School board meeting, May 15. What happened: Columbia Borough school board approved an amount of $610.85 per home in property tax reduction in 2025-26 under the state Homeowner Tax Relief Act, an increase from $522.85. What it means: This state funding source means 1,815 qualifying properties in Columbia Borough should expect the highest tax reduction rate in recent years. The impact of this state tax relief measure is considerable for Lancaster County’s smallest and one of its poorest districts. The funding allowed the school board May 6 to approve a proposed final budget that will cut taxes by 3% for the 2025-26 school year. Background: The goal of the homestead and farmstead exclusion legislation passed in 2006 is to reduce school district reliance on the real estate tax; this is achieved by putting in place new funding options, including local personal or earned income taxes and funds from gaming. Tax rate: The real estate tax rate for Columbia will be 25.66 mills. One mill equals $1 for every $1,000 of assessed property value. For a house assessed at $100,000, the annual tax bill in 2025-26 will be $2,566, down from $2,646 for the year now ending. Healthy Kids: The board approved a memorandum of understanding agreement with Healthy Kids state program to provide summer activities for children in the district. Operating for nine weeks from June 8 to Aug. 18, Healthy Kids will provide age-appropriate educational and recreational activities between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. each weekday. The district is expected to provide the Taylor Campus as the program location, as well as advertise the program to parents and district residents. According to the contract, Healthy Kids is responsible for employment and insurance, meaning no additional cost for the district. Head Start: The board approved a memorandum of understanding agreement with Community Action Partnership of Lancaster County to provide a Head Start program to preschool-age children in the district. Known locally as Thrive to Five, the program will be available to qualifying families under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act to prepare district children for kindergarten, including developing individualized education plans and providing home visitation services as needed. More: The district will lease space at Park Elementary to Community Action Partnership for $250 per month for the duration of the 2025-26 year. The contract goes into effect July 1 and is valid through June 30, 2026, with an opportunity for renewal each year. What’s next: The school board will hold a combined committee and full board meeting at 6 p.m. June 12, in the district administration building, 200 N. Fifth St.
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