The current four-year levy will run through the end of next year. If voters approve, the new levy, about $6.8-million per year, would go into effect on January 1, 2011.
How much would it cost homeowners? The best estimate is that an owner of a $400,000 home would pay about $557 in 2011. Because of how property taxes are divvied up in Washington state, that amount is likely to drop a bit over the 4 years.
| Year | Levy Rate | Levy Rate |
| 2011 | 1.3927 | $6,820,000 |
| 2012 | 1.3648 | $6,820,000 |
| 2013 | 1.3315 | $6,820,000 |
| 2014 | 1.2936 | $6,820,000 |
Reduced state funding and declining enrollment make the school district rely more and more on local money to pay for the schools. In 2007, when the last levy went into effect, the levy amounted to 21.5 percent of the school district's revenue. Current projections indicate that next year, local funds will make up nearly 26 percent of the school district budget.
Even with declining state revenue, there is a limit that the school district can collect from local property owners. A so-called levy lid, under state law, is set at 30.5 percent in Anacortes. That's even better than the 24 percent other districts have because the Anacortes limit was grandfathered in when the levy lid law was passed.
In fact, the Anacortes School District will hit the levy lid in 2010 and will be limited to collecting less than $6.9 million, even though the current levy would allow $7.3 million. The school district had to roll back its levy for next year.
The School Board may approve a February 9, 2010 for the levy vote when it meets at 3pm on Wednesday, Dec. 3.