Saline Area Schools voters will decide Aug. 4 whether to renew two existing property tax millages supporting community programs and school facilities.
Both are 10-year renewals covering 2028 through 2037. The current millages are set to expire after the 2027 tax levy. The district says neither proposal would increase the current tax rate.
What Does the CARES Millage Support?
The CARES Recreation and Playground Millage would be renewed at 0.4850 mill, equal to $48.50 annually for every $100,000 of taxable value.
CARES stands for Cultural Arts, Recreation, Enrichment and Senior Citizens. The millage supports the Saline Area Senior Center, the community pool at Saline High School, the Ellen Ewing Performing Arts Center, recreation programs, before- and after-school care, preschool opportunities and grants for community organizations.
For the 2025-26 fiscal year, CARES funding was divided among the senior center, 25%; general recreation, 24%; the pool, 23.5%; cultural arts, 19.5%; and community grants, 8%.
The district says CARES provides about 60% of the Saline Area Senior Center’s budget, including most of its staffing costs.
Which Pool Does CARES Fund?
The “community pool” referenced in district materials is the pool at Saline High School, not the city-owned Saline Recreation Center.
CARES grants have supported some projects at the recreation center, but the millage is not an ongoing source of operating money for the city facility.
What Does the Sinking Fund Support?
The sinking fund would be renewed at 0.3394 mill, or $33.94 annually for every $100,000 of taxable value.
State law limits how sinking fund money may be used. Eligible expenses include roof, heating and cooling, plumbing and electrical repairs; sidewalk and pavement work; flooring; smaller classroom renovations; school safety improvements; and instructional technology.
The money cannot be used for employee salaries or regular operating expenses.
What Would the Renewals Cost?
Together, the two millages total 0.8244 mill.
A property with a taxable value of $100,000 would continue to be assessed $82.44 annually. A property with a taxable value of $200,000 would be assessed $164.88.
Taxable value is the figure used to calculate property taxes and is not necessarily the same as a home’s market value.
What About the Proposed Data Center?
Saline Area Schools says it has not accepted any large donations from the proposed data center project or its partners.
The project would not directly increase the district’s general operating fund, which is largely based on state per-pupil funding. It could generate additional revenue through the CARES, sinking fund and bond debt millages, but the district says that amount cannot be determined until other taxing and government authorities decide the property’s taxable value.
Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 4.
Featured photo: Saline High School. Photo by Sue Kelch
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