20-9-353. Additional financing for general fund -- election for authorization to impose.

     20-9-353. Additional financing for general fund -- election for authorization to impose. (1) The trustees of a district may propose to adopt:
     (a) an over-BASE budget amount for the district general fund that does not exceed the maximum general fund budget for the district or other limitations, as provided in 20-9-308(2); or
     (b) a general fund budget amount in excess of the maximum general fund budget amount for the district, as provided in 20-9-308(3).
     (2) When the trustees of the district propose to adopt an over-BASE budget under subsection (1)(a), any increase in local property taxes authorized by 20-9-308(5) must be submitted to a vote of the qualified electors of the district, as provided in 15-10-425. The trustees are not required to submit to the qualified electors any increase in state funding of the basic or per-ANB entitlements approved by the legislature. When the trustees of a district determine that a voted amount of financing is required for the general fund budget, the trustees shall submit the proposition to finance the voted amount to the electors who are qualified under 20-20-301 to vote upon the proposition. The election must be called and conducted in the manner prescribed by this title for school elections and must conform to the requirements of 15-10-425. The ballot for the election must conform to the requirements of 15-10-425.
     (3) When the trustees of a district propose to adopt the general fund budget amount in excess of the maximum general fund budget under subsection (1)(b), the trustees shall submit the proposition to finance the additional amount of general fund budget authority to the electors who are qualified under 20-20-301 to vote upon the proposition. The election must be called and conducted in the manner prescribed by this title for school elections. The ballot for the election must state the amount of the budget to be financed, the approximate number of mills required to fund all or a portion of the budget amount, and the purpose for which the money will be expended. The ballot must be in the following format:

PROPOSITION

Shall the district be authorized to expend the sum of (state the additional amount to be expended) and being approximately (give number) mills for the purpose of (insert the purpose for which the additional financing is made)?

[] FOR budget authority and any levy.

[] AGAINST budget authority and any levy.

     (4) If the election on any additional financing or budget authority for the general fund is approved by a majority vote of the electors voting at the election, the proposition carries and the trustees may use any portion or all of the authorized amount in adopting the final general fund budget. The trustees shall certify any additional levy amount authorized by the election on the budget form that is submitted to the county superintendent, and the county commissioners shall levy the authorized number of mills on the taxable value of all taxable property within the district, as prescribed in 20-9-141.
     (5) Authorization to levy an additional tax to support a budget amount adopted as allowed by 20-9-308(3) is effective for only 1 school fiscal year.
     (6) All levies adopted under this section must be authorized by the election conducted before August 1 of the school fiscal year for which it is effective.
     (7) If the trustees of a district are required to submit a proposition to finance an over-BASE budget amount or an amount in excess of the maximum general fund budget amount for the district, as allowed by 20-9-308(3), to the electors of the district, the trustees shall comply with the provisions of subsections (2) through (6) of this section.

History: En. 75-6923 by Sec. 273, Ch. 5, L. 1971; amd. Sec. 7, Ch. 83, L. 1971; amd. Sec. 6, Ch. 355, L. 1973; amd. Sec. 2, Ch. 214, L. 1974; amd. Sec. 1, Ch. 230, L. 1974; amd. Sec. 1, Ch. 346, L. 1974; amd. Sec. 1, Ch. 454, L. 1975; R.C.M. 1947, 75-6923; amd. Sec. 2, Ch. 72, L. 1979; amd. Sec. 5, Ch. 75, L. 1981; amd. Sec. 2, Ch. 110, L. 1985; amd. Sec. 1, Ch. 338, L. 1987; amd. Sec. 42, Ch. 11, Sp. L. June 1989; amd. Sec. 29, Ch. 767, L. 1991; amd. Sec. 29, Ch. 633, L. 1993; amd. Sec. 1, Ch. 266, L. 1995; amd. Sec. 8, Ch. 211, L. 1997; amd. Secs. 7, 10(2), Ch. 514, L. 1999; amd. Sec. 27, Ch. 495, L. 2001.

Provided by Montana Legislative Services