How are local levy dollars used now?
Bellingham initially used local levy dollars to enhance programs and services beyond what is funded by the state, but in recent years has been using this revenue source to fill the gap between state funding and actual operational costs to maintain programs. Can technology levy funds be used for other purposes? No. State law prohibits this. The state also does not provide general funds for technology. Why can’t Bellingham just raise more money through a local levy? While the voters who approve our levies are very generous, school districts are limited by state law in how much they can raise through local levies. The “levy lid” restricts Bellingham from collecting more than 26% of its revenue from the levy. In addition, since our current four-year levy runs through 2012, we cannot revise our levy until at least 2013. Our levies are based upon a set dollar amount, not a percentage of property value. If property values increase more than we estimated when voters approved the latest four-ye
