<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=2bSps5_0vjwBWm800" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=2bSps5_0vjwBWm800" width="1800" height="1016" ><figcaption>Submitted Photo During its regular meeting Monday evening, the Watertown-Mayer School Board approved its 2025-26 preliminary property tax levy limitation at the current maximum amount of $7,848,386. This amount would be an increase of just $51,027, or .65%, from last year’s levy amount of $7,797,359.</figcaption></figure>During its regular Monday evening meeting, the Watertown-Mayer School Board approved its 2025-26 preliminary property tax levy limitation at the maximum amount, currently $7,848,386.This amount would be an increase of just $51,027, or .65%, from last year’s levy limitation, which was $7,797,359.The final levy amount will be determined in December.The district’s property tax levy funds three district funds: the general fund, the community service fund, and the debt service fund.The portion of the 2025-26 preliminary levy allocated to the general fund is $3,244,958, an increase of $54,802, or 1.72%, from last year’s figure of $3,190,155.The portion allocated to the community service fund totals $185,305. This figure represents an increase of $22,181, or 13.6%, from the 2024 amount of $163,124.The debt service fund will receive $4,418,122, which is $25,956 less than last year’s figure of $4,444,079. This is a decrease of about .58%.The district has approved minimal increases to its property tax levy for the past several years. The increase from its 2023 levy to its 2024 levy was just .07%.“We have been pretty consistent, and that is what we like to see because we don’t want to present a sense of shock to our taxpayers,” finance director Lisa Raiter said.The last time the district’s levy increased by more than 2% was in 2020, when it increased by 10.63%. However, this was the first year of the district’s current levy referendum, so a larger increase was to be expected.<h2>Policy review </h2>The school board also performed the first and only read of several policies that required review. The changes were non-substantive and were based on recommendations by the Minnesota School Boards Association (MSBA).Some policies included graduation requirements, online instruction, literacy and the READ Act, and staff development for standards.A full list of district policies can be found on the district website at www.wm.k12.mn.us/about-us/school-board/district-policies.<h2>Donations </h2>The school board unanimously accepted a handful of donations, including two for the school’s robotics program.The first was a donation of $1,200 worth of aluminum tubing from Eagle Aluminum, and the other was a donation of $3,000 from Midwest Motion Products, Inc., for robotics supplies.The district also received a $5,000 donation from the Minneapolis Foundation for its summer youth theater program.The last donation came from Darrel and Darcy Johnson, who provided $2,122 to the elementary school music program to purchase 33 ukuleles for student use.</div></body>

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Watertown-Mayer approves 2025-26 preliminary levy with minimal increase

During its regular Monday evening meeting, the Watertown-Mayer School Board approved its 2025-26 preliminary property tax levy limitation at the maximum amount, currently $7,848,386. This amount would be an increase of just $51,027, or .65%, from last year’s levy limitation, which was $7,797,359. The final levy amount will be...