275.31 Taxes and appropriation to effect equalization.

1. If necessary to equalize the division and distribution, the board or boards may provide for the levy of additional taxes, which shall be sufficient to satisfy the mandatory levy required in section 76.2 or other liabilities of the districts, upon the property of a corporation or part of a corporation and for the distribution of the tax revenues so as to effect equalization. When the board or boards are considering the equalization levy, the division and distribution shall not impair the security for outstanding obligations of each affected corporation. Any owner of bonds of an affected corporation may bring suit in equity for adjustment of the division and distribution in compliance with this section. If the property tax levy for the amount estimated and certified to apply on principal and interest on lawful bonded indebtedness for a newly formed community school district is greater than the property tax levy for the amount estimated and certified to apply on principal and interest in the year preceding the reorganization or dissolution for a school district that is a party to the reorganization or dissolution, that had a certified enrollment of less than six hundred for the year prior to the reorganization or dissolution, and that approved the reorganization or dissolution prior to July 1, 1989, the board of the newly formed district shall inform the department of management. The department of management shall pay debt service aid to the newly formed district in an amount that reduces the rate of the property tax levy for lawful bonded indebtedness in the portion of the newly formed district where the new rate is higher, to the rate that was levied in that portion of the district during the year preceding the reorganization or dissolution.

2. For the school year beginning July 1, 1987, and succeeding school years, there is appropriated from the general fund of the state to the department of management an amount sufficient to pay the debt service aid under this section. Debt service aid shall be paid in the manner provided in section 257.16.

3. Not later than May 1 of each year, the department of management shall inform the board of the newly formed school district the amount of debt service aid that the district will receive and the rate of the property tax levy for the amount estimated and certified to apply on principal and interest on lawful bonded indebtedness in the portion of the newly formed district where the new rate would have been higher, and for the remainder of the newly formed district. The department of management shall notify the county auditor of each applicable county of the amount, in dollars and cents per thousand dollars of assessed valuation, of the property tax levy in each portion of each applicable newly formed school district in the county for the amount estimated and certified to apply on principal and interest on lawful bonded indebtedness, and the boundaries of the portions within the newly formed district for which the levies shall be made. The county auditor shall spread the applicable property tax levy for each portion of a school district over all taxable property in that portion of the district.

[S13, §2820-g; SS15, §2794-a; C24, 27, 31, 35, 39, §4139, 4175; C46, 50, §274.21, 276.22; C54, 58, 62, 66, 71, 73, 75, 77, 79, 81, §275.31]

85 Acts, ch 221, §7; 86 Acts, ch 1226, §3; 89 Acts, ch 135, §67; 92 Acts, ch 1163, §62; 2017 Acts, ch 54, §76

Referred to in §256.11, 275.1, 275.12, 275.28