$3.2 million in county funds set aside for education

Lincoln County commissioners have levied just under $3.2 million for countywide education funds this fiscal year.

While the number of mills the county levied dropped from 90.25 last year to 76.61 this year, the value of the county mill rose to $41,315 from $37,319, according to a breakdown of school levies approved by county commissioners Sept. 15. The changes reflect a roughly $200,000 decrease in the amount the county levied for education funds last year.

The bulk of the funds come from equalization levies. The county set aside 33 mills for elementary equalization and 22 mills for high school equalization, representing a total of nearly $2.3 million. The state requires all counties to levy 55 mills for this fund and puts the money into the State General Fund. The dollars are then distributed to support the statewide funding of school districts.

The county set aside 3.51 mills or around $145,000 for transportation. The figure represents a roughly $68,000 decrease over last year.

Commissioners approved allocating just over $690,000 for elementary and high school retirement. Last year, the county put aside almost $969,000 for the retirement funds.

A little more than $55,000 in county levies, compared to just over $63,000 last year, will go to a community college retirement fund.