The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1919-11-28

unit. Cascade county, which
has voted to adopt county unit
has asked her county commits
sioners to make a uniform spe-
cial school levy to cover all third
class districts, or the county
unit. This levy when collected
will be distributed by the trus-
tees of the county unit in &C
cordance with the budget which
has been allowed each district.
Can Issue Bonds.
The new law also provides
that the county unit may issue
bonds for the erection of new
school buildings and shall as
sumo the bonded indebtedness
of all third-class districts. In
Cascade county the assessed
valuation of county unit is $15,-
284, 1868, according to last years
assessment, and the bonded in
debtedness of third-class dis
tricts is $91,65O. It will thus be
seen that this bonded indebted
ness can be paid easily on levy
of five tenths of a mill in fifteen
years. The valuation and bond
ed Indebtedness of third-class
districts in Cascade county are
perhaps higher than in any 9TH
er county in the state, though
other counties might not find it
any easier to meet even a lower
bonded Indebtedness, but in no
county is the bonded indebted
edness high in proportion to the
total valuation of all third-class
district.
The new law does not deprive
a single local board of trustees
in Cascade county of any pow
ers except the once above men
toned determining the money
to be raised by special levy and
the bonding of the district and
paying off existing bonds. The
trustees of the sub-district, or
local board, employ their own
teacher, purchase their own
fuel, equipment, etc, issue all of
their own warrants, and receive
their state and county appor-
tionments from their county su-
perintendent just as has here
tofore been done.
During the past month the
sub-district trustees have been
sending the county board in
Cascade county their estimated
budgets for next year. These
have been considered by the
county board and raised or low
cred in certain items as the case
seemed to require. Then after
1educting from the budget al
owed, the approximate amount
IF money to be received by each
district from the state and coun-
" apportionment, the balance
the needs of each dis
,rict from a special levy, and
rom the total the amount of
he uniform special levy for the
county was figured.
Next December when the
axes have been collected, the
county board will meet again to
distribute only the special taxes
20 each district i'm accordance
With the budget which was al
owed the district.
If the question of bonding the
county unit should arise it would
,e submitted to the electors in
hird-class districts, just as all
'ther bond issues are submitted
0 the people. The only bonds
which may be issued without
7ote OF the people are refunding
'onds, which are issued when |
he DOnOS OF q district fall due |
nd there are no funds with |
which to pay them. This is not |
ocular to county unit, but is
provision of the general school
aW.
The County Unit Law.
Briefly stated, the provisions
t the county unit law in Mon
ana are the following:
|. Petition of 800 electors
etween January and April
0; election before June 10;
reation of district July /.
& Rural school district di-
lded by county commissioners
ito five subdivisions Of as
early equal area as possible.
ne trustee appointed for each
lbdivision. After first year
'ustees chosen by voters of
ach subdivision at April school :
49,