In accordance with Ark.Code Ann. § 6-20-2305 (4) as amended by Act 272 of 2007, the Arkansas Department of Education (ADE) shall distribute or recoup net revenues that are more or less than the 98% of the uniform rate of tax (URT) 25 mills. Also, Ark. Code Ann. § 26-26-2001, as amended by Act 27 of 2006, allows the Assessment Coordination Department (ACD) to adopt and implement by rule, a uniform statewide set of instructions for reporting county property tax collection information.
A standard template was designed by ACD to summarize the data contained in the final tax settlement. In response to several questions from districts, the ADE is requesting all school districts to determine if the data listed on the template submitted by the counties agrees with district records. If the district records do not agree, ADE requests that districts meet with the county officials, review the template so as to reach a final agreement that the amount reflected on the template as Total Actual Disbursements by County (column 4 of the attachment) is accurate and agrees with school district records.
The worksheet attached to this memo is for the 2006 Taxes Collectable in 2007 and summarizes the data submission by the Preparer of the Tax Book for each county. The Total Disbursements by County are reflected on the ACD template as Net Taxes Collected Including Delinquent Collections Post-Proration Taxes Collected. Fringe county collections for each school district are combined into the school district totals on the worksheet.
Also calculated is the over/under receipt of the 98% of the URT by district. A comparison of the Total Actual Disbursements by County (column 4 of attachment) to the ADE URT Formula @ 98% (column 8 of attachment) determines if school districts have received more or less than the 98% of the URT. Districts that may be required to reimburse ADE for over collections of the 98% are highlighted in green. Payment of all over collections will be due to the ADE by June 20, 2008. After the final totals have been verified, districts with collections in excess of 98% will be notified as to the specific repayment procedures.
Once the review is complete, each district must e-mail John Kunkel at john.kunkel@arkansas.gov certifying the correct total. If it is found that the data listed in the original submission was incorrect, then the district must request that the county officials contact Amy Gilbert at ACD and include the correct information in the e-mail to John Kunkel. The e-mail to John Kunkel certifying the correct total must include the name of the district, the district LEA number, and the correct total.
The deadline for all corrections will be May 12, 2008.