FAQ

As long as taxable value in the county stays consistent or continues rising, families in Davis County can anticipate no tax rate increases with the passing of the Building Generations Bond.

The proposed bond will not cause a tax rate increase because rising property values, new homes and new businesses contribute to a broader tax base in Davis County.

Furthermore, the district's continues to pay off existing debts as scheduled. When new bonds are issued, payments are layered into the districts existing debts as old bonds are retired.

Fiscal responsibility is important to Davis School District, which is why the district aims to keep property tax rates steady when new bonds are sold.

With 92 schools in Davis School District and a limited number of financial resources, it takes careful planning to anticipate construction needs in DSD buildings.

When students enter their school’s doors, hangout in its hallways and learn inside classrooms everyday, they cause the normal wear and tear you’d expect with the enrollment of 72,000 kids across the district. As years pass, it’s natural that buildings, equipment and technology needs to be repaired, replaced and updated.  

The district uses a facility assessment system to determine which buildings are in most urgent need of repair. 

Bond projects can address a building’s systems, such as air conditioning, HVAC and plumbing, or its physical structures, such as the windows, restrooms, kitchens and gyms. Bond money must be used for school construction and improvement. Legally, it cannot be used for operational expenses, salaries or anything else.

The district looks at projected growth in high-growth areas, as well as how the anticipated growth will affect school feeder patterns in the county.

For instance, an elementary school could easily accommodate another 100-150 students right now, but it will not be able accommodate a predicted growth of 600-700 students in the area over the next five years. 

When a new school is built, boundary adjustments will be considered for all the neighboring schools, which helps fill those schools which are not being fully utilized. 

We consider the “total cost of ownership” over a 60- to 70-year period when deciding what materials to use in a school. An initial cost savings may be more than offset with a far shorter usable building life and increased annual maintenance. In making these decisions, we must be fiscally responsible not only for today’s funds but also for future funds.  

For a large district in a state with very low per-pupil spending, there is a significant financial advantage to building larger schools. Fewer schools mean less fixed operating expenses each year (for example, one principal instead of two). In designing a school, we create “small learning communities” or schools within the school to give the benefits found in smaller schools.  

By state law, bond money must be used for school construction and improvement.  Bond projects can address building’s systems, such as air conditioning, HVAC and plumbing, or its physical structures, such as the windows, restrooms, kitchens and gyms. All funding is used for constructing or maintaining buildings. 

Legally, bond money cannot be used for operational expenses, salaries or anything else. 

The Building Generations Bond will not cause a tax rate increase because rising property values, new homes and new businesses contribute to a broader tax base in Davis County. As long as taxable value in the county stays consistent or continues rising, families in Davis County can anticipate no tax rate increases with the passing of the 2022 bond.

Furthermore, the district's continues to pay off existing debts as scheduled. When new bonds are issued, payments are layered into the districts existing debts as old bonds are retired. Fiscal responsibility is important to Davis School District, which is why the district aims to keep property tax rates steady when new bonds are sold.

The District is currently paying off existing bonds that were issued in the past. If the bonds are approved and sold, the current tax rate will continue.

Without the bond, the estimated potential taxes could decrease an average of $269.10 annually by the year 2032 on a primary residence valued at $534,000 or $489.27 on an equally valued business property.