MARSHALL — School board members gave final approval for a levy increase for Marshall Public Schools next year. At their regular meeting Monday, the school board voted unanimously to certify an overall levy increase of 0.74%.

“This is to certify the amount that was presented at our last meeting, which then will be sent to the county,” said Director of Business Services Dion Caron.

Board members voted to certify a levy in the amount of $7.922 million, which would represent a 0.74% increase from the previous year’s final levy amount.

“I think that’s great,” said school board member Bill Swope. “A 0.74% increase, based on what the city and the county are doing, is just huge.”

At MPS’s “Truth In Taxation” presentation earlier this month, Caron said the district’s levy would be going up by about $58,000 overall. However, while that represented an overall increase of less than 1%, individual tax increases would still vary, he said.

In his presentation, Caron also said factors like changes in market values for property, state legislation, changes in school district enrollment, and voter-approved school referendums can all have a tax impact on individual properties. But at the same time, there were some positives for taxpayers. Minnesota’s Ag2School tax credit for farmers is also increasing in 2023, Caron said.